The Copper & Blue Top 25 Under 25: #1 - Connor McDavid

Well, here we are. We’re at the end of our top 25 under 25 series, at the least surprising article of the bunch. The top dog, our captain and superstar, Connor McDavid.

The funny thing about this series of articles is that it is essentially a prospect list for the most part, but, 25 is also a pretty high cutoff. Most players who are ever going to be anything have proven it by then, and most of the players who are going to be big stars have proven it well before then. Look at McDavid. He’s still only 22!

As a result, the last few articles of this series need to take on a drastically different format. It would be pretty silly for me to write an article introducing McDavid, the face of the franchise for the past four years, to our readership of mostly die-hard Oilers fans.

That’s why the rest of this article will consist solely of jaw-dropping McDavid stats:

• By hockey reference’s adjusted points metric, which adjusts point totals using league-wide scoring rates, McDavid ranks 4th all-time among players 22 or younger, in adjusted points through four seasons in the league, with 390 adjusted points. He trails only Wayne Gretzky (559), Mario Lemieux (421), and Sidney Crosby (405).
• By hockey reference’s adjusted assists metric (same thing, but assists only), he ranks 3rd all-time, by the same criteria, with 256 adjusted assists, trailing only Gretzky (349), and Crosby (266).
• By hockey reference’s catch-all player value metric, point shares, McDavid ranks 3rd all-time among players through their first 4 years, while also being no older than 22, with 44.7 point shares. That’s 0.1 more than Bobby Orr, and trails only Gretzky (64.6), and Lemieux (45.1).
• McDavid actually edges out Lemieux in point shares per 82 games through the first four seasons of each of their careers (12.77 to 12.75).
• According to the hockey analytics site Evolving-Hockey, McDavid has been worth 83.8 goals above replacement since entering the league. That’s the highest total in the league, and a figure that’s 14% better than the next most valuable player by this metric (Mark Stone).
• McDavid has also been worth 27% more than anyone else by this metric over the past three seasons. Over that period of time, he has been worth 72.1 GAR.
• Another leading hockey analytics website, Corsica, also finds McDavid to be peerless when it comes to value above replacement. His GAR per game, since entering the league, is the highest of any skater according to their iteration of goals above replacement as well.
• McDavid has been particularly dangerous at even-strength. Since entering the league, he leads all players in even strength points, with 270 in 287 career games.
• He has recorded 18% more even-strength points than any other player over the past three seasons.
• He has recorded 15% more even-strength points than any other player over the past two seasons.
• He has exceeded one even-strength point per game in each of the past two seasons (84 in 82 games in 2017-18, and 81 in 78 games last year). No other active NHL player has accomplished that feat while playing at least 75 games.
• He is one of only five players in NHL history with three 100-point seasons through age 22.
• He is one of only four players in NHL history with three 100-adjusted point seasons through age 22.
• He is one of only two players in NHL history with three 110-adjusted point seasons through age 22. Gretzky is the other, and he had four.