Otters Alumnus Connor McDavid Named Number 4 on CHL Top 50 Players List
OHL Erie Otters

Otters Alumnus Connor McDavid Named Number 4 on CHL Top 50 Players List

Published on May 11, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - In celebration of the Canadian Hockey League's 50th season, the league has been conducting a countdown of the top 50 players to ever play in the CHL over its history.

The league announced today that Erie Otters alumnus Connor McDavid has been named number 4 on its countdown.

McDavid was granted Exceptional Status by Hockey Canada, allowing him to join the Ontario Hockey League at the age of 15 and with the first overall selection in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection, he was picked by the Erie Otters and would become an integral part to a golden age of Otters hockey.

McDavid would play in 63 games his rookie season, tallying 66 points (25G+41A) on his way to winning the Emms Family Award as the OHL's rookie of the year, alongside breaking many Otters rookie records.

The Newmarket, ON native's second season in the Flagship City would see the Otters reach 100 points as a team for the first time since 2001 as he would help Erie to its first of four consecutive 50-win seasons and a trip to the Western Conference Finals. McDavid would tally 99 points (28G+71A) in his sophomore season finishing fourth in the OHL in scoring. He would take home the William Hanley Trophy as the league's most sportsman-like player and the Bobby Smith Trophy as the OHL's most scholastic player. McDavid would also be named the CHL's most scholastic player in 2014.

McDavid's final season in Erie would see him named captain prior to the season as he would lead Erie back to the J. Ross Robertson Cup Finals for the first time since 2002. McDavid would play in only 47 games for the Otters but would post a remarkable 120 points (44G+76A). He would add another 49 points (21G+28A) in the postseason on his way to being named the recipient of the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award for the OHL's MVP of the playoffs despite Erie's loss to the Oshawa Generals. In the winter, McDavid would lead Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2014-15 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships. McDavid would once again receive both the OHL's and CHL's most scholastic player, be named a first-team all star, finish with the best plus-minus (+60) and win the Red Tilson Trophy as the league's most outstanding player.

McDavid would finish his Otters career combining playoffs and regular season playing in 200 games, tallying 353 points (122G+231A) and would go onto be selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft where he has gone onto captain the Oilers to two Stanley Cup Finals alongside six Art Ross Trophies as the league's top-scorer, three Hart Trophys as the leagues MVP, the Maurice Richard Trophy as the top goal-scorer in the NHL and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. He has won these awards alongside countless others during his time in the National Hockey League, on top of international awards and gold and silver medals with Team Canada.

On January 10, 2025, the Erie Otters would formally retire McDavid's number 97 in front of nearly 7,000 at the Erie Insurance Arena, just the third number ever retired by the organization, in a truly unforgettable night, showcasing one of the best to not just wear the navy and gold of the Otters but to ever play in the OHL.

Otters General Manager Dave Brown spoke on McDavid's impact on the organization and what he means to the organization as them team celebrates their 30th season in the OHL.

"Connor McDavid's time with the Erie Otters left a lasting impact on our organization's standards, culture, and development," Brown said. "His journey from Erie to becoming one of the world's greatest players sets a benchmark we continue to strive to meet. His legacy stands today, symbolized by his number in the EIA rafters. Connor elevated the Erie Otters brand to a global audience, and we remain committed to building on that foundation."

McDavid's impact on the city of Erie and the Otters organization cannot be understated, the amount of eyes he brought to the OHL and Erie as a whole on a nightly basis are unprecedented and his star continues to shine brightly in the National Hockey League as he stands as a testament to the Otters' development model and pathway to success.

The countdown recognizes the greatest players from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and QMJHL since 1975-76, celebrating the stars who have defined major junior hockey over the past five decades. As part of the initiative, a panel of media members first selected the Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years. The final ranking order was then determined using a weighted formula that combined media and fan voting to rank the players from No. 1 through No. 50.

The Erie Otters are thrilled that McDavid has been selected as the number 4 player on the CHL's Top 50 countdown as we celebrate a milestone year of Otters hockey.

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