A gifted two-way center who can excel as a point producer on offense or a transitional trigger on defense, McCann was traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the Florida Panthers on May 25, 2016.
The trade came following McCann's first NHL season, in which he scored nine goals, including five in his first nine games, and had nine assists in 69 games.
A gifted two-way center who can excel as a point producer on offense or a transitional trigger on defense, McCann was traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the Florida Panthers on May 25, 2016.
The trade came following McCann's first NHL season, in which he scored nine goals, including five in his first nine games, and had nine assists in 69 games.
Selected by the Canucks in the first round (No. 24) of the 2014 NHL Draft, McCann played his junior hockey for Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League, producing 82 goals and 105 assists in 184 games over three seasons, including 34 goals and 81 points during his final season in 2014-15.
That performance and a strong training camp with the Canucks earned McCann a promotion to the NHL for the start of the 2015-16 season, and he quickly made an impact: He got his first goal in his second game and scored again two games later.
McCann didn't officially record his first NHL assist until his 11th game. That is partially because a goal in the Canucks' season opener that was set up by McCann's pass to Alexandre Burrows was scored as an own goal when his shot was deflected into the net off the stick of Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman.
As a teenager, McCann helped Team Canada win gold at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup in 2013 and win bronze at the Under-18 World Championship in 2014.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- Traded to Florida by Vancouver with Vancouver's 2nd (later traded to Buffalo -- Buffalo selected Rasmus Asplund) and 4th (Jonathan Ang) round picks in 2016 NHL Draft for Erik Gudbranson and NY Islanders' 5th round pick (previously acquired, Vancouver selected Cole Candella) in 2016 NHL Draft, May 25, 2016.
