The Kids are Alright: McDavid Leads the Way

It is sometimes difficult to recognize generational talent in a young player. National Hockey League scouts are tasked with selecting baby-faced teens in the hope that one day, they blossom into the superstars that will save their respective franchises. The word hope in this scenario appears to be a “glass half full” approach to the overwhelming doubt involved in the NHL Draft. The millions of dollars spent on scouting might as well be spent at a blackjack table, as the doubt surrounding young players has existed for the greater part of the NHL's history.

For Connor McDavid, there was no doubt. Ever.

McDavid grew up in Newmarket, Ontario, a suburb just north of the bubbling hockey cauldron of Toronto. At the age of three, McDavid began to skate. At the age of five, Connor’s parents were lying about his age so he could play with players as old as nine. Playing with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League in 2014-15, McDavid would finish third in scoring with 120 points, despite appearing in 20 fewer games than the two players above him on the leaderboard. In the playoffs that year, McDavid’s Otters would fall short of the Memorial Cup, but McDavid would excel, scoring 49 points in 20 games. For comparison’s sake, the next closest player was Nick Ritchie, who scored 26 points.

Following that season, the Edmonton Oilers were awarded the first overall selection in the NHL Entry Draft, and there was no doubt McDavid would be selected by the perpetually struggling franchise. At just 19 years-old, McDavid was named captain of the Oilers, and became the youngest player in NHL history to have the “C” sewn on the heart of his sweater. Currently leading the league in points, McDavid looks to join fellow Canadian all-stars Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky as the youngest players to win the Art Ross trophy for collecting the most points in an 82 game campaign.

While McDavid leads the way, other rookies are following suit. In fact, four of the league's top ten scorers this season are 23 years old or younger, marking a change of the guard of sorts in the NHL. The NHL sanctioned World Cup of Hockey was highlighted by a North American team, captained by McDavid, that featured only players 23 years of age or younger. Once weary of young players, NHL teams are starting to embrace the kids as stars instead of viewing them as risks. The "young guns" are captivating fans and proving that the youth movement is in full swing.

And they're going to have fun. After all, they're still just kids.

Connor McDavid and Otters teammate Dylan Strome have some fun at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft

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