Because of his high level of play, McDavid was granted Exceptional Player status by Hockey Canada and was allowed to be entered in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection at age 15, a year earlier than he would have otherwise been eligible.[4][5] He was the third player given that status; after John Tavares was granted it in 2005, followed by Aaron Ekblad in 2011.[3]
McDavid was selected first overall by the Erie Otters at the Priority Selection.[6] As the first overall selection, McDavid was awarded the Jack Ferguson Award.[7] Throughout his inaugural season, McDavid played on a line with Connor Brown. Starting in his second game of the season, McDavid recorded a point in 15 consecutive games, and was named the OHL Rookie of the Month for both October and November.[8] During a game against the Owen Sound Attack on March 9, 2013, McDavid recorded two assists, giving him 37 for the season and setting a new team record for assists by a rookie. He also tied Tim Connolly for most points by a first-year player, with 62.[9] In the team's final game of the season, March 16 against the Guelph Storm, McDavid recorded four assists, giving him 66 total points during the season and passing Connolly for the most points by an Otters rookie.[10] McDavid finished the season with the most assists by an OHL rookie with 41 and second in scoring for first-year players, with 66 points.[11] In recognition of his play, McDavid was awarded the Emms Family Award as the top rookie in the OHL, was a finalist for CHL Rookie of the Year, and was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team.[8]Dallas Stars's general manager Jim Nill said of McDavid, "Well, he's a franchise player. Somebody is going to draft him and he's going to be the cornerstone of the franchise for 15 years, for 20 years. Those players only come along so often."[12]
Sweater worn by McDavid while playing with the Erie Otters, on exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame
During training camp for the 2014–15 season, McDavid was named the captain of the Erie Otters.[14] McDavid had a strong start to the season before breaking his hand in an on-ice fight on November 11, 2014. At the time, McDavid was leading the OHL in points, having scored 16 goals and 35 assists in 18 games.[15] McDavid missed six weeks of play as a result of his injury, returning to the ice to play for Canada at the 2015 World Junior Championships. He rejoined the Otters on January 8, 2015, scoring a goal in a 4–3 loss against the Sarnia Sting.[16] In the 47 games that McDavid played with the Otters during the 2014–15 regular season, he registered 44 goals and 76 assists, finishing third in OHL scoring. McDavid had a dominating performance during the OHL playoffs, scoring 21 goals and 28 assists and leading all players with 49 points (in comparison, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds player, Nick Ritchie, was second in playoff scoring with 26 points). He was awarded the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as playoff MVP despite the fact that the Erie Otters were eliminated in 5 games in the OHL Championship by the Oshawa Generals.[17] New York Islanders captain, and former Oshawa General, John Tavares, was in attendance during Game 3 of the 2015 finals and said of McDavid: "I don't think I've ever seen anyone with that kind of acceleration — you think he's at top gear and there just always seems to be another level."[18]
Following the 2014–15 season, McDavid was awarded the Red Tilson Trophy for the OHL Player of the Year and was named CHL Player of the Year.[19] He is the most decorated player in OHL history.[20]
Professional
McDavid was drafted first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.[21] On July 3, 2015, McDavid signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team.[22] He made his NHL debut on October 8, 2015, in a 3–1 loss to the St. Louis Blues.[23] McDavid scored his first goal (and point) four nights later against goaltender Kari Lehtonen, in a 4–2 loss to the Dallas Stars.[24] On November 3, 2015, he broke his clavicle during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers when he collided with Brandon Manning, which caused him to miss the next 37 games. He returned to the line-up on February 2, 2016, scoring a goal and gaining two assists.[25] In his first game against his boyhood team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, McDavid had his first five-point night, recording a point on every goal in a 5–2 victory, including three assists (on three Jordan Eberle goals) and two goals. He finished third in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year despite participating in only 45 games in his rookie season.[26]
On October 5, 2016, McDavid was named captain of the Oilers, making him the youngest captain in NHL history.[27] At 19 years and 266 days, McDavid was 20 days younger than Gabriel Landeskog when he was named captain of the Colorado Avalanche.
