SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -- Connor McDavid's favorite hockey player is Sidney Crosby. His favorite non-skating athlete is LeBron James.
He's now in their club, forever to be known as a No. 1 pick.
McDavid's journey toward widely expected NHL superstardom officially began Friday night when the Edmonton Oilers grabbed him with the top overall selection in the draft. No player has entered the league with such hype since Crosby a decade ago, and his level of celebrity within the game already may rival what James was dealing with when he joined the NBA in 2003.
Crosby and James proved the buzz surrounding them was worthwhile, both having won the biggest team and individual honors in their sport. And McDavid now gets his chance to fulfill the highest of expectations.
''Unbelievable,'' McDavid said. ''This is such a surreal feeling. It's really hard to put into words right now how much this means to me.''
The Oilers haven't made the playoffs since 2006, a far cry from the days when Wayne Gretzky dominated the NHL and Edmonton won five titles in a seven-year span from 1984 through 1990.
No pressure, Connor.
''The Edmonton Oilers have such a historic history,'' McDavid said.
That they do.
And now he's their future.
McDavid looked on nervously as Edmonton's 3-minute draft clock ran down, then hugged family when his name was finally called. He slipped out of his suit jacket, strolled to the stage, shook a few hands and then slipped the Oilers jersey over his head as the crowd cheered.
''We're lucky to have him,'' Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli said.
Buffalo then took Hobey Baker winner Jack Eichel of Boston University with the No. 2 pick, a move that was also expected. Eichel scored 26 goals and added 45 assists in 40 games this past season, on his way to being considered college hockey's best player.
Fans from all around the league - at least their jersey choices suggested that was the case - were in South Florida for the festivities. Many endured long lines to pose with the Stanley Cup (and some with Phil Pritchard, the keeper of the Cup). A group of a half-dozen men from Edmonton headed to their seats, all wearing matching McDavid No. 97 jerseys. A few from Buffalo wore ''I like Eich'' T-shirts, an obvious nod to the 34th U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower.
The intrigue in this draft essentially started at No. 3, when Arizona grabbed forward Dylan Strome - McDavid's teammate with the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters, and someone who actually finished this past season with nine more points than the new No. 1 pick, albeit in 21 more games.
The biggest early first-round splash was made by Boston, which had the No. 14 pick in the first round to start the day - then got the No. 13 and No. 15 selections in a pair of trades on Friday. The Bruins traded left wing Milan Lucic to Los Angeles for defenseman Colin Miller, goalie Martin Jones and the 13th pick, then got No. 15, No. 45 and No. 52 from Calgary in exchange for defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
But regardless of what the Bruins or anyone else did, the lights shined brightest on McDavid.
Last year's No. 1 pick, Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad, was at Friday's draft - held on the very floor where the Panthers play their home games. A year ago on draft night, Ekblad was a nervous wreck. This time around, fresh off returning from Las Vegas where he was presented the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie this past season, Ekblad coolly munched on chicken fingers in an arena suite.
He knows McDavid well, and believes the Gretzky, Crosby, whoever comparisons won't affect the new No. 1 pick.
''I'm lucky. I'm not nearly as good as him. I don't draw those comparisons,'' Ekblad said. ''It's going to be tough to live up to but Connor has a set of expectations for himself and I'm thinking he's probably the only one who's going to worry about that. He's not worried about anyone else's expectations.''
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