Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid is a highly regarded Canadian professional ice hockey player, born on January 13, 1997, in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Known for his exceptional skill and leadership, he was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft after a successful junior career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). At just nineteen, McDavid became the youngest captain in NHL history, showcasing his maturity and talent on the ice. He has consistently led the league in scoring and received numerous accolades, including multiple Hart Memorial Trophies, Art Ross Trophies, and Ted Lindsay Awards.
McDavid's journey to success began early, as he demonstrated remarkable dedication and talent in youth hockey, eventually leading to his exceptional player status in the OHL. His tenure with the Oilers has been characterized by high-scoring seasons and impressive playoff performances, though he has faced challenges, including injuries and playoff exits. Off the ice, McDavid is also known for his charitable contributions, particularly in support of youth in Edmonton's Indigenous community. Currently engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Lauren Kyle, McDavid continues to be a prominent figure in the NHL, making significant impacts both as an athlete and community member.
Subject Terms
Connor McDavid
Hockey player
- Born: January 13, 1997
- Place of Birth: Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Significance: After proving himself as a junior hockey player in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Connor McDavid was chosen as the first overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft. In 2016, at age nineteen, he became the youngest team captain in NHL history, and over subsequent years he earned multiple awards while remaining at the top of the league in scoring.
Background
Connor Andrew McDavid was born on January 13, 1997, in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, to his parents Brian and Kelly. McDavid was the youngest of two boys. His older brother Cameron played for the Junior A ice hockey team, the Newmarket Hurricanes, but retired from the sport early to pursue a career as an investment banker. McDavid’s father, Brian, was a youth hockey coach who got him out on the ice at the age of three. Within a year, he was playing hockey with older children. At age six, when McDavid’s hometown hockey association banned him from continuing the practice of going up against older players, the McDavids enrolled their son in a hockey program in nearby Aurora, which allowed him to play with nine-year-olds.
McDavid’s father continued to coach his son as part of the Aurora team, the York Simcoe Express. Young McDavid helped lead the team to four Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) championship wins. He also played bantam and midget hockey for the Toronto Marlboros, a AAA Minor Midget team in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). In his last season with midget hockey, McDavid scored 33 goals and logged 39 assists, earning him the title of GTHL Player of the Year.
In the seventh grade, McDavid’s parents enrolled him in Toronto’s Premier Elite Athletes’ Collegiate (PEAC) private school. While he was there, McDavid trained alongside some of the best Canadian youth hockey players. His daily schedule included ninety minutes of hockey practice, strength training, and a full day of classes, in addition to a rigorous competition schedule with the Toronto Marlboros AAA team. A PEAC instructor later recalled McDavid spending his off-hours in the gym doing side shuffles on a treadmill while wearing a fifty-pound flak jacket.
Teen Phenom to NHL MVP
McDavid’s early success and dedication to the sport led him to apply for exceptional player status in the OHL draft. Hockey Canada approved his application, and he became eligible to be drafted in 2012 at age fifteen. McDavid was presented with the Jack Ferguson Award, given by the OHL to the top draft pick, after being selected first overall by the Major junior Erie Otters.
The teenage phenom, who moved from his family’s Ontario home to Erie, Pennsylvania, immediately stood out from his teammates. Not only did McDavid score points in fifteen consecutive games in the 2012–13 season, but he also displayed a quiet sportsmanship that proved he understood the game was not about him. In his first season, McDavid finished as the top scorer among rookie players with 66 points, earning a spot on the OHL First All-Rookie Team. During the 2013–14 season, he won the William Hanley Trophy for his exemplary sportsmanship and was named the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year. The following season, McDavid was named captain of the Otters. Although an injury sidelined him for six weeks, he managed to finish the season with 44 goals and 76 assists.
In the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, McDavid was picked first overall by the Edmonton Oilers. He signed a three-year contract in July and headed back to Canada. However, his first season was marred by injury. After two early losses to the St. Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars, McDavid broke his clavicle and was benched for thirty-seven games. Nonetheless, the young center rebounded to score 48 points during his forty-five–game rookie season. His performance was enough to earn him the title of team captain, at just nineteen, the youngest in NHL history.
In his first full NHL season, 2016–17, McDavid led the league with 30 goals and 70 assists. In 2017, he was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the team’s most valuable player, the Art Ross Trophy for leading the NHL in scoring points, and the Ted Lindsay Award, for most outstanding player in the regular season. That season the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2006, inspiring the team to sign McDavid to an eight-year, $100 million contract extension on July 5, 2017. The 2017–18 season saw more of the same from McDavid, who once again led the league in scoring with 108 points. He also took home the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award for the second consecutive year.
