NHL: Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks – Source: Imagn

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid lauded San Jose Sharks top prospect Macklin Celebrini. Following practice Friday at Rogers Place, McDavid discussed the positive impression he’s gotten from the 2024 No. 4 pick.

McDavid commended Celebrini’s strong start and said the Sharks are a team worth watching:

“Yeah, he (Celebrini) seems like he’s off to a great start. Playing really, really well. The whole team is playing well. It seems like they’re finding ways to win games. They’re kind of a young and exciting team.”

As the NHL’s consensus top player, Connor McDavid understands the challenges of entering the league as a top pick. However, he made it clear that he wouldn’t let respect for Celebrini distract him from his own responsibilities.

“Our job is to settle that down. We don’t want it to be an up-and-down game… Well, they’re (Sharks) obviously very early on. Everybody’s so young. But they got some real good veteran pieces as well.”

“So, I think they’re a better team than people really give them credit for. We’ll have our hands full.”

The Oilers will be looking to continue their recent hot streak while the Sharks hope to continue building on this year’s positives.

Connor McDavid lauds teammate Leon Draisaitl for recent milestone

Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl notched his 900th career point in the win over the Boston Bruins Thursday night. Draisaitl had three assists in the game, putting him over one of the most significant plateaus in the NHL.

The feat is especially impressive considering that earlier this season McDavid eclipsed the 1,000-point mark.

McDavid had this to say about his long-time teammate as quoted by the Edmonton Journal:

“An incredible accomplishment to do it so quickly, it’s just an amazing feat. He’s been amazing all year, all his career. Just impressive to see every single day.”

Draisaitl and McDavid have often taken turns carrying the Oilers. On Thursday night, it was Draisaitl’s three points that made the difference in the game. Other times, it’s McDavid who leads the team.

“He’s always learning new things, learning new ways to be better and you can see that this year. He’s on another level.”

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will be looking to take their game to another level as they seek to bring home the Oilers’ first championship since 1990. They were one win away last year, and this time around, they hope to be on the winning end.