C Connor McDavid - Erie Otters, OHL (2015 Draft) II

[Coaches Coroner]

Wasn't Crosby fairly physically mature/strong at 16? McDavid by all accounts still has a lot of strength he needs to add, just because he may take longer to develop than Crosby, doesn't mean that he can't become that type of player at the end of his development.

I've only seen him a couple of times and think he has great talent, but I'm not comfortable speculating or comparing him to players like Crosby. My only point was that different players develop differently and physical maturity at a young age can make a huge difference in junior production, but not so much in the production of a players peak NHL years.

 

[DigitalSea]

I feel McDavid just has a different development arc than Crosby had. I don't think it's fair to compare the two of them just yet.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

Wasn't Crosby fairly physically mature/strong at 16? McDavid by all accounts still has a lot of strength he needs to add, just because he may take longer to develop than Crosby, doesn't mean that he can't become that type of player at the end of his development.

I've only seen him a couple of times and think he has great talent, but I'm not comfortable speculating or comparing him to players like Crosby. My only point was that different players develop differently and physical maturity at a young age can make a huge difference in junior production, but not so much in the production of a players peak NHL years.

I've watched both of them - including seeing both before each played in the CHL (in their respective leagues).

McDavid is a brilliant player and I have seen nothing so far to suggest he won't be great in the NHL (a comment i make, even though he's only 16). still.. IMO, despite the hype, he is currently not at the same level as Crosby at the same age. This is no insult to McDavid at all - the sky is the limit for him. But imo he is not 'Crosby good' at this point.

...a better question is whether it's really productive for certain media outlets to be holding him out as 'crosby good' at this point. i don't think it's helpful, but ymmv.

 

[Bob and 200 others]

Reading through this thread just screams John Tavares 2.0.
When he "only" has a 50-60 point rookie season, can't for the "but he has potential" lines, or the bad linemates excuse.

Generational players like Crosby/Ovechkin/Malkin step right out the gate, dominate and only get better from there, their rookie season's would be a career year for many players, they don't follow the developmental stages of your average 1st overall.

pfft, haven't you heard? Tavares has been just as dominant as Crosby in his first five years...

I'd argue that they have been, but I know what you're trying to say. And as much as I loathe Crosby, he does have unreal talent. Is it any wonder that everyone since has been compared to him, or labeled as "the next Crosby."

Also, water is not wet, fire is not hot, ect.

 

[Future]

A very impressive season but Crosby like his numbers are not....

Crosby was in junior 8 years ago. Times have changed. They are also different leagues.

Connor McDavid is the best prospect I've seen in the OHL including Stamkos and Tavares. Only knock on him is he needs to fill out his frame but he's 16, it will happen.

It's stupid to judge him on how many points he has when he is already averaging over 100 as a 16 year old.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Crosby was in junior 8 years ago. Times have changed. They are also different leagues.

Connor McDavid is the best prospect I've seen in the OHL including Stamkos and Tavares. Only knock on him is he needs to fill out his frame but he's 16, it will happen.

It's stupid to judge him on how many points he has when he is already averaging over 100 as a 16 year old.

Im not judging, and I agree he is the best ohl prospect in a long time, but crosby he is not. Crosby is quite a bit better than stamkos and tavares himself you know.

If you go back a page you can see how it has been stated that scoring was actually lower in 03-04 than it is today. Not to mention rimouski was far worse than erie is.

No matter what excuse, Mcdavid simply isnt putting up Crosby numbers. Nothing to be ashamed of as he is still the most impresive statisticallu since and could still end up raising his totals, but right now the Crosby comparisons are falling short.

 

[SwiftyDanglesin]

This kid is really starting to tear it up.

4 point night tonight, Doesn't even look like he is a 16 year old kid out there.

 

[Sartorial]

Crosby was in junior 8 years ago. Times have changed. They are also different leagues.

Connor McDavid is the best prospect I've seen in the OHL including Stamkos and Tavares. Only knock on him is he needs to fill out his frame but he's 16, it will happen.

It's stupid to judge him on how many points he has when he is already averaging over 100 as a 16 year old.

Exactly. Hard to compare. Comparisons are stupid, anyhow.

 

[stamkosisboss]

Hey what are the lines looking like for Erie right now? Is Mcdavid still running the first line or are they doing a 1a 1b type thing?

 

[UGkid]

I had the pleasure to watch Mcdavid play this past Friday against the Steelheads and was very impressed. Mcdavid's player tag going into the NHL should be "franchise player". Against the Steelheads he collected 2 pts in the 6-0 win. He looked phenomenal to say the least. Mcdavid had atleast 5-7 high percentage shooting chances, of which 4 of them were generated by his jet like speed. He has the ability to flat out skate around any defender either on his forehand or backhand within 2-3 strides. The power he generates with every stride is oddly similar to Crosby’s skating style. For the record I have never seen Crosby play in person however I’ve watched plenty of games to make the comparison. However I am not saying that he is the next Crosby.

