November 1, 2022 by Eric Friesen

Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was named NHL First Star of the Month for October on Tuesday.

McDavid picked up right where he left off following his historic playoff performance last spring, as he led the league in goals (9) and points (18) in nine games in October. He recorded his 700th career NHL point and 11th career NHL hat trick on October 12, as the Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 in their home-opener at Rogers Place.

The 25-year-old became the sixth-fastest player in NHL history to reach 700 points (488 games), trailing only Wayne Gretzky (317 games), Mario Lemieux (363 games), Peter Stastny (457 games), Mike Bossy (469 games) and Jari Kurri (483 games). McDavid also became the first player in franchise history to score multiple opening-night hat tricks (he scored three times on October 4, 2017 against the Calgary Flames).

McDavid completed his 12th career hat trick and second of the month in a 6-5 come-from-behind road win over the Chicago Blackhawks on October 27. Despite averaging an incredible two-points-per-game in October, McDavid, as usual, gave most of the credit to his teammates.

“You know, just doing my part,” McDavid said following the Oilers 3-2 win over the Flames on Saturday. “I’m doing my part. It’s a team effort in here. I think we’ve had a lot of different guys step up, and I’m just part of that.”

Related: Can Connor McDavid win the Rocket Richard Trophy this season?

Perhaps his most impressive feat in October was recording three four-point games. McDavid, who tallied a career-best seven four-point games in 2020-21, looks poised to reach double digits this season.

It has only happened 20 times in NHL history, and no one has recorded 10 four-point games in a single season since 1992-93. McDavid has a real chance to score 150 points this season, and I believe he will need to reach double digits in four-point games to achieve the feat.

This could be just the start of McDavid’s single greatest season in the NHL.