5 Youngest Captains in NHL History Led By McDavid

Three of the five youngest captains in NHL history led their team to at least one Stanley Cup. 

Vincent Lecavalier helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win it all, but not as the captain, while Connor McDavid is, at least for now, the greatest player who hasn’t sipped from the Holy Grail.

Who Are the Youngest Captains in NHL History?

5. Jonathan Toews (20 years, 80 days)

Jonathan Toews was named captain of the Chicago Blackhawks on July 18, 2008, before his second NHL season, when he was 20. 

He had only played 64 games beforehand, and Toews went on to lead the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups in the six years from 2010 to 2015. 

He’s among the youngest captains to win the Stanley Cup and the youngest Conn Smythe winners in NHL history.

4. Vincent Lecavalier (19 years, 315 days)

Lecavalier was the youngest captain in NHL history when he was named captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 1, 2000. 

His time in that role was short-lived, though, as the Lightning took away the captaincy before the 2001-02 season. 

Lecavalier was renamed captain in 2008, but he never won the Cup with the Lightning as the captain. He did, however, win it with the Lightning in 2004. 

3. Sidney Crosby (19 years, 297 days)

On May 31, 2007, Sidney Crosby became captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that role ever since, Crosby has led the Penguins to three Stanley Cups, and in 2009 became the youngest captain to win the Cup. 

He will lead the Penguins for his 20th season as captain for the 2026-27 campaign. 

2. Gabriel Landeskog (19 years, 286 days)

Named captain on Sept. 4, 2012, Gabriel Landeskog has led the Colorado Avalanche ever since. 

Landeskog was handed the honour before his second NHL season, and it took him 10 seasons to lead the Avalanche to glory in 2022. 

Landeskog represents one of the best comeback stories, as he missed three seasons with a knee injury before returning to the lineup in the first round of the 2025 playoffs against the Dallas Stars. 

1. Connor McDavid (19 years, 266 days)

McDavid has done everything for the Edmonton Oilers except win a Stanley Cup, and nobody has more of an impact on a team’s Stanley Cup odds at the BetMGM sportsbook.   

McDavid was named captain on Oct. 5, 2016, at the start of his second season. He has since scored at least 100 points in nine of 10 seasons, among the players with the most 100-point seasons. 

While McDavid led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons, he represents one of the few generational talents not to win a Cup in their first 10 seasons.