Wayne Gretzky, in an interview with the Edmonton Journal, said the touted 18-year-old Connor McDavid is "clearly a franchise player."

"He's as good as I've seen in the last 30 years, the best player to come into the league in the last 30 years, the best to come along since [Mario] Lemieux and [Sidney] Crosby," Gretzky told the newspaper. "He can definitely change a franchise's fortunes."

McDavid is expected to be the No. 1 draft pick in June.