The Great One couldn’t help but share his enthusiasm in a text to The Associated Press, comparing McDavid and Matthews’ arrival on the postseason stage with the same buzz generated during Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin’s rookie seasons.

”It’s just one of the best things that has happened to the NHL since Crosby and Ovechkin,” Gretzky wrote. ”Should be fun for all.”

The comparison isn’t far off so far given how McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers’ second-year captain, and Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ rookie of the year candidate, have taken the league by storm.

McDavid in 2015 and Matthews last year were selected with the No. 1 pick in consecutive drafts, as were Ovechkin (2004) and Crosby (2005).

Gretzky also has ties to both McDavid and Matthews. Aside from playing for the Oilers, he is now a team partner and vice chairman. He also coached the Arizona Coyotes last decade and made an impression on Matthews, who is from Scottsdale, Arizona.

McDavid is considered an MVP finalist after leading the league with 100 points, and helping the Oilers end a 10-year playoff drought. Matthews led NHL rookies with 40 goals and 69 points in helping the youth-laden Maple Leafs make the jump from dead last a year ago to 14th and clinch the franchise’s second playoff berth in 12 seasons.

McDavid had an assist in a 3-2 overtime series-opening loss to San Jose on Wednesday, and said the Oilers lacked finish.

”I don’t know whether they raised their game or our game fell off,” McDavid said. ”I thought maybe we got a little comfortable, which can’t happen.”

Matthews was making his playoff debut on Thursday at Washington. Before the game, Matthews shared Gretzky’s excitement about McDavid and other young stars getting their first taste of the playoffs.

”For a second year in the league, you see a lot of young guys making the playoffs and teams that weren’t so good that are now making it into the playoffs,” Matthews said. ”I think it’s awesome for the guys in this room, especially all the rookies. It’s something that we’ve yet to experience it at this level, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Even though he’s making his playoff debut, Matthews isn’t shying away from Toronto coach Mike Babcock’s assertion that the best players are judged by championships.

Gretzky has four.

”You’re kind of measured on that,” Matthews said. ”I was fortunate to be coached by Claude Lemieux. He was always just an above-average player, I guess, in the regular season and then come playoff time he won a Conn Smythe, he won a couple Cups. He just elevated his level. That’s why he’s known as the player that he is today.”

And that represents the challenge for a Maple Leafs team that had seven rookies play at least 55 games this season.

”I think for all of us, everybody wants to up their game,” the 19-year-old Matthews said. ”Everybody wants to be known as a guy that comes through in pressure situations.”

Gretzky was 23 when he won his first Cup in 1984.

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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington contributed to this story.

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More AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

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Franchise centers don’t come along very often. Particularly ones with the skill set McDavid seems to share with the player he grew up idolizing. The footwork. The soft hands. The relentless energy. The ability to see something before it happens and the talent to make it so.

A decade ago, it was Crosby who took the NHL by storm. Now it’s McDavid’s turn. A year removed from an injury-marred rookie season in Edmonton, the 19-year-old will get a chance to face Crosby for the first time on Tuesday when the Oilers visit the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Both players, as is their habit, are trying to downplay the meeting. Still, Crosby has a keen sense of where McDavid is at in his blossoming career and the weight placed on his shoulders. Back in 2006, Crosby was trying to do for the Penguins what McDavid is trying to do for the Oilers: lift a once proud team back to relevance, one highlight-reel play at a time.

Listen to Crosby rattle off the things that impress him about McDavid, and the two-time Hart Trophy winner might as well be describing himself.

”I just think his speed stands out the most,” Crosby said. ”It allows him to do so many other things. He sees the ice really well. He’s so strong on the puck. His hockey sense and his speed are the things that stand out the most.”

They’ve been on display with regularity so far for Edmonton, which sits atop the Pacific Division, a solid start for a team trying to end a playoff drought that stretches back to when McDavid was still in elementary school. McDavid is tied for fourth in the NHL in points (14) and seventh in assists (nine), including a patient, heady dish to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the power play on Sunday that turned into the winning goal in a 2-1 victory in Detroit.