Moreover, to compliment his skating ability he possesses elite level stickhandling skills. In one-on-one situations he would gear up to top speed and quickly cut to the outside then inside within a matter of milliseconds while dribbling the puck in a Patrick Kane fashion. He maintains speed or generates more speed while making these quick elusive cuts to get to the net every time. His combination of skill allowed him to be one of the best play makers on that team that night. He is very composed in corners and plays a positional game so well he evades a lot of body checks that come his way. However he was lightly bumped by Sean Day (another exceptional status player) on a play behind the net and Mcdavid flew into the boards. At the age of 16 you can’t ask for much more but moving forward he needs to put on more size to complete his game.

Another flaw in his game is the lack of execution. For the amount of high percentage scoring chances he generated he should have at least potted in 2 goals. He failed to tuck the puck under the bar in tight a few times like you see from players like JVR, Crosby, or Patty Kane. It’s very evident that he is a natural play maker and not more of a shooter/scorer. All in all when you watch him play he clearly stands out without a question. He is two steps ahead of every player out there. If he were to be drafted this year he would be a for sure top 3 pick in my opinion. In comparison to De Colle (ranked #3 by ISS) of the Osh general s who I watched last week play in Osh, Connor blows this kid out of the water.

 

[Pageau]

Video: Connor McDavid

Just a little thing I threw together to get hyped for him playing for the IIHF WJ Canada team, it's kinda sloppy but I'm just starting out



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BukPL8FrBrI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BukPL8FrBrI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BukPL8FrBrI


Can someone tell me how to emb it? cause it never seems to work..

 

[cramdizzl]

Just put the code after the = in the url, in the brackets.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

Just a little thing I threw together to get hyped for him playing for the IIHF WJ Canada team, it's kinda sloppy but I'm just starting out



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BukPL8FrBrI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BukPL8FrBrI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BukPL8FrBrI


Can someone tell me how to emb it? cause it never seems to work..

the tags you want are [ yt]BukPL8FrBrI[ /yt] (but remove the spaces after the '[')

 

[Pageau]

Thanks^

 

[nbwingsfan]

Crosby was in junior 8 years ago. Times have changed. They are also different leagues.

Connor McDavid is the best prospect I've seen in the OHL including Stamkos and Tavares. Only knock on him is he needs to fill out his frame but he's 16, it will happen.

It's stupid to judge him on how many points he has when he is already averaging over 100 as a 16 year old.

I agree that McDavid is the best prospect since Crosby, but I can guarantee he will not be as good of an NHL player as Crosby is.

Crosby put up 135 points in only 59 games as a 16 year old. This is so much more impressive than McDavid's 16 year old season because:

1. He's on pace formore points than McDavid, in a year where scoring was actually lower than it is currently

2. His 16 year old season was actually his rookie season. McDavid has already had a year to get accustomed to the league and playing against bigger players. Crosby was the best player in the QMJHL since his first step on the ice.

3. Rimouski was an awful team his first year in the Q, and were entirely led by Crosby. Eerie is one of the top teams with some great players. Crosbywas the sole reason Marc-Antoine Pouliot was a first round pick.

I've seen Crosby play since his first days in the Q, and there has not been a player that has come through the entire CHL system since then that has been as dominant as he has.

McDavid will be great, but not Crosby great.

Btw, I loathe Crosby and wish the worst for the Penguins.

 

[HockeySauce]

I agree that McDavid is the best prospect since Crosby, but I can guarantee he will not be as good of an NHL player as Crosby is.

Crosby put up 135 points in only 59 games as a 16 year old. This is so much more impressive than McDavid's 16 year old season because:

1. He's on pace formore points than McDavid, in a year where scoring was actually lower than it is currently

2. His 16 year old season was actually his rookie season. McDavid has already had a year to get accustomed to the league and playing against bigger players. Crosby was the best player in the QMJHL since his first step on the ice.

3. Rimouski was an awful team his first year in the Q, and were entirely led by Crosby. Eerie is one of the top teams with some great players. Crosbywas the sole reason Marc-Antoine Pouliot was a first round pick.

I've seen Crosby play since his first days in the Q, and there has not been a player that has come through the entire CHL system since then that has been as dominant as he has.

McDavid will be great, but not Crosby great.

Btw, I loathe Crosby and wish the worst for the Penguins.

Marc-Antoine Pouliot was drafted the year before Crosby entered the QMJHL.

I don't see any reason why McDavid can't be as good as Crosby in the NHL. The kid is electric. If the only argument someone has is stats, then there's no discussion to be had. McDavid has elite speed, hands and hockey sense. He's simply not as strong as Crosby was at the same age. That, to me, is the biggest difference between the two.

 

[daver]

Marc-Antoine Pouliot was drafted the year before Crosby entered the QMJHL.

