Oilers star Connor McDavid joins elite ranks with career average of an assist per game 

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is among elite company. A Sportsnet post on X/Twitter published Friday highlighted one stat underscoring McDavid’s brilliance.

McDavid is just the third player in NHL history to average an assist per game for his career. The other players are none other than Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

The impressive duo that McDavid has joined on the list is a testament to his dominance on the ice.

Thus far, McDavid has played in 671 NHL games, racking up 673 assists. Those totals put McDavid slightly above the one-assist-per-game category. McDavid’s current totals give him an average of 1.003 assists per game.

Last season, McDavid, along with Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov, became the first players to notch 100 assists in a season in nearly three decades. Those numbers show just how impressive McDavid’s achievements have been thus far in his career.

Furthermore, McDavid doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. He recently eclipsed the 1,000-point mark, putting him on track to become the second player in NHL history to top 2,000 points. If he stays healthy, he could reach that milestone.

Connor McDavid continues to be an assist machine

McDavid has racked up seven assists in his last five games. On Dec. 5, he registered four assists in a 6-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then, he notched a goal and an assist in the Edmonton Oilers’ 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 7.

On Dec. 10, McDavid failed to register an assist, scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning. His goal was crucial in the Oilers’ tight, 2-1 win against the Bolts.

In McDavid’s last game, he notched two more assists against the Minnesota Wild. The game was a 7-1 blowout over the Wild, in which teammate Leon Draisaitl registered four points.

In total, McDavid has registered 26 assists in 26 games this season for a total of 40 points. For his career, he has averaged 1.52 points per game. In fact, McDavid has averaged above a point per game in every season of his career.

Perhaps McDavid’s most impressive season came in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign in which he scored 105 points in 56 games. Had he played the full 82-game schedule, he could have scored 154 points.

Connor McDavid registered 153 points in 2022-23, a season in which he scored 64 goals. Notably, the only season in which McDavid has not registered at least 100 points (aside from his rookie year) was in 2019-2020 when the season was suspended after he played in 64 games, notching 97 points.

McDavid and Co. welcome the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place on Saturday.