”He’s obviously one of the bright young players in the league,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ”I’m sure that team has taken another step and he’s a big reason why.”

Just don’t expect Sullivan do his part to make sure Crosby’s No. 87 ends up in the faceoff circle with McDavid’s No. 97. (Oh, there’s another similarity: both players using the year of their birth as their respective jersey numbers).

”I don’t really think too much about drama,” Sullivan said.

Besides, Crosby’s return to the lineup after a concussion that sidelined him for a few weeks last month has made the environment in Pittsburgh decidedly drama-free. The Penguins haven’t lost in regulation since Crosby came back (5-0-1), and the player who loves nothing more than to set up a teammate has suddenly become a little selfish, in a good way.

Crosby has eight goals in six games, including two each in the final two games of a road swing through California.

”Nothing surprises us,” Sullivan said. ”He’s just a great player. I don’t know how else to say it. I think we’ve grown to expect it out of him and he’s done it each and every night. I really admire his consistency of play.”

And that more than anything else may be what McDavid wants to emulate about Crosby above all else.

”He’s the best player in the world and if you can take anything from his game, obviously that’ll help,” McDavid said.

Though they’ve run into each other occasionally in random places, Crosby hasn’t gone out of his way to reach out and give McDavid advice. Crosby doesn’t want to overstep, pointing out the Oilers have veterans to help guide McDavid as he navigates his first full season after a broken collarbone limited him to 45 games as a rookie.

Still, if there was one piece of advice Crosby will impart, it’s this: tune out the hype and just do what you do.

”The biggest thing is learning on the fly, see what works for you,” Crosby said. ”Just remember what got you to this point and try to continue that success.”

—

AP Hockey Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report.

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The 18-year-old McDavid set up a great chance moments after the opening faceoff and picked up his first point with an assist on Darnell Nurse’s power-play goal in the second period. McDavid scored his first on a deflected shot in the third.

McDavid also was the recipient of a big hit in the first period, courtesy of former world junior teammate Jake Virtanen.

”I got hit. It was part of the game, whatever,” McDavid said.

Chants of ”Let’s go Oilers!” rang out in the South Okanagan Events Center as long-suffering Edmonton fans – many of them wearing newly minted No. 97 McDavid jerseys – filled the arena.

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After a summer of training, McDavid feels as if he has done that, and now he’s ready to showcase his skills at the Edmonton Oilers’ training camp later this month.

”I feel as good as ever and as strong as ever,” McDavid said Tuesday at the NHL Players’ Association rookie showcase.

McDavid took the ice with 38 fellow prospects at Mattamy Athletic Centre at the old Maple Leaf Gardens as he continued his journey toward his first NHL season. He’ll soon have a rookie card, be at rookie camp and then the games can begin.

As long as he’s healthy, McDavid should make his NHL debut Oct. 8 at the St. Louis Blues.

But the 18-year-old said he isn’t thinking far enough ahead to worry about the home opener, or his first game against the likes of highly touted Sabres rookie Jack Eichel or Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby.

”My main focus is getting there for training camp and have a good training camp,” McDavid said. ”I’ll worry about that stuff as it comes up. Just trying to take it one step at a time and right now it’s training camp.”

McDavid’s first step is rookie camp as the Oilers will face the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets at a tournament in Penticton, British Columbia on Sept. 11-14. McDavid already stood out at Edmonton’s summer development camp, and the rookie tournament is just another showcase.

The Oilers’ full camp will be McDavid’s first real test, skating alongside Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and the rest of the Oilers’ young core. It’ll be the first camp for new coach Todd McLellan, and McDavid has set his goal as making an impression on the staff.

”Hopefully my future teammates (see) the kind of person, the kind of player I am, (that) I’m willing to compete and I work hard,” he said.

