The Edmonton Oilers have only taken the first step.

And the team will need to continue its climb if it's to be considered a Stanley Cup contender, according to captain Connor McDavid.

"We know we have a good team. We showed that last year and it's up to us to re-establish ourselves," McDavid told Sportsnet's Shawn McKenzie. "Realistically, we still haven't done anything in the league."

The Oilers qualified for the postseason last spring, their first appearance following a 10-year drought, an NHL futility record the franchise shares with the Florida Panthers.

Edmonton punched its ticket to the playoffs following years of rebuilding, in which it won a series of lotteries between 2010 and 2012 to select Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov with three-straight first overall selections.

McDavid evidently served as the last piece of the puzzle, added with the top pick in 2015 after more lottery luck boosted the Oilers to a familiar place - the top of the draft order.

While McDavid made his NHL debut just four months later, his rookie campaign was cut short due to a collarbone injury, limiting him to 45 games and the Oilers to 70 points - the worst record in the Western Conference.

But the team rebounded a big way last year, with the Oilers securing 103 points - their best season since 1986-87 - to finish second in the Pacific Division.

Now, the Oilers are hungry for even more.

"We made the second round, that's great, but that's not what hockey is about," McDavid added. "It's about winning, and we have a long way to go to do that."

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