Connor McDavid is expected to be an impact player from the moment he steps on the ice as an Edmonton Oilers rookie next month.
But is he already as good as some of the NHL’s best players? Tampa Bay Lightning superstar center Steven Stamkos paid McDavid a pretty huge complement on Tuesday at the NHL Media Tour event in Toronto.
[tweet https://twitter.com/CraigCustance/status/641252411571503104 align=”center”]
McDavid was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft. He’s been labeled by nearly everyone as a future superstar, and Wayne Gretzky even called him the best prospect he’s seen in the last 30 years.
No player scored 100 points or more last season — Jamie Benn won the scoring title with 87 points — and the last 18-year-old to hit the century mark was Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby in 2005-06. Stamkos enjoyed an up-and-down rookie season as an 18-year-old with 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) in 79 games.
If there’s any rookie who could approach 100 points, it’s McDavid, who tallied 120 points (44 goals, 76 assists) in 47 games for the OHL’s Erie Otters in 2014-15.
He’s an elite goal scorer, a world-class playmaker and thinks the game two steps ahead of his opponents. Playing alongside top-tier offensive players such as Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle will help boost his scoring totals, too.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
