Erie Otters star forward Connor McDavid won the Emms Family Award Thursday as the Ontario Hockey League’s rookie of the year for the 2012-13 season.
The 16-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., was the OHL’s youngest player this season and scored 25 goals and 41 assists in 63 games to finish second in rookie scoring.
“It’s a tremendous honour,” McDavid said on a media conference call. “I was fortunate to have a good enough year to win. It was a fun year with the Otters. The coaches, players, and staff were all so welcoming.”
McDavid was the first-overall pick of the Otters in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection Draft after being granted Exceptional Player Status.
During his rookie campaign, he had a 15-game point streak that began in his second career game; he was named OHL rookie of the month in October and November.
McDavid joins John Tavares (Oshawa Generals 2006) and Aaron Ekblad (Barrie Colts 2012) as the only players to receive the honours after receiving Exceptional Player Status. He also became the first Otters player to win the award.
Other notable players to win the award include Wayne Gretzky (Sault Ste. Marie, 1977-78), Joe Thornton (Sault Ste. Marie, 1995-96), Rick Nash (London, 2000-01), Patrick Kane (London 2006-07), Taylor Hall (Windsor 2007-08), and Nail Yakupov (Sarnia 2010-11).
“You build championships around players with this special ability,” Otters general manager Sherwood Bassin said. “He’s a very special person, phenomenal work ethic, to know him is to love him.”
Top scoring rookie Nikolay Goldobin of the Sarnia Sting was runner-up for the award.
In addition to the OHL announcing McDavid’s honour, the league unveiled its first and second all-rookie teams, which were selected by the OHL’s general managers.
2012-13 OHL All-Rookie Teams
FIRST TEAM
Centre – Connor McDavid, Erie Otters
Left Wing – Michael Dal Colle, Oshawa Generals
Right Wing – Spencer Watson, Kingston Frontenacs
Defence – Nikita Zadorov, London Knights
Defence – Roland McKeown, Kingston Frontenacs
Goaltender – Alex Nedeljkovic, Plymouth Whalers )
SECOND TEAM
Centre – Sam Bennett, Kingston Frontenacs tied Jared McCann, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Left Wing – Blake Clarke, Brampton Battalion
Right Wing – Nikolay Goldobin, Sarnia Sting
Defence – Brandon Prophet, Saginaw Spirit
Defence – Jacob Middleton, Ottawa 67’s
Goaltender – Michael Giugovaz, Peterborough Petes
