John Tavares John Tavares ( born September 20 , 1990 ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . He was selected first overall by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft . Tavares then signed a three year entry - level contract in July 2009 . Previously , Tavares competed at the major junior level as a member of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) before being traded to the London Knights at the 2009 OHL trading deadline with Michael Del Zotto . He broke into the OHL after gaining " exceptional player " status at the age of 14 , allowing the Oshawa Generals to select him in the OHL Priority Draft as an underage player in 2005 . Tavares was named the Canadian Hockey League ( CHL ) Rookie of the Year in 2006 and CHL Player of the Year in 2007 , a year in which he broke Wayne Gretzky ' s OHL record of 70 goals in one season . In 2009 , he finished the season with a career total of 215 goals , breaking Peter Lee ' s OHL record by two . Tavares was the focus of an unsuccessful push to have the NHL ' s draft rules changed to allow him to participate in the 2008 Entry Draft , as well as an attempt to allow him to play in the American Hockey League as a 17 - year - old in 2007 . Tavares was ranked as the top prospect for the 2009 draft by both National Hockey League ( NHL ) Central Scouting and International Scouting Services . Tavares has represented Canada at three International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) sanctioned events , winning gold medals at the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships . He was named the most valuable player of the 2009 tournament after scoring eight goals and fifteen points in six games . He also participated in the 2006 IIHF World U18 Championships , but failed to medal . Additionally , Tavares represented Canada at the 2006 World U - 17 Hockey Challenge and 2007 Super Series . Personal life . Tavares was born on September 20 , 1990 in Mississauga , Ontario , to Barbara and Joe Tavares , who are of Polish and Portuguese descent , respectively . His maternal grandparents Bolesław and Josephine Kowal immigrated from Poland to Sudbury , Ontario , and his paternal grandparents Manuel and Dorotea Tavares immigrated from Portugal to Toronto . At a young age , Tavares moved to Oakville , Ontario . This is where he was first exposed to minor hockey via the Minor Oaks Hockey Association . Tavares also played soccer and lacrosse , and his highly competitive nature often led him to fight with other players . Tavares excelled at lacrosse , following in the footsteps of his uncle John Tavares , the all - time scoring leader in the National Lacrosse League ( NLL ) , and was a ball boy for his uncle ' s NLL team , the Buffalo Bandits . The younger Tavares credits his uncle with teaching him the importance of remaining unselfish , stating that what he learned by following his uncle with the Bandits has made him better both as a person and a hockey player . Many skills he learned in lacrosse — such as spinning off checks and battling in traffic — transferred to ice hockey and improved Tavares ' abilities as a goal scorer . In Oakville , Tavares attended St . Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School . He lived five minutes from Sam Gagner , who later signed a contract with the Edmonton Oilers , and the two quickly established a friendship . Gagner ' s father , former National Hockey League ( NHL ) player Dave Gagner , built a backyard ice rink on which Tavares spent much of his time honing ice hockey skills . In the OHL , Tavares placed an emphasis on his education , earning honours as well as the Oshawa Generals ' Scholastic Player of the Year in 2007 – 08 . Tavares also spends some of his time working with the Special Olympics . Playing career . Early career . Tavares began playing minor ice hockey with the Oakville Rangers of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association ( OMHA ) . He showed such promise as a hockey player that when he was seven , his parents moved him up one age group and he began playing with older children . From there , he moved on to the Mississauga Braves of the Greater Toronto Hockey League ( GTHL ) . After playing the 1998 – 99 season with the Braves ' novice team , Tavares moved to the Mississauga Senators of the GTHL the following season . With the Senators ' AAA minor atom team , Tavares won the GTHL minor atom championship in the 1999 – 2000 season . Tavares eventually moved to the Toronto Marlboros of the GTHL . During the 2003 – 04 season , Tavares scored 95 goals and 187 points in ninety games and led the Marlboros ' bantam team to the 2004 Bantam AAA Provincial Hockey Championships , where the Marlboros defeated the London Jr . Knights 5 – 0 in the championship game . Tavares scored one goal in the game and was named the tournament ' s top forward . The following season , Tavares joined the Marlboros ' minor midget team , where he recorded 91 goals and 158 points in 72 games . For his achievements , Tavares shared the Buck Houle Award with Bryan Cameron ( former LA Kings player ) , " in recognition of outstanding on ice performance , leadership and loyalty " . During this season , he also played 16 games with the Milton Icehawks