On this day 10 years ago Edmonton Oilers drafted a young Mcdavid from Newmarket

Ten years ago today, the Edmonton Oilers stepped to the podium at the 2015 NHL Draft and made a decision that would change the franchise forever. With the first overall pick, they selected a generational talent from Newmarket, Ontario—a teenager already labeled “The Next One” by scouts and media alike. His name: Connor McDavid.

What’s happened since then is not just a testament to McDavid’s talent—it’s a story of transformation, expectation, heartbreak, loyalty, and brilliance. Over the past decade, McDavid has become more than the face of the franchise. He’s become a symbol of hope, determination, and the relentless pursuit of greatness in a city that lives and breathes hockey.

Back on June 26, 2015, the Oilers were once again picking at the top of the draft—a familiar and frustrating place for a proud franchise that had endured years of rebuilds, resets, and dashed hopes. But this pick felt different. Everyone knew it. The Oilers knew it. The league knew it. And the fans, many of whom had endured a long winter of mediocrity, suddenly had a reason to believe again.

When then-GM Peter Chiarelli stepped up and uttered those words—“From the Erie Otters, we select Connor McDavid”—the building erupted. So did Rogers Place, then still under construction but already humming with the energy of a franchise reborn.

McDavid, just 18 years old, walked to the stage with a quiet composure that masked the tidal wave of pressure awaiting him. The comparisons to Gretzky were already in full swing. Expectations were astronomical. And yet, he embraced it all with a calm focus that would soon become his trademark.

His rookie season was both a glimpse of brilliance and a test of patience. A collarbone injury sidelined him for nearly half the year, but in the 45 games he did play, McDavid registered 48 points and showed flashes of the electrifying speed, vision, and control that made him the most hyped prospect since Sidney Crosby.

Year two was the explosion. McDavid led the league in scoring with 100 points, won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, and—most importantly—led the Oilers to the playoffs for the first time in a decade. That spring of 2017 felt like the dawn of a dynasty. Fans filled the streets of Edmonton, waving flags and chanting his name. For the first time in years, the Oilers were not just in the conversation—they were leading it.

And yet, the years that followed would test McDavid in ways few could have predicted.

Despite his consistent brilliance—he would go on to win multiple Art Ross Trophies, another Hart, and a pair of Ted Lindsay Awards—the team struggled with inconsistency, roster instability, and playoff heartbreaks. Coaches came and went. General managers shuffled. The roster changed. But one constant remained: McDavid, night after night, delivering performances that seemed to defy physics.

He didn’t complain. He didn’t deflect. He showed up.

Through injury, through scrutiny, through losses that stung deeper than words could express, McDavid was there—skating faster than anyone else, thinking quicker than the game itself, trying to will the Oilers into relevance.

And eventually, they began to turn the corner again.

The addition of key players—Leon Draisaitl’s ascension into a superstar of his own, the emergence of defensive stalwarts, and a revamped culture under coach Kris Knoblauch—has brought the Oilers closer than ever to fulfilling the promise that began a decade ago in Sunrise, Florida.

Now, with McDavid entering his 11th NHL season, it’s staggering to reflect on what he’s already accomplished. Over 900 points. Countless highlight-reel goals. Performances that have left opposing coaches speechless and fans from every market marveling.

And yet, McDavid’s focus has never been on individual accolades.

“All I’ve ever wanted was to win in Edmonton,” he said in a rare emotional moment after the team’s heartbreaking playoff exit in 2023. “This city, these fans—they deserve it.”

That’s what separates him. For all his speed, skill, and jaw-dropping plays, it’s his loyalty and leadership that have defined his legacy. In an era where superstars change teams with increasing frequency, McDavid has remained anchored in the city that believed in him from the start.

That belief is mutual. Edmonton has embraced him like few athletes before. Murals. Jerseys. Children on backyard rinks trying to imitate his edge work. He is a living legend in a city that reveres hockey like a religion.

And now, ten years after that fateful draft night, McDavid is not just a player. He’s a standard.

Young prospects walk into the Oilers’ locker room and see how he trains, how he studies, how he treats staff and teammates. He is the tone-setter for an organization that has finally found its footing—and aims to stay among the elite.

Looking back, it’s hard to imagine where the franchise would be without him.

Would the new downtown arena have opened with the same buzz? Would the Oilers have returned to national relevance? Would a new generation of fans have fallen in love with the team?

Probably not. Because Connor McDavid didn’t just save the Oilers. He redefined them.

From the moment he stepped onto NHL ice, it was clear we were witnessing something rare. A player whose engine never stops, whose mind is steps ahead, whose passion for the game is as pure as it is powerful. A player who—despite carrying the weight of a franchise, a fanbase, and a nation—has never stopped trying to be better.

The story isn’t over, of course. The Stanley Cup still looms as the ultimate goal—an achievement that would cement his place not just among the greats, but among the immortals. But even without it (yet), McDavid’s impact is undeniable.

He changed the Oilers. He changed the expectations. He made Edmonton believe again.

So today, as we mark a decade since that pivotal moment in franchise history, we do more than reflect—we celebrate.

We celebrate the kid from Newmarket who took a struggling team and made it his own. We celebrate the goals, the rushes, the breakaways that left us breathless. We celebrate the loyalty, the leadership, the relentless pursuit of a dream that still burns as bright today as it did on draft night.

Ten years ago, the Oilers drafted Connor McDavid. And everything changed.

Now, as he enters the next chapter of his career, one thing is clear: the best may still be to come.