Youth hockey’s Connor McDavid has been described as hockey’s "Next Big Thing."
With his sensational performance in the Ontario Hockey League and the fact that the 10th-grader is not eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2015, McDavid is starting to receive a large amount of press coverage.
His on-ice attributes includes skating skill, clever passing and a keen hockey sense have continued to impress eeryone who sees him on the ice.
Scouts have identified McDavid in the same breath with Wayne Gretzky and.
he has also been compared to his idol Sidney Crosby.
"He reminds me of me," the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby told USA TODAY Sports.
"When you have the best player in the world saying that," McDavid says, "that's just unbelievable."
McDavid has been dubbed the "LeBron James of hockey" for his gifted play. Hall of Fame Bobby Orr who some feel was the best player to ever lace up a pair of skates represents McDavid (Orr Group) and was equally taken by his skills when he first saw him play when he was just 13 years old.
"I can remember the first time I saw him," the Hall of Fame defenseman said. "I walked into a practice at one of our camps and I'm watching this fella with unbelievable skills. I'm thinking, 'Holy crap - who is that?' He was 13."
The 5-11, 175-pound McDavid works out for six hours daily beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Erie Insurance Arena. When not at the rink, or traveling, the teenager takes online high school courses so he can graduate on time in Canada.
Born in the USA but electing to play in Canada fo developmental reasons he said "It s hard living away from your family and meeting new people,'' he says. "But it's been a lot of fun at the same time. I wouldn't say I'm alone. (As for family), we talk every day. There's texting and Skype. And I have some great friends and teammates."
McDavid also considered playing NCAA hockey, possibly at Boston University, but he decided his developing skills would be stunted while waiting to attend college.
He is a leading candidate for OHL Rookie of the Year despite competing against opponents who are mostly 19- or 20-years old. McDavid paces all first-year OHL players in scoring with 54 points in 52 games, including 24 goals.
"First guy on the ice for practice, last guy off," is the typical description attributed to him. McDavid's father said he laced skates on him at 2, which is not unusual in Canada and he is been .
Brian McDavid claims his son demonstrated hockey acumen at 4 when he began competitive play. "Nine kids would be around the puck and Connor would stand outside the pack as they were whacking away at it, waiting for it to pop out," he says. "And off he would go. That's instinct, right?
In the USA Today article the father realizes what some assume — that he was a hockey dad who relentlessly pushed Connor and older brother Cameron to excel. Sitting next to his son, he relates a story Connor never has heard.
"Just the other day his mum ran into a lady neighbor who had read that Connor said he put pressure on himself (to succeed)," Brian says. "(The neighbor) made the comment that she always thought it was us (as parents) — probably mostly me — putting pressure on Connor."
At one time, the father admits, his wife did admonish her husband: "Brian, get Connor to stop skating on the driveway all the time — he is missing his childhood."
Connor, intently listening to his father, looks unhappy.
"It's a little frustrating to hear," about the neighbor, he says. "My dad would get home from work and say, 'Hey, did you guys shoot pucks today?' If the answer was no, he would be like, 'It's your goal to play (professionally). If you guys don't want to put in the work, then it's not going to happen.' He would always let us choose."
Several hockey scouts say if McDavid was eligible this year, he might challenge two junior stars, defenseman Seth Jones and center Nathan McKinnon, as the NHL's No. 1 overall pick.
"There's only one Sidney Crosby," says Dan Marr, director of Central Scouting for the NHL. "It's an unfair pressure cooker. But Connor is on a path to establish himself as one of the future stars of the National Hockey League. Just how elite a star he will become, time will tell."
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