of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League ( OPJHL ) , during which he recorded 11 goals and 23 points . Tavares ' debut with the Icehawks came while he was only thirteen , making him one of the youngest players to ever play junior hockey . Ontario Hockey League . Oshawa Generals . Tavares petitioned to gain eligibility to play major junior in the OHL in the spring of 2005 . As OHL rules did not allow for players under the age of 15 to be drafted , the league introduced an " exceptional player " clause , allowing the 14 - year old Tavares to be drafted one year sooner than he would otherwise have been eligible . Consequently , Tavares is the youngest player to ever be drafted in the OHL , although Bobby Orr was signed and had played at a younger age . The Canadian Hockey League ( CHL ) , the umbrella organization which governs major junior hockey in Canada , sent a proposal to Hockey Canada , recommending that the rule be expanded across junior hockey . The Oshawa Generals held the first pick in the 2005 draft , and they selected Tavares , earning him the Jack Ferguson Award , which is given to the player picked first overall in the OHL Priority Selection . Tavares played his first OHL game on September 23 , 2005 , scoring his first OHL goal in a game held just three days after his 15th birthday . He showed he could play in the OHL immediately , scoring ten goals in his first nine games with the Generals , and finished the 2005 – 06 season with 77 points , including 45 goals . Tavares was named to the OHL ' s all - rookie team , and won both the Emms Family Award and CHL Rookie of the Year awards as the top first - year player in both the OHL and CHL respectively . As a 16 - year old in 2006 – 07 , Tavares was selected to represent the OHL for two games in January for the annual ADT Canada - Russia Challenge , including one game in Oshawa . Later that month , on January 25 , 2007 , Tavares registered a 7 - point night in a 9 - 6 win versus the Windsor Spitfires . He scored four goals and three assists , including his 50th goal of the season in his 44th game . Towards the end of the season , on March 16 , 2007 , Tavares recorded his 70th and 71st goals of the season , breaking Wayne Gretzky ' s OHL record for most goals by a sixteen - year - old . He was awarded the Red Tilson Trophy as the most outstanding player in the league , and named the CHL Player of the Year . Tavares scored 40 goals in 59 games for the Generals during the 2007 – 08 season , while his 118 points was placed him third in OHL scoring . Tavares led the OHL in scoring until he missed several games to participate with Team Canada at the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships . As Tavares was participating in the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , it was speculated that the Generals were ready to trade him to the London Knights . Tavares ' future with the Generals had been questioned since the beginning of the season as the Generals were not expected to seriously contend for the championship , whilst the Knights were among the league leaders . The deal was made official on January 8 , 2009 as Oshawa sent Tavares , Michael Del Zotto and Darryl Borden to the Knights , in exchange for Scott Valentine , Christian Thomas , Michael Zador and six draft picks . London Knights . Tavares made his debut with the Knights on January 11 against the Mississauga St . Michael ' s Majors . Making his return to Oshawa at the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game as captain of Team Orr , he recorded an assist in a 6 – 1 win over Team Cherry , but injured his shoulder after Zack Kassian of the Peterborough Petes checked him behind the net . On March 8 , 2009 , Tavares set the OHL goal - scoring record with his 214th goal , passing the previous record held by Peter Lee . The next day , he received his third OHL Player of the Week recognition of the season . National Hockey League . 2009 NHL Draft . Although he was born five days after the September 15 cutoff date for eligibility in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft , there was a significant effort made to allow Tavares into the draft . Following his 72 - goal campaign in 2006 – 07 , Tavares ' agents asked the National Hockey League ( NHL ) and National Hockey League Players Association ( NHLPA ) to make an exception for Tavares similar to the one the OHL had made in 2005 . The attempt was unsuccessful , and Tavares was forced to wait until 2009 to participate in the entry draft . However , in October 2007 , it was reported that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson , Jr . had offered the 17 - year - old Tavares a spot with their American Hockey League ( AHL ) affiliate , the Toronto Marlies . Like the NHL , the AHL declined to amend its by - laws , and Tavares returned to the OHL . The NHL International Scouting Services ranked Tavares as the top draft prospect in the world , ahead of defenceman Victor Hedman , Swedish forward Magnus Pääjärvi - Svensson , and Canadian forward Matt Duchene in its March 2009 update . The 2009 draft class was led by Tavares , who was taken first overall by the New York Islanders . New York Islanders . On July 15 , 2009 , Tavares signed a