McDavid has talked to Orr and others and knows very well that the biggest adjustment from the Ontario Hockey League to the NHL is the size and speed.

The expectations remain high for the first overall pick who has drawn comparisons to Crosby. But McDavid isn’t ready to project how many points he’d need to put up to have a successful rookie season.

”It’s not a numbers game for me,” McDavid said. ”I think it’s just doing the best that you can, playing the best you can do and contributing to the team and trying to help the team win games. I think a winning Oiler season would be a great success.”

The Oilers haven’t made the playoffs since going to the Stanley Cup final in 2006.

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The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft joined Oilers teammates Taylor Hall and Darnell Nurse on Monday at a practice for a preseason mini-tournament in midtown Toronto.

It was the first time future linemates Hall and McDavid skated together, and the young center’s skills were immediately apparent to the Edmonton left wing.

”He’s got a lot of foot speed,” Hall said. ”He seems to glide faster than most guys skate in full speed. It’s fun to be out here with him. Fun to hang around him and hopefully make him feel more comfortable for what he’s got in store.”

McDavid was taken first overall by the Oilers 26 after dominating the Ontario Hockey League. He scored 44 goals and added 76 assists during the regular season for the Erie Otters despite missing time with a broken hand. McDavid was even better in the playoffs, averaging more than two points a game with 21 goals and 28 assists in 20 games.

Like Hall, McDavid was impressed by his new teammate’s speed.

”It’s very exciting to play with him,” McDavid said. ”Obviously, he’s a great player and I got a better sense of how fast he is. You watch him on TV, but it’s a whole different story live.”

Although Hall was the top selection at the 2010 draft, he says there’s no comparing his experience with that of the highly touted McDavid.

”He’s been through so much already with all the hype that he’s had to endure,” Hall said. ”I wasn’t anywhere close to that. I was the first overall pick but at the same time it wasn’t anything like what Connor’s experiencing.

”Our job in Edmonton is not only to play well with him, but make sure he’s comfortable because that’s going to allow him to play his best.”

McDavid will have a familiar face on the Oilers in Nurse, a former junior rival.

Nurse and McDavid often tangled with each other in the OHL. Nurse, a defenseman with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, had a physical Western Conference final against McDavid’s Otters, with Erie winning in six games.

That old animosity has already been set aside this summer, with the defenseman and center hitting it off at the preseason tournament.

”We were sitting beside each other in the room in there and we were laughing and having good times,” Nurse said. ”It’s a lot more fun than going into a corner and trying to cross check him and run him through the boards.”

Hall isn’t worried about how McDavid will fit in with the Oilers or how Edmonton’s forward lines will shake out.

”It takes a little bit of time to get chemistry and stuff,” Hall said. ”The one thing about Edmonton is we’ve always had some pretty good forward depth especially in our top six. With Connor coming in that doesn’t change. Whoever I’m playing with whether it’s Connor or Nuge (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) or Jordan (Eberle) there’s going to be some special players and hopefully we can have some fun this year.”

McDavid has spent most of the summer training with former NHL player and strength and conditioning expert Gary Roberts, improving his fitness and getting bigger for the more physical professional game.

”Everyone’s bigger, stronger, faster,” McDavid said. ”I think everything’s just elevated a lot. Just getting used to that and being a pro.”

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It only seems like vacation.

McDavid will be the No. 1 pick when the Edmonton Oilers kick off the proceedings at the NHL draft on Friday night, and he’s ready to get his professional career going for real.

”I am looking forward to completing the process and hearing my name called and being able to celebrate with my family and friends,” McDavid said. ”It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am just looking to soak up every minute that I can.”

And it seems that those who have spent years studying McDavid’s every move are ready as well.

”He’s a craftsman with the puck,” director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr said. ”His hockey sense, with his vision, his anticipation, his sense of timing and the ability to do those things at top-end speed, you’re looking at the best-skilled player in the draft.”

McDavid said he knows there will be comparisons made between him and other No. 1 selections and he can’t stop that.