McDavid went on to top his own stats the following season. In 2018–19, he scored 116 points in seventy-eight games, ranking second overall for total points in the NHL. The 2019–20 season was cut short in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Oilers still made the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite McDavid’s five goals and four assists, the Oilers were ultimately defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the qualifying round. After play resumed in January 2021, twenty-four-year-old McDavid scored his 500th career point in his 369th game on February 18. That same year, McDavid posted his fourth 100-point season despite the NHL switching to a curtailed fifty-six game schedule due to complications from COVID-19. During the 2021–22 season, McDavid earned his fourth Art Ross Trophy after leading the league in scoring. Additional honors for the year included McDavid being named to his fifth NHL All-Star Team in addition to nominations for the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. A strong playoff performance that postseason led to the Oilers advancing to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2006. However, the Oilers were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche, who would later go on to win the Stanley Cup. McDavid, who put up an excellent postseason performance, led the league in playoff scoring that year.
McDavid continued to impress during the 2022–23 season, a year in which he finished the regular season as the league leader in both goals and points. Additionally, McDavid's sixty-four goals that season were a career high, while his 153 points were the fourth-highest amount scored by a player in the history of the sport. For his efforts, McDavid was awarded his fifth Art Ross Trophy, fourth Ted Lindsay Award, third Hart Memorial Trophy, and first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (which is awarded to the leading goal scorer in a season). Additional accolades for the 2022–23 season included a sixth All-Star Game appearance and fifth nomination to the NHL First All-Star Team, which honors the season's best players in each position. During the postseason, McDavid and the Oilers advanced to the second round of the playoffs to play the Vegas Golden Knights. However, the Oilers lost to the Golden Knights, who went on to become the 2023 Stanley Cup champions.
Though McDavid had struggled to score a goal himself in multiple games of the 2023-24 season, and injuries forced him to sit out a handful of games, he was still a direct part of many of the Oilers' goals secured. In April 2024, he joined only Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux in holding a league record for making at least one hundred assists in a single season.
At the end of the 2023–2024 season, McDavid led Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Finals, where the Oilers quickly fell behind 0–3 to the Florida Panthers. McDavid put the team on his back, powering them to three straight victories to force a deciding Game 7. McDavid and Edmonton came up short and lost the championship, but McDavid was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most outstanding player in the NHL playoffs.
Impact
After maintaining a rigorous schedule at Toronto’s PEAC private school, Connor McDavid received an exemption for an early OHL draft at age fifteen. Following three successful seasons with the OHL Major junior team, the Erie Otters, McDavid was drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. After an injury led to an abbreviated rookie season, the Oilers named McDavid the youngest captain in NHL history. Over the next few years, McDavid would go on to earn a reputation as being one of the league's most talented players.
Personal Life
Connor McDavid has devoted much of his free time to charity work. In 2015, he was named a Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities Ambassador. In 2018, the Edmonton Oilers team captain announced a donation of $85,000 over three years to support the youth of Edmonton’s Indigenous community. He became engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Lauren Kyle, in 2023.
Bibliography
Aleong, Joseph. “Breaking Down Connor McDavid’s Rookie Excellence.” The Hockey Writers, 10 July 2016, thehockeywriters.com/breaking-down-connor-mcdavids-rookie-excellence/. Accessed 29 Apr. 2021.
Campbell, Ken. “Connor McDavid Will Stand Up for the Little Guy.” Sports Illustrated, 20 June 2015, www.si.com/hockey/news/connor-mcdavid-will-stand-up-for-the-little-guy. Accessed 3 May 2021.
Clipperton, Joshua. “Oilers' McDavid Wins Hart Trophy, 3 Other Awards to Cap Superlative 153-Point Season.” CBC, 26 June 2023, www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl-awards-recap-june-26-1.6888630. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
"Connor McDavid." Hockey Reference, 2024, www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/mcdavco01.html. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Kimelman, Adam. “Connor McDavid Drafted No. 1 by Edmonton Oilers.” NHL, 26 June 2015, www.nhl.com/news/connor-mcdavid-drafted-no-1-by-edmonton-oilers/c-772405. Accessed 29 Apr. 2021.
"McDavid Becomes 4th Player in NHL History to Get 100 Assists in Season." NHL, 16 Apr. 2024, www.nhl.com/news/connor-mcdavid-gets-100-assists-in-season-for-edmonton-oilers. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
"McDavid Caps Historic Run With Conn Smythe Despite Oilers Loss in Game 7." NHL, 25 June 2024, www.nhl.com/news/connor-mcdavid-wins-conn-smythe-trophy-for-oilers-as-playoff-mvp. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.