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Maple Leafs’ John Tavares ranked 15th on CHL’s Top 50 players of last 50 years list
Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
May 1, 2026, 08:30 EDTUpdated: May 1, 2026, 08:03 EDT
Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares has been in the national spotlight for the better part of two decades, and his prodigious career is being celebrated by the Canadian Hockey League.
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the CHL invited a panel to vote on the 50 best players of the past 50 years. Tavares ranked No. 15 on the list. Here’s what the CHL wrote about Tavares:
The first player ever granted exceptional status into the OHL, Tavares entered the league at 15 and quickly became one of the most prolific scorers in CHL history. He won OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year honours in 2005-06, then erupted for 72 goals and 134 points the following season to capture the Red Tilson Trophy as OHL MVP and become the youngest CHL Player of the Year winner ever. Tavares later won the Eddie Powers Trophy as OHL scoring champion, earned the CHL Top Prospect Award, and became the OHL’s all-time goals leader with 215. Selected first overall by the New York Islanders in 2009, Tavares has gone on to captain both the Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs while reaching the 1,000-game, 1,000-point, and 500-goal milestones. Internationally, he won two World Juniors gold medals, Olympic gold in 2014, and World Cup gold in 2016.
Tavares burst on the national scene as a phenom for the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He played nearly two years above his age group, and was the best player in the 1989-born age group, despite his September 1990 birthdate. Tavaeres was such a gifted goal scorer that he effectively forced the CHL to create the exceptional status designation, where he went first overall to the Oshawa Generals.
It’s another milestone for Tavares, and it speaks to how long he’s been destined for greatness. Tavares recorded 31 goals and 71 points in 82 games with the Maple Leafs, and he remains one of the NHL’s elite faceoff specialists. During what was a nightmare campaign for the Maple Leafs, Tavares was consistent and accountable at all times, qualities he’s carried since he was a teenager.
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