”There is really nothing that I can do about that and I get that question all the time,” McDavid said. ”I can just be the best player that I can be and so far that has been good enough.”

He feels the pressure that surrounds him every time he sets foot on the ice. He knows that as long as he is from Canada and he is playing hockey, he will always be compared to Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby.

”I’m proud of myself and have high expectations for myself, but I also have a lot of external pressure that I have to deal with,” McDavid said. ”You can just be the best player that you can be at the end of the day and let other people draw whatever conclusions that they want to draw. That is what sports is all about.”

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It wasn’t until this week at the league’s pre-draft scouting combine in Buffalo when the two finally had a chance to sit down and chat.

”We’ve had a pretty good rivalry,” McDavid said. ”We’ve been linked together so long, you start to feel like you know him. And he’s a nice guy.”

The feeling was mutual for Eichel.

”Yeah, he’s a pretty good kid,” he said. ”It was nice to finally meet him.”

Just don’t ask who’s better between two centers who possess distinct styles, and are both regarded by NHL scouts as having ”once-in-a-generation” ability.

”That’s not up to me to decide,” McDavid said. ”I feel I’m the best player in the draft, but maybe you’ll get a different answer from Jack.”

Eichel responded by saying: ”I’m pretty confident in my own abilities.”

Officially, The Canadian-born McDavid finished first in the NHL Central Scouting rankings and is highly anticipated to be selected first by the Edmonton Oilers in the draft on June 26. He’s a speedy, play-making 18-year-old who earned Canadian Junior Hockey player of the year honors after scoring 44 goals and 120 points in 47 games with Ontario Hockey League Erie Otters.

Eichel is the second-ranked prospect, and expected to be drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, who have the No. 2 pick. The American-born Eichel has a more hard-hitting style than McDavid and proved to be no slouch playing against older competition at Boston University. He led the nation with 71 points (26 goals, 45 assists) in becoming college hockey’s second freshman to win the Hobey Baker award.

What’s not up for debate is each player’s ability.

”They both are going to be big contributors in the NHL,” Central Scouting director Dan Marr said. ”They’re going to make a difference for their team. They’re going to make an impact. They’re going to put up numbers. And they’re going to be special players.”

The challenge for Marr and his staff was ranking the two.

”It’s a fine line,” Marr said, before noting McDavid earned the edge because he is regarded to have more potential.

”We feel the best is yet to come,” Marr said. ”There’s still room for growth in his game.”

Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney called both ”foundational-type players.”

McDavid and Eichel are among 120 prospects attending the weeklong combine, which concludes with physical testing Saturday.

Boston College defenseman Noah Hanifin is ranked third by Central Scouting, followed by McDavid’s teammate Dylan Strome.

Hanifin acknowledged he would be shocked if McDavid and Eichel weren’t drafted first and second.

”All they attention they’ve gotten this year, they deserve,” Hanifin said.

Strome, meanwhile, had the best comment of the day, when asked how opposing teams might defend against McDavid.

”Good luck, I guess,” Strome said.

Players spent the early part of the week holding one-on-one interviews with team executives.

McDavid had only had a few meetings, including interviews with the Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs, who have the fourth pick.

He acknowledged being surprised in April when the Oilers jumped two spots ahead of Buffalo and Arizona to land the No. 1 pick during the NHL draft lottery.

”It was more shock than anything,” McDavid said, noting he’s prepared to play for whichever team drafts him.

”There’s nothing to accept,” he said. ”If it’s Edmonton, it’s great. If not, it will be great anywhere in the NHL.”

Eichel met with five teams, including the Sabres.

”I didn’t do any preparation, to be honest with you,” Eichel said of his approach to the meetings. ”I think the most important thing about going into interviews like that is just be yourself, talk from the heart.”

He’s spent part of the week touring the city, and sampled some Buffalo chicken wings.

Eichel has not yet decided whether he’ll turn pro next season or return to Boston University. He expects to make the decision following the draft.

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