three - year , entry - level contract with the New York Islanders . Tavares ' first NHL game was in the pre - season , against the Edmonton Oilers . Tavares spent 22 minutes and 50 seconds on the ice with linemates Doug Weight and Sean Bergenheim during the Islanders ' 3 - 2 loss . Weight , a veteran NHLer , said that " John ’ s going to be a big piece of < nowiki > [ an Islander rebuilding effort ] < / nowiki > . " Tavares recorded his first career NHL goal and assist in his first ever professional game , scoring on a backhander against Marc - André Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 3 , 2009 . Tavares has led NHL rookies in scoring throughout much of his first season . In December , 2009 , Tavares scored five consecutive Islander goals , over a 4 - game span , to tie the club record for most consecutive goals by one player . Tavares scored an empty - net goal vs Atlanta on December 3 , and both Islander goals on both December 9 in Philadelphia and December 10 in Toronto . The Islanders were shutout on December 5 in Tampa . The record was originally set by Bryan Trottier , when he scored five consecutive goals in a 1982 game against the Flyers , and was equaled by Mariusz Czerkawski over a three - game span in 1998 . At the end of the season Tavares finished second in rookie scoring , behind Matt Duchene , with a total of 54 points . International play . During his rookie season in the OHL , Tavares competed for Team Ontario in the 2006 World U - 17 Hockey Challenge in Saskatchewan as a fifteen - year - old , but failed to medal . Later that year , at the end of the 2005 – 06 OHL season , he was selected to join Team Canada ' s under - 18 team for the 2006 IIHF World U18 Championships in Sweden , but failed to medal once more , falling to the Czechs in the bronze medal game . Later in the off - season , he was invited to the under - 18 team ' s summer training camp to prepare for the 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia , though an injury prevented him from playing . During the following season , Tavares was invited to Canada ' s national junior selection camp for the 2007 World Junior Championships , but was not named to the final team . After completing his second OHL season however , he was named to the Canada ' s under - 20 team for the 2007 Super Series against Russia . Tavares scored 4 goals and 1 assist as Canada won the series 7 – 0 – 1 . He earned another invite to the selection camp for the 2008 World Junior Championships and made the final roster for the tournament on his second attempt . Tavares scored 4 goals to help Canada to its fourth straight gold medal . Returning the next year with Zach Boychuk , P . K . Subban and Thomas Hickey from the previous year ' s gold medal winning team , Tavares was selected to compete in the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa . He scored three points in the first round - robin game against the Czech Republic , an 8 – 1 win , and was named player of the game . In the final round - robin game against the United States , Tavares scored a hat trick for his twelfth career goal of the tournament to tie Eric Lindros and Jeff Carter for the all - time Canadian junior record . In doing so , he helped propel Team Canada to a 7 – 4 win that gave them the top spot in their pool , and a bye to the semi - final . He was also named player of the game for the second time in the tournament . Meeting Russia in the semi - final and down 5 – 4 with 5 . 4 seconds left in regulation , Tavares fought off 2 Russian players and directed a shot towards the goal that was blocked by defenseman Dmitri Kulikov a few feet in front of the net . However , the puck came loose , and teammate Jordan Eberle retrieved it , and sent it into the right side of the net to dramatically tie the game . Then , as the game was forced into a shootout , Tavares scored to put Canada up 2 – 0 in the tie - breaker and into the gold medal game against Sweden . Recording an assist in the final , he helped Canada defeat Sweden 5 – 1 to capture their fifth straight gold medal . Tavares finished the tournament with 8 goals and 7 assists for 15 points in 6 games , second to Cody Hodgson in tournament scoring . He was named one of the top three players on Team Canada by the coaching staff , as well as a tournament All - Star , Top Forward and MVP . In April 2010 Tavares was selected in senior Candaian Ice Hockey team to compete in the 2010 World Championships in Germany . Canada ended up finishing in 7th place , and Tavares ended the championship with 7 goals and 1 assist . Playing style . Tavares has been praised by his coaches for his ability to anticipate the play since he joined the OHL . A lack of speed is the most common criticism of Tavares ' play , something he has spent his junior career attempting to improve . The media hype he has encountered has led Tavares to remain guarded when speaking to the media , while his teammates and family attempt to shield him from the spotlight where they can . However , Tavares is regarded as a natural leader on the ice , and a player who puts his team first . The Generals named Tavares their team captain in 2008 , while he also served as the alternate captain with the national junior team in 2009 .