The next Connor McDavid talk is starting as Gabriel Wsol is torching older competition

One take is "next Connor McDavid." The smarter one is that Gabriel Wsol is already beating the first test, production against bigger, older players.

Wsol, born July 18, 2011, put up 80 points in 28 games for EHC Basel's U16 side, then added 64 in 21 with Basel U18. He also chipped in 3 points in 2 games with SC Bern Future U18.

That is 147 points in 51 games across three teams. The number matters, but the age jump matters more.

Poland also named him to its 2026 U18 Division I Group A roster, where he enters this event as a 14-year-old on a team that just climbed into this level after promotion in 2025.

Fans are right to get excited, but the McDavid label skips the hard part, translating skill when the ice shrinks and defenders close faster.

McDavid is still the standard, not the shortcut. He just finished the 2025-26 season with 48-90-138 in 82 games for Edmonton, which is exactly why this comparison needs restraint.

What makes Wsol interesting is the repeatability. His scoring did not vanish when he played up, and that usually hints at processing speed, not just youth-level hands.

Edmonton knows better than anyone how rare true separation talent is, and Wsol's file is starting to show the first fingerprints of it.

He is not the next McDavid today. He is something better for scouts right now, a real projection problem with numbers loud enough to demand attention.