On November 19, 2016, in a game against the Dallas Stars, McDavid recorded his first career hat trick in a 5–2 win ending a 10-game goal drought.[28] On January 18, McDavid recorded his 100th career point with an assist against the Florida Panthers, doing so in 92 games and becoming the fourth-fastest active player to reach 100 points. McDavid finished the season with 30 goals, 70 assists, and 100 points, and won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer. He was the third-youngest player to ever win the award; only Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky were younger when they won. McDavid had 11 more points than the next highest scorers, Crosby and Patrick Kane.[29]
On July 5, 2017, McDavid signed an eight-year, $100 million extension with the Oilers.[30] The average annual value of $12.5 million per year is the highest in the NHL, surpassing the $10.5 million contracts held by Carey Price, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.[31]
McDavid became the first Oiler in history to score a hat trick in an opening-night game, which took place on October 4, 2017, against the team's provincial rival, the Calgary Flames.[32] On January 13, 2018, McDavid scored his 200th point on an assist from Drake Caggiula's goal.
McDavid entered his second NHL All-Star Game in 2018, participating in two events. He became the first player to win the "NHL Fastest Skater Competition" event back-to-back, with times of 13.310 seconds in 2017, and 13.454 seconds in 2018.[33]
In the 2017–18 season, McDavid scored his second, third, and fourth career hat tricks.[34][35][36] He also earned his first four-goal game, against the Tampa Bay Lightning, on February 5, 2018.[37] Despite the Oilers failing to qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, McDavid won the Art Ross Trophy for the second straight season,[38] and won the Ted Lindsay Award for the second consecutive time.[39][40]
He scored 41 goals and 75 assists during the 2018–19 season, good for second overall in the NHL in total points; however, the Oilers would once again miss the Stanley Cup playoffs. For his efforts, he was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, awarded annually to the NHL's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players' Association.[41]
McDavid would go on to tally 34 goals and 63 assists during the 2019–20 season, which was halted in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He would score five goals and four assists during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs as the Oilers were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks in four games in the preliminary round.[42]
After the Oilers were eliminated from the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, McDavid spent time in the offseason to improve his defensive game, an aspect of his play that has led him to receive criticism [43] in years past, and seen as one of the very limited drawbacks to his play.
On February 17, 2021, McDavid scored his 500th point, becoming the 18th player to score 500 points in fewer than 400 games and the 21st player to achieve this before his 25th birthday.[44]
On May 8, 2021, McDavid recorded his 100th point of the season in his 53rd game, becoming only the ninth player to reach the mark in that short a timespan, and the first since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr did so in 1995–96.[45][46] McDavid received all 100 first places votes for his second Hart Trophy win as the most valuable player of the NHL, becoming the second unanimous winner in league history (along with Wayne Gretzky in 1981–82).[47]
McDavid began the 2021–22 NHL season with 8 goals and 22 points through his first 10 games, tying teammate Leon Draisaitl as the leader of the NHL in points. This was the best opening stretch in the history of the Oilers franchise, with nine wins and only one loss. In a November 5, 2021 game against the New York Rangers, McDavid stickhandled through four Rangers players in front of the net to then fake his way past goaltender Alexandar Georgiev and tie the game, sending it into overtime where the Oilers would ultimately win the game. Many commentators and fans called it the finest goal of his career to that point.[48]
McDavid first played in an IIHF tournament in 2013 when he joined the Canadian under-18 team at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships in Sochi, Russia. The youngest player on the Canadian team, McDavid played his first game against Slovakia on April 18, where he recorded one goal and two assists.[11] After recording a hat trick against Sweden, McDavid was named the best Canadian player of the game.[49][50] He led the tournament in goals and points while helping Canada win a gold medal for only the third time since the tournament's inception in 1999, defeating the four-time defending champion, the United States, in the final. Jim Nill, then chief scout for the Detroit Red Wings, said of his performance that, "I guess you could say he is kind of The Next One. Every so many years [a player arrives like] Gretzky, Lemieux. I think he is making a statement. Is he [the next Sidney] Crosby? I think he is the next guy."[51]
McDavid played for Canada at the 2014 World Junior Championship where the team finished fourth. He also represented Canada in the 2015 World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal where they won gold on January 5, 2015. He served as one of the two alternate captains for the team. In the 7 games McDavid played at the tournament he scored 3 goals and a tournament-leading 8 assists. He was named to the tournament all-star team.[52]
McDavid was born in 1997 in Richmond Hill, Ontario[56] to Brian and Kelly McDavid. He has an older brother named Cameron. McDavid first skated at age 3, and the next year he started playing hockey; his parents lied about his age because participants were required to be 5 years old.[57] When McDavid was 6, the hockey association in his hometown of Newmarket would not let him play above his age group. Instead of having him play in the lower level, McDavid's parents enrolled him with a team in nearby Aurora, where he played against players as old as 9.[58] McDavid later joined the York-Simcoe Express, a team in Aurora, Ontario, where he was coached by his father, Brian; the team would win four Ontario Minor Hockey Association championships.[58]
The decision to leave the York Simcoe Express in 2011 to join the Toronto Marlboros, according to McDavid, came at a personal cost[59] with both him and his parents losing friends over the decision.
