Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon ( born September 1 , 1995 ) is a Canadian major junior ice hockey forward who currently plays for the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League ( QMJHL ) . MacKinnon has excelled in ice hockey throughout his career , drawing comparisons to National Hockey League player and fellow Nova Scotian Sidney Crosby . He has been mentioned as a candidate to be selected first overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft . Playing career . Early career . MacKinnon grew up playing in the minor ice hockey system of Cole Harbour , Nova Scotia . As an atom aged player , MacKinnon recorded 200 points in 50 games . When MacKinnon was twelve and thirteen , he played Bantam AAA for the Cole Harbour Red Wings , recording seasons of 110 and 145 points respectively . After these two seasons , MacKinnon enrolled at Shattuck - Saint Mary ' s in Faribault , Minnesota . Also as Crosby did , Nathan chose to leave his hometown and attend the Minnesota boarding school ] because of the strength of its ice hockey program . In his first season at Shattuck - Saint Mary ' s playing with the Bantam Tier I program , he scored 101 points in 58 games played to finish second in team scoring . For the 2010 – 11 season , MacKinnon joined the Under - 16 Midget program at the school . Despite being the team ' s second youngest player , MacKinnon was averaging more than two points a game and was second in team scoring at the midway point of the season . During the season , MacKinnon was named to the team that represented Nova Scotia in the ice hockey tournament at the 2011 Canada Winter Games . At the tournament , MacKinnon scored eight goals and eleven points to finish fourth in tournament scoring as Nova Scotia finished in seventh place . MacKinnon finished his second season at Shattuck - Saint Mary ' s with 93 points in forty games played , and was second on the team with 45 goals scored . Junior career . Heading into the 2011 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League ( QMJHL ) Draft , MacKinnon was widely regarded as the favourite to be selected first overall and was ranked by QMJHL Central Scouting as the best available player . Despite this , MacKinnon spent the day of the draft skating with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League ( USHL ) , as he was considering playing either college ice hockey in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) or major junior ice hockey in the QMJHL . On June 4 , 2011 , MacKinnon was selected first overall by the Baie - Comeau Drakkar in the 2011 QMJHL Draft . Because MacKinnon does not speak French , there was speculation that MacKinnon would follow through with his option to play in the USHL until he was eligible for the NCAA , unless his rights were traded to a different QMJHL team . On July 13 , 2011 , MacKinnon ' s rights were traded to the Halifax Mooseheads for Carl Gélinas , Francis Turbide , the Mooseheads ' first round draft picks in 2012 and 2013 , and the Quebec Remparts ' first round draft pick in 2013 , previously acquired by Halifax . The Mooseheads had been attempting to acquire MacKinnon since Baie - Comeau was awarded the first overall pick in the 2011 QMJHL Draft . MacKinnon scored his first QMJHL hat - trick on December 3 , 2011 , scoring five goals in a 6 – 4 victory over the Quebec Remparts . With five goals in one game , he tied the Mooseheads record for the most goals in a single game held by Jason King . International play . MacKinnon ' s first experience with Hockey Canada came when he was named to the Canada Atlantic team for the 2011 World U - 17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg , Manitoba . Despite being the second youngest player at the tournament , MacKinnon scored five goals and eight points in only five games to finish seventh in tournament scoring . This included a game in which he scored two goals and two assists to be named player of the game as Canada Atlantic defeated Finland 4 – 3 . His impressive play helped Canada Atlantic to its best finish since the 2005 World U - 17 Hockey Challenge , defeating Canada West 2 – 1 in the fifth place game . The following year , MacKinnon was named to the Canada Atlantic team for the 2012 World U - 17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor , Ontario .