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Fifteen-year old Connor McDavid in action with the Erie Otters against the Niagara Ice Dogs in Ancaster, Ontario on Aug. 31, 2012. McDavid, who had two assists in his team's 3-2 win, was drafted #1 overall by Erie in the 2012 draft and has been granted Exceptional Player status by the NHL to be eligible for the 2012 OHL Priority Selection.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail

Erie Otters forward Connor McDavid was named the Ontario Hockey League's rookie of the year on Thursday.

McDavid, the OHL's youngest player at 16 years old, scored 25 goals and added 41 assists in 63 games to finish second in rookie scoring.

"It's a tremendous honour," McDavid said on a conference call. "I was fortunate to have a good enough year to win. It was a fun year with the Otters. The coaches, players, and staff were all so welcoming."

The native of Newmarket, Ont., was granted exceptional player status last year to enter the OHL draft as a 15 year old. After being drafted first overall by the Otters, McDavid recorded a 15-game point streak that began in his second career game.

He also represented the OHL in the Subway Super Series, becoming the youngest player to ever participate in the event. McDavid also represented Ontario at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he was named a tournament all-star.

"You build championships around players with this special ability," said Otters general manager Sherwood Bassin. "He's a very special person, phenomenal work ethic, to know him is to love him."

McDavid is the first Otter to win the Emms Family Award in club history.

Past winners include Wayne Gretzky (Sault Ste. Marie, 1977-78), Joe Thornton (Sault Ste. Marie, 1995-96), Rick Nash (London, 2000-01), Patrick Kane (London, 2006-07), Taylor Hall (Windsor, 2007-08), and Nail Yakupov (Sarnia, 2010-11).

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