{allcanada} Connor McDavid drafted No. 1 by Edmonton Oilers

 

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Connor McDavid was selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft on Friday.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound center is considered to be the best prospect since Sidney Crosby in 2005.

"He's a special talent and he's a special kid too," Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli said after making the selection. "We talked about it, but at the end of the day it wasn't very hard."

McDavid, 18, this season tied for fourth in the Ontario Hockey League with 44 goals and was third with 120 points in 47 games; he was nine points behind the league leader, Erie Otters teammate Dylan Strome, playing 21 fewer games. McDavid was named the OHL Most Outstanding Player and Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year.

He led the OHL playoffs in goals (21), assists (28) and points (49) in 19 games.

"He's a craftsman with the puck," NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said. "His hockey sense, with his vision, his anticipation, his sense of timing and the ability to do those things at a top-end speed, you're looking at the best skilled player in the draft."

McDavid helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. His 11 points in seven games tied for the tournament lead and he was named to the tournament all-star team.

McDavid was granted exceptional-player status by Hockey Canada on March 21, 2012, allowing him to be drafted into the OHL at 15, one year earlier than usual. Erie selected him with the first pick of the 2012 OHL draft, and he finished the 2012-13 season with 25 goals and 66 points in 63 games and was named OHL rookie of the year.

In 2013-14, McDavid was fourth in the OHL with 99 points in 56 games and became the sixth 16-year-old to play for Canada in the WJC, the first since Crosby in 2004.

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