The Edmonton Oilers are toasting Leon Draisaitl after he landed the NHL’s Art Ross Trophy award for the 2019-20 season. The 24-year-old German-born Draisaitl was confirmed as the winner of the award after he notched 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games this season, leaving him 13 points in front of his Oilers teammate and two-time scoring champion Connor McDavid in the runner-up spot.
Draisaitl becomes the third Edmonton player to win the award, following in the footsteps of legendary Wayne Gretzky and McDavid in bringing the award to the Alberta-based franchise. Oilers general manager Ken Holland described Draisaitl’s latest achievements as a ‘stepping stone in his career’ and he’ll be hoping further progress can take Edmonton from being outsiders to pushing for Stanley Cup glory for the first time since 1990, as they were seen as unlikely to challenge for this year’s title in the NHL betting odds prior to the break.
If he’s going to match previous Oilers winners, Draisaitl needs to win the Art Ross again! Here’s a reminder of what his predecessors managed.
Wayne Gretzky
The greatest exponent of Ice Hockey the game has ever witnessed and the king of Edmonton. Gretzky made the Art Ross Trophy his own in the 1980s, winning seven successive seasons before a certain Mario Lemieux arrived to dethrone him, although he won three more times after that as well.
Gretzky rewrote the history books during his storybook career and helped the Oilers to four Stanley Cup wins. Four times he recorded 200+ points in a single NHL season and he remains the only player to achieve that distinction (Lemieux once agonizingly hit 199!).
Though he was traded away from the Oilers in 1988, Gretzky achieved plenty more over the next decade. He retired in 1999 with a stunning tally of 61 NHL records to his name, many of which are still standing. A bona fide Hall Of Famer, Gretzky’s iconic No.99 jersey was retired by the league with him, ensuring no imitation is on the cards.
Connor McDavid
The current skipper of the Edmonton side, McDavid became the first Oilers players since Gretzky to win an Art Ross Trophy when his 100-point tally scooped the accolade in 2017.
The Ontario-born center had been the first pick in the 2015 NHL Draft when he was selected by the Oilers and he helped them into the playoffs in just his second full season at Rogers Place. He has been an All-Star in each of four seasons in the league and is the driving force behind an upwardly mobile Oilers team.
A huge nod to his talents, McDavid got the green light from Gretzky recently as someone he’d want to line out with – no small feat to get the tick from the king.
With McDavid and Draisaitl in harness, both in their mid-20s and with their peak years right in front of them, Oilers fans will be dreaming of ending a 30-year wait for Stanley Cup glory.
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