Move over Art Ross, Ted Lindsay, Hart Memorial, and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-leon-draisaitl-wins-first-career-rocket-richard-trophy">Rocket Richard Trophies</a>, because another piece of hardware is headed to Leon Draisaitl&#8217;s award cabinet.

On Wednesday, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/legend-edmonton-oilers-leon-draisaitl-grows">Draisaitl</a> was named Best NHL Player at the 2025 ESPYS, the annual award show put on by ESPN to celebrate the greatest in sports each year. It&#8217;s the 29-year-old winger&#8217;s first time receiving the award, marking the first time for a German-born player, and only the fourth for a European (after Dominik Hasek, Jaromir Jagr, and Alexander Ovechkin).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
🏆 Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EdmontonOilers</a> forward Leon Draisaitl on taking home the ESPY for Best NHL Player! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ESPYS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ESPYS</a> <a href="https://t.co/uJF4VzLgin">pic.twitter.com/uJF4VzLgin</a>
&mdash; NHLPA (@NHLPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLPA/status/1945836123806126433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The honour falls to Draisaitl after another banner year in Edmonton for the star forward. With a fourth 50-goal season, his total of 52 earned him his first Rocket Richard Trophy as the league&#8217;s leading goalscorer. Despite only playing 71 games, he finished with 106 points, his sixth consecutive 100-point season (excluding the shortened 2020-21 season, where he still put up 84 points in 56 games).
In the playoffs, his stats were equally impressive. Through 22 games, he put up a career-high 33 points, with 11 goals and 22 assists. He scored four overtime markers, becoming a key force in Edmonton&#8217;s push to a second-consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
This is the fourth year in a row the Best NHL Player honour is being given to an Oiler, with Connor McDavid winning it the three years prior to this one. While the award is hardly even close to the most prestigious that either of them has won, it&#8217;s just another example of their continued dominance on the ice.
McDavid and Draisaitl were not present for Wednesday&#8217;s show, as they were busy playing in a beer league game in Newmarket, Ontario. Despite their offensive prowess in the NHL, they couldn&#8217;t find the back of the net in this one, and their team ultimately fell 6-2.
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UPDATE: McDavid and Draisaitl lost a beer league game in Newmarket. 😭
(🎥: <a href="https://twitter.com/BarDown?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BarDown</a>) <a href="https://t.co/MIS0yrrCcl">https://t.co/MIS0yrrCcl</a> <a href="https://t.co/mQsDRBkPGQ">pic.twitter.com/mQsDRBkPGQ</a>
&mdash; theScore (@theScore) <a href="https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1945665683380965457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Facing the two recently crowned Best NHL Players, the ref joked after the game that the other team&#8217;s goalie &#8220;stood on his head out there&#8221; in shutting down the best that hockey has to offer. Of course, it was all in good fun, with McDavid playing in front of a crowd of kids from his hometown who are no doubt inspired by him and his on-ice partner in Draisaitl.

Edmonton Oilers Leon Draisaitl celebrates goal

Move over Art Ross, Ted Lindsay, Hart Memorial, and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-leon-draisaitl-wins-first-career-rocket-richard-trophy">Rocket Richard Trophies</a>, because another piece of hardware is headed to Leon Draisaitl's award cabinet.



On Wednesday, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/legend-edmonton-oilers-leon-draisaitl-grows">Draisaitl</a> was named Best NHL Player at the 2025 ESPYS, the annual award show put on by ESPN to celebrate the greatest in sports each year. It's the 29-year-old winger's first time receiving the award, marking the first time for a German-born player, and only the fourth for a European (after Dominik Hasek, Jaromir Jagr, and Alexander Ovechkin).

https://twitter.com/NHLPA/status/1945836123806126433

The honour falls to Draisaitl after another banner year in Edmonton for the star forward. With a fourth 50-goal season, his total of 52 earned him his first Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's leading goalscorer. Despite only playing 71 games, he finished with 106 points, his sixth consecutive 100-point season (excluding the shortened 2020-21 season, where he still put up 84 points in 56 games).

In the playoffs, his stats were equally impressive. Through 22 games, he put up a career-high 33 points, with 11 goals and 22 assists. He scored four overtime markers, becoming a key force in Edmonton's push to a second-consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

This is the fourth year in a row the Best NHL Player honour is being given to an Oiler, with Connor McDavid winning it the three years prior to this one. While the award is hardly even close to the most prestigious that either of them has won, it's just another example of their continued dominance on the ice.

McDavid and Draisaitl were not present for Wednesday's show, as they were busy playing in a beer league game in Newmarket, Ontario. Despite their offensive prowess in the NHL, they couldn't find the back of the net in this one, and their team ultimately fell 6-2.

https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1945665683380965457

Facing the two recently crowned Best NHL Players, the ref joked after the game that the other team's goalie "stood on his head out there" in shutting down the best that hockey has to offer. Of course, it was all in good fun, with McDavid playing in front of a crowd of kids from his hometown who are no doubt inspired by him and his on-ice partner in Draisaitl.

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