1. Connor McDavid — Edmonton Oilers
When superstar Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins claims you to be the best player in the league, you know you’re doing something right. The Edmonton Oilers hit the greatest jackpot of all time when they were awarded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft — the ability to select a once in a generation-like talent Canadian-born Connor McDavid.
To put into perspective just how good Connor McDavid is at that hockey thing, he would garner up to several thousand spectators a game, just to watch him play. This was happening when he was 12-years old.
As an 18-year old, he made his NHL debut for the Oilers, but would suffer a broken clavicle in the midst of his season, causing him to miss almost half of the season. Nonetheless, he still finished second in the rookie of the year voting after scoring 16 goals and 32 assists in 45 games played.
In just his second year in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers named him as team captain, establishing McDavid as the youngest player in the history of the league to be named captain. That season, Connor McDavid registered his first triple-digited point season, as he tallied 30 goals and 70 assists in a full 82 game season.
While frustration with the team’s lack of success continues to grow each passing season, it doesn’t stop Connor McDavid from single-handily taking over games, as the face of the NHL was on pace to record his fourth consecutive 100+ point season, having 97 points in 64 games played before the league’s suspension of play in March.
As insane as his stat lines are, they don’t tell the whole story for the Ontario native. Not only is he the most skilled player in the game, but he’s also the fastest, most conditioned, and smartest player in the NHL.
You can say with absolute confidence, there is ZERO competition for the No. 1 slot in this Top 3, as Connor McDavid is hands-down, the greatest player in the world, and will even be regarded as one of the greatest of all time when it’s all said and done.