Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid were almost junior teammates

Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have dominated the NHL for years. The duo is the highest-scoring pair since the 2015-16 season, when McDavid entered the league, combining for 1,843 points (934 from McDavid and 909 from Draisaitl). They’ve both equally contributed to the rise of the Edmonton Oilers.

What if I told you they were almost teammates before becoming Oilers?

Draisaitl was coming off a dominant season in 2012 in his home country of Germany. With 21 goals and 56 points as a 16-year-old in the Deutsche Nachwuchs Liga, the future NHL star was looking for a move to North America to further develop his skillset and prepare for the NHL Draft. The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft that June provided an opportunity for players like Draisaitl to find a home in Canadian junior hockey.

McDavid was in a much different situation. The story of one of the greatest players to ever lace up skates was just beginning after he was granted exceptional status to enter the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). McDavid became only the third player in CHL history to receive exceptional status, joining John Tavares and Aaron Ekblad. Even as a youth, McDavid was on another level, scoring close to 300 points for his minor hockey team, making his early jump to the OHL an intelligent decision.

McDavid was drafted by the Erie Otters first overall in the 2012 OHL Draft. The Otters had a dreadful 2011-12 campaign, winning only seven games and finishing last. At just 15, McDavid hit the ground running, tallying 25 goals and 66 points in his rookie season. Despite his efforts, Erie won only 14 games that year. Gradually, the supporting cast grew, with Dylan Strome, Alexander Burakovsky, and Alex DeBrincat joining the team before McDavid was taken first overall by the Oilers in 2015.

Now, we need to rewind to the 2012 CHL Import Draft. After their horrendous season, the Otters held the third overall pick. The draft order is determined by a reverse standings format, with the team that finished with the fewest points selecting first. The Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) and the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) picked ahead of Erie. The Wildcats selected Russian forward Ivan Barbashev, while the Raiders picked German forward Leon Draisaitl.

Draisaitl had a strong junior career helping him go third overall int he 2014 NHL draft to the Oilers. He spent two years with the Raiders before spending the latter half of the 2015 season with the Kelowna Rockets, where he won the WHL Championship.

The hockey world was one pick away from seeing the best duo in the NHL partnering up in Erie, Pennsylvania, for their junior careers. The two would have suited up together as rookies, and who knows what would have happened after that. Would Draisaitl have still fallen to the Oilers at third overall in the 2014 NHL Draft? Would Sam Reinhart or Sam Bennett have become Oilers instead? These are questions we’ll never have answers to, and, as Oilers fans, thank goodness we won’t.

Today, the two dominate the NHL together instead. Draisaitl recently committed long-term to the Oilers, becoming the highest-paid player in NHL history. The hope for everyone in Oil Country is that McDavid does the same next summer.