EDMONTON

There are only a few people on planet Earth who know what it’s like to be Connor McDavid right now, so Oilers coach Todd McLellan wasn’t going to waste a chance to pick the brain of one of them.

The head coach of Team Canada’s World Championship team pulled Sidney Crosby aside in Prague in search of a little insight before the Oilers prepare to bring the first pick overall into the fold this summer.

“One of the things I did was spend some time with Sidney and ask him what it was like as a young 18-year-old coming up that way, some of the hardships he may have had or some of the things he appreciated … that his teammates or the organization did for him,” said McLellan, who was starting to do his homework before he even officially had the Oilers job.

“It’s tough to be that player in this world, especially in a Canadian market, but Connor will be fine. He’ll get what he needs from the Oilers organization, the coaching staff and his teammates.

“And he is just one piece on the team. It’s just going to be about the whole, not individuals, that’s how we’ll approach it.”

Having said that, McLellan understands the Oilers are getting a rare find at No. 1 overall this year and they have to be measured in how they cultivate his talent.

“I thought it through a lot,” he said of the opportunity to coach a kid they say is the best talent to come along in 30 years. “This is a special player. He has a special skill set that the fans are going to enjoy for a long time, but he’s still a young man.

“He’s learned how to deal with an immense amount of tension and pressure, but that’s at the junior level — it’s going to change when he gets to the NHL.

“It’s our job to make sure we get the most out of him in a really good environment — not a protecting environment, he has to learn how to deal with that — but making sure he is comfortable in his surroundings, taken care of away from the rink.”

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robert.tychkowski@sunmedia.ca