McDavid Named NHL’s First Star After Record 27-Assist October

Connor McDavid was named the NHL’s First Star for October on Sunday after recording 27 assists, a league record for a single October.

The Edmonton Oilers captain finished the month with eight goals and 35 points in 13 games. His assist total surpassed the previous October benchmark of 22, shared by Mario Lemieux in 1988 and Wayne Gretzky in 1986. Lemieux alone has produced higher October point totals, with 38 in 1988 and 36 in 1992.

The monthly figures describe October games, rather than the entire season. McDavid also played in September, so his season totals entering November stood at eight goals and 29 assists for 37 points through 14 appearances. Keeping those two samples separate explains why the assist totals differ.

His official game log shows an assist in every October appearance. He opened the month with a goal and four assists against Vancouver, then added five-point performances against Utah on October 17 and Carolina on October 22. Those three games supplied 15 of his 35 October points. His four October games after Carolina contributed another six assists.

McDavid averaged 2.69 points and 2.08 assists per October game, calculated from those monthly totals. Fourteen of his points came on the power play, accounting for 40% of his production. He finished October with 36 shots, while his five-point games included two goals apiece against Utah and Carolina.

The award also recognized Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov as Second Star and Carolina’s Pyotr Kochetkov as Third Star. Kaprizov scored 14 October goals, while Kochetkov won all nine of his starts during the month.

Edmonton went 10–2–1 in October. McDavid closed the month with an assist against the Islanders on Saturday, adding another game to his season-opening assist streak. The monthly award recognizes that completed October performance; November games begin a new reporting period.