McDavid
era begins as Oilers draft Canadian phenom first
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[June 27, 2015]
By Frank Pingue
(Reuters) - Connor McDavid, a Canadian ice
hockey prodigy whose skills have been compared to Hall of Famer Wayne
Gretzky's, was selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the first pick of
the National Hockey League Draft on Friday.
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The 18-year-old center's selection was not a surprise to anyone as
he has been considered the most coveted prospect for years given his
hockey sense, skating wizardry, deft passing and vision for the
game's finer offensive points.
McDavid said the sky-high expectations that await him when the
2015-16 NHL season opens in October, along with comparisons to some
of the game's greatest players, are nothing new.
"It's something that I've been dealing with for a long time now and
there's nothing I can do about them," he said shortly after slipping
on his No. 97 blue and orange Oilers jersey.
"The hardest person on me is me and my expectations exceed any of
those put on me so I am just going to do the best that I can and go
out there and work as hard as I can."
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Considered the NHL's most marketable prospect since Sidney Crosby
was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2005, McDavid racked up a staggering
120 points in 47 games while playing junior hockey for the Ontario
Hockey League's Erie Otters last season.
The hype surrounding him was so intense that there was as much focus
on the bottom of the NHL standings last season as the top given the
increased odds of winning a weighted lottery, and rights to the top
pick, the more a team lost.
McDavid joins a struggling Edmonton team that has missed the
playoffs in each of the last nine seasons despite owning the first
pick in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 NHL Drafts.
The Buffalo Sabres used the draft's second pick to choose American
center Jack Eichel, also considered a can't-miss prospect that
experts say would've been the top choice in most any other draft.
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The Boston University center is one of the most highly-touted
American prospects ever following a season where the freshman won
the Hobey Baker Award, U.S. college hockey's top individual prize,
after leading the nation with 71 points in 40 games.
Picking third, the Arizona Coyotes selected McDavid's Erie teammate,
center Dylan Strome, who is one of the more creative playmakers in
the draft and gives the team size and skill.
With the fourth pick, the Toronto Maple Leafs took high-scoring
Mitchell Marner, a smallish, dynamic winger who has drawn
comparisons to three-time Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks
forward Patrick Kane.
The Carolina Hurricanes rounded out the top five by picking Boston
College defenseman Noah Hanifin, considered a smart, puck-moving
blueliner who already has NHL size.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Cameron French)
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