McDavid's offseason training will propel him into hockey's elite ranks

Consider it a proverbial passing of the torch.

Just over five minutes into the first period of North America's round-robin match with Russia, Connor McDavid and Pavel Datsyuk battle for a puck along the right wall.

The 19-year-old McDavid is just a year removed from being the NHL's No. 1 overall draft choice. The 38-year-old Datsyuk has been a top-three centerman in the NHL for the better part of a decade.

But McDavid brushes off the veteran - he's too strong and too fast for the Russian to slow down - creating a 2-on-1 opportunity where he slides the puck across the ice to Auston Matthews for a tap-in goal to open the scoring.

McDavid's rookie season was derailed by an injury, but in his time on the ice we saw flashes of a player with the potential to be the best in the world - and soon.

Despite missing 37 games, McDavid averaged better than a point-per-game pace and finished third in Calder Trophy voting.

After an offseason of maturation and training, added muscle and increased speed, McDavid appears ready to ascend to the NHL's elite ranks.

He didn't look out of place in NHL action last season as a rookie, even offering a glimpse of the player he could become. Now he's built himself up this offseason into a player opposing teams should fear, seamlessly adjusting his training regimen to the World Cup of Hockey schedule.

"The (tournament) structure doesn't affect my approach at all," McDavid told Sportsnet. "I just started my regular-season training about a month earlier than usual ... I just have to peak a little bit earlier."

McDavid's commitment to improving himself hasn't gone unnoticed by a fellow No. 1 overall selection who's joined him on Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey.

"He's gotten to this point because of his work ethic, his determination and you can see that day in and day out," Matthews said. "There's a reason he's captain of this team. He always does the right thing."