McDavid considered attending Boston University and playing hockey for their team, the Terriers, but decided it would be best for his development to play in the OHL.[60]
Being from Southern Ontario, McDavid followed various sporting teams in the area. His favourite team growing up was the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he also followed the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays.[61][62] In addition to the Maple Leafs, McDavid was also a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins due to the presence of his favourite player Sidney Crosby.[63] In 2015, McDavid said his most comparable NHL player was then-Maple Leafs centre Tyler Bozak due to his good skating and "pass first" mentality.[64]
On October 5, 2020, McDavid tested positive for COVID-19 amid its pandemic in Canada.[65] In November 2020, photos of the Edmonton house McDavid built with his interior designer girlfriend Lauren Kyle went viral on Twitter[66] after being published in an Edmonton-based magazine, Edify, in July 2020.[67]
The Erie Otters are a Major junior ice hockey team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Midwest division of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of only three American teams in the circuit. The team name refers to the North American river otter common to Lake Erie.
Nikos "Nick" Kypreos is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whalers, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He is a former hockey analyst on the Sportsnet cable television network in Canada.
Sheldon Keefe, is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. His younger brother Adam Keefe is the current head coach of the Belfast Giants of the EIHL.
John Tavares is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected first overall by the New York Islanders in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, where he spent nine seasons and served as captain for five seasons.
Taylor Strba Hall is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft selected by the Edmonton Oilers. He has previously played for the Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres.
Nazem Samir Kadri is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He played his junior career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), first with the Kitchener Rangers and then the London Knights. He won the J. Ross Robertson Cup with Kitchener and was part of the Rangers team that lost to the Spokane Chiefs in the final of the 2008 Memorial Cup. Kadri has also represented Canada internationally at the 2010 World Junior Championships, where the team received the silver medal after losing the final to the United States 6–5.
Tyler Paul Seguin is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Seguin was selected second overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins and went on to win the 2011 Stanley Cup in his rookie season. He finished the 2011–12 season in Boston with a plus-minus of +34, the second highest in the NHL.
Mark Scheifele is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Jets in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the Jets' first-ever draft pick after relocating from Atlanta.
Aaron Ekblad is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League (NHL). Ekblad was selected first overall in the 2011 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) entry draft, and he was selected first overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. In his first NHL season, Ekblad was selected for the 2015 NHL All-Star Game and earned the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie in the 2014–15 season.
Morgan Frederick Rielly is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the first round, fifth overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Before being drafted, Rielly played with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League. He has represented Canada internationally on several occasions, most notably at the 2016 World Championship, where he captured a gold medal.
Adam Pelech is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pelech was selected by the Islanders in the third round, 65th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Scott Laughton is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Bowie William Horvat is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Nicholas Ritchie is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ritchie was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, tenth overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. His older brother, Brett Ritchie, played with him on the Bruins, but is now playing with the Calgary Flames.
Samuel Hunter Bennett is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bennett was rated by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the top North American prospect for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, where he was selected fourth overall by the Calgary Flames. Bennett made his NHL debut in the 2014–15 season.
Connor Brown is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Brown was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round, 156th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Brown played for the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2011 until 2014, then for the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Toronto Marlies for the better part of two seasons before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs full-time in the 2016–17 season.
Dylan William Strome is a Canadian professional ice hockey center for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ahead of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Strome was considered a top prospect, and was selected third overall by the Arizona Coyotes. He is the brother of New York Rangers forward Ryan Strome and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matthew Strome.
Mitchell Marner is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Marner was born in Markham, Ontario, and grew up in Thornhill. He was selected fourth overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Travis Dermott is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Before turning professional, Dermott was rated as a top prospect who was projected as a possible first round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He was ultimately selected in the second round, 34th overall, by the Maple Leafs.
Alexander DeBrincat is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "the Cat", he was selected by the Blackhawks with the 39th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
↑ Steiss, Adam (April 23, 2013). "Looking like a winner". U18Worlds2013.IIHF.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
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