Connor McDavid | Bio, Stats, News and Records

Connor McDavid, a hockey player in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is a star in the National Hockey League (NHL). He plays for the Edmonton Oilers and is known for his exceptional skating and playmaking skills. Since joining the NHL in 2015, McDavid has become one of the top offensive players. He has won the Art Ross Trophy in 2017 and 2018, the Ted Lindsay Award in 2017 and 2018, and the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2017. McDavid has also won gold medals with Team Canada at the U18 World Championship in 2013, the World Junior Championship in 2015, and the World Championship in 2016.

Personal Information

Early Life

Connor McDavid was born in Newmarket, Ontario, and has an older brother named Cameron. His parents are Brian and Kelly McDavid. Growing up near Toronto, he loved the Toronto Maple Leafs, but his favorite player was Sidney Crosby from the Pittsburgh Penguins. McDavid started skating at three and playing hockey at four. By six, he was so good that he played and excelled against kids who were nine.

Minor Hockey

McDavid had a very successful minor hockey career, coached by his father. He won four straight Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) titles with the York Simcoe Express. To improve as a young hockey player, he played bantam and midget hockey for the Toronto Marlboros in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). In his last midget hockey season, he scored 33 goals and 39 assists, earning the title of GTHL Player of the Year.

Junior Hockey

After doing very well in minor midget hockey, McDavid asked for and received special permission from Hockey Canada to join the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft a year early, at age 15. He was only the third player to get this special status, following John Tavares and Aaron Ekblad, who were both top picks in the OHL and NHL drafts. The Erie Otters picked McDavid first overall in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection, and even though he was the youngest player in the league, he quickly stood out. In his first year (2012-13), he was named OHL Rookie of the Year and was a finalist for CHL Rookie of the Year. While playing for Erie, he won many awards, including CHL Player of the Year (2015), CHL Top Draft Prospect (2015), CHL Scholastic Player of the Year (2014, 2015), and the OHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year (2014).

In his third and last year with Erie (2014-15), McDavid was third in league scoring with 120 points in just 47 games. He also had an outstanding playoff run, scoring 49 points in 20 games, and was named playoff MVP even though the Otters lost in the OHL finals to the Oshawa Generals, who went on to win the Memorial Cup. Over his three seasons with the Otters, McDavid scored 285 points in 166 regular-season games and added 68 points in 34 playoff games.

NHL

Leading up to the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Connor McDavid was considered a generational talent, akin to players like Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, and Wayne Gretzky—athletes who could change the fate of a franchise. The Edmonton Oilers, who were 28th in the standings, won the draft lottery and selected McDavid first overall. Upon joining the team, he instantly became their star player. In his debut NHL season, McDavid met the high expectations by scoring 48 points in 45 games, despite missing 37 games due to an injury. He still managed to finish third in the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the league’s top rookie.

Before the 2016–17 season, McDavid made history by becoming the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years and 266 days old, breaking the previous record held by Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche. In his first season as captain, McDavid scored 100 points, earning the Art Ross Trophy for being the NHL’s leading scorer and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. Additionally, he received the Ted Lindsay Award, which is given to the most outstanding player as voted by his peers. McDavid led the Oilers to their first playoff appearance since the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, where they defeated the San Jose Sharks in the first round but lost to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7 of the second round. Following this successful season, McDavid signed an eight-year contract extension with the Oilers worth $100 million, making his average annual salary $12.5 million, the highest in NHL history at that time.

In the 2017–18 season, McDavid once again led the league in scoring with 108 points, earning his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy and another Ted Lindsay Award. Despite his individual success, the Oilers did not qualify for the playoffs that year.

Connor McDavid Statistics

International Play

Connor McDavid has represented Canada several times in international hockey competitions. He won his first international gold medal at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. In 2014, McDavid competed in his first IIHF World Junior Championship, where Canada finished in a disappointing fourth place. However, in the following year, McDavid returned to the World Juniors and helped Canada win gold.

McDavid has also played twice for Canada in the IIHF World Hockey Championship. In 2016, he won a gold medal with the team. In 2018, he captained Team Canada and led them to a fourth-place finish. Additionally, at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, McDavid was named captain of the under-23 Team North America, a squad of the best young players from Canada and the United States, which finished the tournament in fifth place.

Connor McDavid’s contract with the Edmonton Oilers is worth $100 million over eight years, guaranteeing him an average salary of $12.5 million per year. For the 2024-25 season alone, he will receive a total salary of $11 million, including a signing bonus of $7 million. His salary cap hit for the team is $12.5 million. In his career so far, McDavid has earned approximately $88.5 million, which adjusts to about $101.3 million in today’s value. He ranks 45th in the NHL for all-time career earnings, estimated at $108.5 million including future earnings. As of today, Connor McDavid’s salary for the 2024-25 NHL season is $10 million. This includes a base salary of $3 million and a signing bonus of $7 million.