I don't see any reason why McDavid can't be as good as Crosby in the NHL. The kid is electric. If the only argument someone has is stats, then there's no discussion to be had. McDavid has elite speed, hands and hockey sense. He's simply not as strong as Crosby was at the same age. That, to me, is the biggest difference between the two.

Idk, seems like this usually goes the other way. A player dominates in juniors but doesn't in the NHL because players are bigger and stronger.

If his skills are generational, now is the time where he should be dominating.

 

[1Gold Standard]

Why is everybody so preoccupied with the notion that Player A's stats must must be = or > in comparison to Player B along each stage of the development curve in order to project what Player A will become when he is 25? It doesn't always work that way. Not everybody's development continues in a straight line trending upwards forever and ever amen. Young McDavid has all the tools to become a generational talent who may or may not be > Young Sid. I think he has a real shot at it.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Idk, seems like this usually goes the other way. A player dominates in juniors but doesn't in the NHL because players are bigger and stronger.

If his skills are generational, now is the time where he should be dominating.

As a 16 yo he's performing extremely we'll. His biggest weakness is his physical strength, he is still one of the weaker guys in the OHL. Crosby at 16 was arguably the strongest guy from the waist down at 16, in a league full of 19 & 20 yo players. That was one of his biggest strengths, and really allowed him to fully take advantage of his natural offensive skills.

McDavid might not hit that level of physical maturity until 20-22. But if he's anything like Crosby, he'll likely make filling out a primary development focus.

 

[daver]

Why is everybody so preoccupied with the notion that Player A's stats must must be = or > in comparison to Player B along each stage of the development curve in order to project what Player A will become when he is 25? It doesn't always work that way. Not everybody's development continues in a straight line trending upwards forever and ever amen. Young McDavid has all the tools to become a generational talent who may or may not be > Young Sid. I think he has a real shot at it.

There just doesn't seem to be examples of generational talents that weren't generational in junior. Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros and Crosby were all dominating in junior the same way they were dominating in NHL (to various degrees of course).

I guess I don't see where McDavid is the potential exception to this.

 

[1Gold Standard]

There just doesn't seem to be examples of generational talents that weren't generational in junior. Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros and Crosby were all dominating in junior the same way they were dominating in NHL (to various degrees of course).

I guess I don't see where McDavid is the potential exception to this.

I just think it is rather simple to point to a stat line and compare it to something else and claim that as definitive proof of what he will or will not become 10 years from now. It's still early for that relatively speaking...We'll see how the rest of his season unfolds..

 

[#66]

Who cares about his numbers and whether or not they compare to Crosby in the Q (IN THE Q)? Watch the kid play and you'll see he's the most well rounded hockey player in junior hockey in the last 8-10 years.

Yup... I think the Crosby comparisons are way off but he's an elite player with an elite future. IMO his game is a cross between Giroux and Stamkos. Insane hands and playmaking like Giroux but he buzzes around the ice and skates like Stammer.

 

[Tibetzz]

There just doesn't seem to be examples of generational talents that weren't generational in junior. Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros and Crosby were all dominating in junior the same way they were dominating in NHL (to various degrees of course).

I guess I don't see where McDavid is the potential exception to this.

1) let's see how the World Juniors pan out before making any determinations of how his year is going. If you look at how his October went, and give him a few games leeway for both of his injuries (he started injured, and was injured a few weeks ago), his stats are above 2 PPG. Damn impressive.

2) comparing the stats of the stars from the old days to today's players is ludicrous. I'd wager that the Crosby of today could have broken most of Gretzky's records in the NHL of Gretzky's era. The sheer increase in physical strength and speed since then have made the league in general more difficult to play in, and Crosby's PPG often approaches the levels we haven't seen since 93.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

There just doesn't seem to be examples of generational talents that weren't generational in junior. Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros and Crosby were all dominating in junior the same way they were dominating in NHL (to various degrees of course).

I guess I don't see where McDavid is the potential exception to this.

That's a fair point, however he's still only 16. Look at Mario's 16 yo season (rookie in Q). Mcdavid's 16.5 yo season compares favorably so far. I think its just too soon to write a prospect off based on stats alone.

Each player is different, and develops on a different physical path. Guys like Crosby, Lindros, and Tavares were much further down their respective physic development curves than both McDavid and Mario. That's why statistics can't be the only measuring stick.

 

[VictorLustig]

As a 16 yo he's performing extremely we'll. His biggest weakness is his physical strength, he is still one of the weaker guys in the OHL. Crosby at 16 was arguably the strongest guy from the waist down at 16, in a league full of 19 & 20 yo players. That was one of his biggest strengths, and really allowed him to fully take advantage of his natural offensive skills.

McDavid might not hit that level of physical maturity until 20-22. But if he's anything like Crosby, he'll likely make filling out a primary development focus.

He looked like one of the stronger players at the U18-WJC, doubt he's among the weaker players in the OHL.