EDMONTON, AB -Ryan Strome is saddled up on a line with Connor McDavid here at Oilers Training Camp. It's not the first first-overall pick he's played with. In New York with the Islanders, Strome saw time with John Tavares.
When Strome compares the two, he immediately singles out McDavid's speed as a difference.
"No one has got that gear Connor has and no one has got that explosiveness," said Strome. "It's funny, I've only been here a couple of days but even guys who have played with him the last couple of years still say on the bench how crazy it is to see."
But Strome says he sees a few similarities as well, most noticeably with their passion and commitment to the game.
"I think they're both driven winners," said Strome. "You can just see every drill, every skate, no matter what it is, they want to win, they want to score. That's the exact same mentality that John has. That's something that really rubbed off on me, if it's just a casual drill or whatever to be the best you can and get better. If you don't push yourself, you're not going to have that next level in the game. I see similarities between the two. Those guys are just built like that. They're great for a reason, and that's why they're great leaders and everyone tries to keep up with them and feed off that."
BLOG: Strome on McDavid/Tavares comparison
