Connor McDavid Ready For Jump to NHL
If you’re a hockey fan, you know the name Connor McDavid.
Christened “The Next One” years ago when he was just 15, McDavid’s all grown up now and ready to be drafted into an NHL club this coming June. He’s been compared to the likes of Sidney Crosby, hailed as a top prospect, drawn sell-out crowds in cities across the OHL…. the pressure’s on.
So — just HOW good is 18-year-old Connor McDavid, exactly? Here’s a look at his career in the Ontario Hockey League to date.
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Connor McDavid began his OHL career in the 2012-13 season, at the age of just 15. He’d turn 16 in January of that season and as a rookie, he finished the season second on the team in scoring, three points behind captain Connor Brown.
Each of them had 41 assists on the season, but Brown had the slight edge in goals.
Only one other player, overager J.P. Labardo, had 60+ points. Just one skater, Thomas Lattavo – who appeared in seven games – ended the season with a positive plus-minus.
The Otters team as a whole struggled that season, finishing in 10th place with a 19-40-4-5 record. Despite all that, Brown and McDavid excelled, each averaging over a point-per-game.
McDavid began his career with a point-less game against Niagara, but would go on to have at least a point in each of the next 10 games. Overall, he had 16 multi-point games, and had points in 45 of 63 games, including a four-point game to finish off the season.
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McDavid’s sophomore season saw the Otters play at a whole new level. The team had five players score over 70 points in the season, and the Otters finished 3rd in the conference with a 52-14-2-0 record. Outstanding.
Things just seemed to click. Once again, Brown led the team in scoring — this time with 128 points. Left winger Dane Fox, who had registered 36 points in 37 games the previous season, exploded onto the OHL scene with a 107-point season.
Added into the mix were guys like Andre Burakovsky, who had 87 points in 57 games, and Dylan Strome, 39 points in 60 games.
McDavid, meanwhile, had 71 assists and 28 goals for 99 points total, good for third on the Otters team. All but three Otters players finished the season with a positive plus/minus, and five players averaged a point-per-game or better.
Individually, he had a season-high 11-game point streak and 31 multi-point games, including two games where he registered five points each. He registered a point or more in 45 of 56 games.
It wasn’t just McDavid; it was an overall improvement by a lot of players on the team that helped carry the Otters through the regular season and into the playoffs.
The Otters made it to the third round, eventually falling to the Guelph Storm. McDavid? Registered at least a point in 11 of 14 playoff games.
That brings us to this season, where McDavid and several other Otters players have continued their outstanding ways.
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Dylan Strome has stepped up big time, with 98 points in 54 games.
McDavid missed a good portion of the season due to injury, but he’s been good – REALLY good – when he has played, registering 86 points in just 34 games. Oh, and he just broke a franchise record with a 19-game point streak.
Not like that’s any big deal or anything. In reality, McDavid has registered at least a point in all but one game this season.
Add into that rookie Alex DeBrincat, a projected top NHL draft pick for 2016, and the addition of guys like Buffalo Sabres prospect Nicholas Baptiste, and captain McDavid and his team are once again hot, hot hot. The Otters clinched a playoff spot last week and have a 38-12-2-2 record.
Here’s the thing about McDavid. Not only is he a good player in his own right; he makes other players better, too.
He’s got some incredible moves on his own, but knowing a team isn’t composed solely of one player, it’s important to take note. Sixty-eight (68) percent of his points in the OHL have been assists – 183 of 270. He hasn’t been selfish by any means, and overall works to make his team better.
Of course, he’s still been known to show up in a highlight reel or two…..
Connor McDavid has been on the minds of scouts for years already, since he first suited up for Erie at the age of just 15. As an Otters fan, I remember meeting him back in November of 2012, hearing everyone talk about “The Next One” and how great this kid was going to be, and it’s pretty crazy to see how much the hype has expanded in the past few years.
Now, a couple years later and with a handful of OHL experience under his belt — plus World Juniors gold — he’s prepping to get drafted by an NHL team this June. He’s been repeatedly tagged as the top prospect heading into this year’s draft. There’s little doubt that he can succeed regardless of where he plays — it’s just a matter of time to see where exactly that will be.