John Tavares

Tavares on McDavid: 'He's going to do some special things'

Published Jul. 8, 2015 12:03 p.m. ET

foxsports

One of the lasting images of Connor McDavid from the NHL Draft was of him nervously fidgeting in his seat before the Edmonton Oilers officially made him the first overall pick of the draft. But McDavid did not look nervous when he took the ice at the Oilers' prospect development camp this week and scored five goals in a single scrimmage.

Former No. 1 pick John Tavares of the New York Islanders said NHL fans should expect to see more of the McDavid who showed up at that Oilers' scrimmage than the nervous teenager at the draft.

"[McDavid’s proving why he’s going to be a great player in our league and he’s going to do some special things," Tavares said in an interview with Sportsnet. "When you’re that good, you’re that good because you can handle those kinds of expectations and that kind of pressure to be able to do what you can do as consistently as he does."

Tavares did not take long to adjust to the NHL, as he had 54 points in 82 games in his first season with the Islanders and had at least 66 points in each full NHL season since then. He eclipsed the 80-point mark twice so far in his six-year career.

Time will tell if McDavid also handles the jump to the NHL so easily, but his juniors numbers certainly indicate that he could be a very special player. McDavid had 120 points in 47 games with the Erie Otters last season. Tavares had 104 points in 56 games in the final year of his juniors career.

(h/t Sportsnet CA)

Photo credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

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John Tavares

Edmonton Oilers

New York Islanders

National Hockey League