Highly touted prospect Connor McDavid goes No. 1 overall to Oilers

ByKATIE STRANG
June 26, 2015, 7:20 PM

— -- Sunrise, Fla. -- The Connor McDavid Era has officially begun in the NHL.

The highly-touted prospect, regarded by many as a generational talent, was drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL draft Friday night at BB&T Center in South Florida.

The selection was a surefire lock ever since the Oilers won the draft lottery back in April, with the 18-year-old center the overwhelming consensus No. 1 pick.

McDavid, a native of Newmarket, Ontario, lit up the Ontario Hockey League in his past three seasons with the Erie Otters. The prolific scorer finished with 44 goals and 120 points in 47 games this season (2.55 points per game). He was named the OHL's Most Outstanding Player and also received the Wayne Gretzky "99" award for OHL Playoff MVP after finishing with 21 goals and 49 points in just 20 postseason games.

McDavid's arrival in Edmonton is met with ample anticipation as the Oilers look to rebound from yet another abysmal season in 2014-15. The Oilers finshed 28th in the league with a 24-44-14 record. The team axed head coach Dallas Eakins during the regular season and has since hired former San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan to lead the way.

The Oilers also shook things up at the executive level, with former Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli replacing Craig MacTavish as GM.

This was the fourth time since 2010 the Oilers have selected first overall. According to ESPN Stats & Information, no team has had a worse points percentage than Edmonton since the 2009-10 season (.406).