June 2, 2026 by Eric Friesen

Erie Otters’ legend Connor McDavid was named No. 4 on the CHL’s Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years list on May 11.

As part of its 50th anniversary season, a panel of more than 40 media members selected the top 50 players in the CHL’s 50-year history beginning in 1975-76. McDavid, who produced one of the most dominant major junior careers ever during his three seasons (2012-2015) with the Otters, ranked behind only Mario Lemieux of the Laval Voisins, Sidney Crosby of the Rimouski Océanic and Wayne Gretzky of the Peterborough Petes and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

A once-in-a-generation talent, McDavid became only the third player in CHL history to be granted exceptional player status by Hockey Canada, allowing him to enter the OHL a year early. McDavid was selected by the Otters with the first-overall pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection, earning the Jack Ferguson Award as the OHL’s top draft pick. While McDavid was expected to reshape the Otters’ fortunes, the 15-year-old wunderkind had his work cut out for him, joining a club that had a league-worst 10 wins the previous season. McDavid led the OHL in rookie assists (41) and finished third in rookie goals (25) and second in rookie points (66) in 63 games in 2012-13. He won the Emms Family Award as OHL rookie of the year and was also named to the 2012-13 OHL First All-Rookie Team. The Otters finished in last place in the Western Conference in McDavid’s rookie campaign, but they nearly doubled their win total from the previous season.

Playing alongside a pair of 20-year-olds in Connor Brown and Dane Fox on the most offensively potent line in the OHL, McDavid ranked second in the league in assists (71) and fourth in points (99) in 56 games in 2013-14. McDavid won the William Hanley Award as OHL most sportsmanlike player, Bobby Smith Trophy as OHL scholastic player of the year and the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year Award. He was also named to the OHL Second All-Star Team. He was also chosen to represent Team OHL in the 2013 Subway Super Series against the Russian Selects, becoming the youngest Canadian (16 years and 301 days) to ever play in the series. After consecutive seasons near the bottom of the league, the Otters took a massive leap forward in 2013-14, posting their best record in franchise history (52-14-0-2) to finish in second place in the entire OHL standings. McDavid tallied a team-leading 19 points in 14 playoff games and helped the Otters reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time since winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 2002.

At age 17, McDavid was named captain of the Otters during training camp in 2014, making him the youngest captain in franchise history. Despite missing 21 games due to a broken hand and playing for Team Canada in the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, McDavid still finished tied for fourth in the league in goals (44), tied for third in assists (76) and third in points (120) in 47 games in 2014-15. His 2.55 points-per-game average was the highest by a CHL draft-eligible player since Crosby a decade earlier. McDavid won the Red Tilson Trophy as OHL most outstanding player, Bobby Smith Trophy, CHL Player of the Year Award, CHL Top Draft Prospect Award and CHL Scholastic Player of the Year Award. Additionally, McDavid named to the OHL First All-Star Team.

Ranked No. 1 among North American skaters, McDavid captained Team Orr in the 2014-15 CHL Top Prospects Game in St. Catharine’s, Ontario. In his final major junior playoff appearance, McDavid helped the Erie Otters reach the 2015 OHL Championship Series, falling to the Oshawa Generals in five games. Though the Otters didn’t realize their ultimate goal that spring, their captain and projected first-overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft had a post-season for the ages. The Newmarket, Ontario native led the league in goals (21), assists (28) and points (49) in 20 playoff games, en route to capturing the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the most valuable player in the OHL playoffs.

Nearly decade after playing his final OHL game, the Otters officially retired McDavid’s No. 97 to the rafters in a special pre-game ceremony at Erie Insurance Arena on January 10, 2025. McDavid won five different major OHL awards during his illustrious major junior career, making him the most decorated player in OHL history. The most talented Otter to ever step on the ice ranks 11th in goals (97), second in assists (188) and fourth in points (285), fifth in playoff goals (25), second in playoff assists (43) and fourth in playoff points (68) in franchise history.

In recognition of his otherworldly speed and skill and era-defining influence, the league introduced the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game in 2025, with the inaugural event being held in Brantford, Ontario (the hometown of fellow Oilers icon and OHL legend Wayne Gretzky).