An Up-close View Of Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters

Last night I had the opportunity to get an up-close view of phenom Connor McDavid as his Erie Otters hosted the London Knights.

 

Erie Otters center Connor McDavid
scopes out the situation.

The Knights have two Sabres prospects on the team--defensemen Nikita Zadorov (#16 overall, 2013) and Brady Austin (#173, 2012.)

The Otters boast the second-best record in the OHL (Guelph Storm) and the top two scorers in the OHL--RW Connor Brown (#156, 2012, TOR) 107 pts. and LW Dane Fox (FA, 2013, VAN) 89 pts.

An up-close view of phenom,
Connor McDavid
 

Fox, btw broke the Otters single season goal scoring record when he netted his 54th goal vs. the Saginaw Spirit the previous night. He added to his league-leading total with a goal last night.

McDavid went into the night with a stat-line of 16 goals and 52 assists in 40 games. During last nights 7-2 trouncing of the Knights he was named the game's first star registering five assists and an equal number of Knights' soiled pants.

After two periods you could see why scouts are enamored with him.


At 17 yrs. old, McDavid is one step away from dominating his older peers. The 6' 185lb. center was in constant motion and you could see the wheels turning in his head. He sees everything real well and the entire ice surface makes complete sense to him. He an incredibly fluid skater and allows the play to unfold instead of trying to do too much.


Here's McDavid on an end-to-end rush feeding Fox 2:35 into the game and putting the Otters up 2-0:

 

McDavid's hockey sense is on display here as he pickpockets the Knights' Zach Bell and feeds Caps prospect Andre Burakovsky (#23, 2013):

 

Not perfect on the night, McDavid gets stood up by Knights' d-man Dakota Mermis at the end of a shift:



Tough night for the Knights playing a loaded Otters team. This was on par with the a loaded Pittsburgh Penguins team playing the Buffalo Sabres.

Speaking of the Sabres, the next blog will focus upon prospect Nikita Zadorov.

But, until then, here's Dakota Mermis and the Otters' Cory Genovese throwin' haymakers: