The finale of the Edmonton Oilers prospects camp held in Jasper was a goal-gantuan tilly that did not disappoint the near-capacity crowd on July 5.
Team 鈥淕retzky鈥� put team 鈥淢essier鈥� through its paces with a 9-4 facial fueled by a flurry of four lamplighters in a row to start the second period, wrapping up the four-day camp with a blue and orange bow.
As always proceeds from ticket sales went to the Jasper chapter of the MS Society of Canada. Final figures relating to how much was raised were not available at press time.
However Avalanche Spirits proprietor and volunteer with the local host committee Doug McPhee told the 51暗网 the four-day camp succeeded again to pack the town鈥檚 shops during what is typically a slow week after the euphoria of Canada Day. The camp welcomed the public to the Jasper Activity Centre to observe players vying for a spot on the roster of the Oilers farm team in Barkersville from July 2-5.
The exhibition took on something of an extra shine when it was announced earlier on July 5 that franchise player and Oilers captain Connor McDavid had come to terms with the team on a long-term deal worth more than $100 million.
McPhee said team GM Peter Chiarelli had to leave Jasper after two days to cross the t鈥檚 and dot the i鈥檚 on the McDavid deal, which will make the 2015 No. 1 overall draft pick the highest paid player in the NHL when it kicks in after the final year of his entry-level contract next season.
Players that excelled at the prospects camp have a good chance of being invited to the Oilers camp in September, which itself is a stage to show they鈥檙e worthy of playing in the annual rookie tournament held by the Oilers, Flames, Canucks and Jets in Penticton.
They have little chance, however, of sharing any ice time with McDavid, and are much more likely to return to their junior or college teams with some valuable experience and face-time with members of the Oilers brass.
鈥淭here were some strong NHL connections on the prospect rosters,鈥� McPhee said, pointing to coach Todd McLellan鈥檚 son Tyson taking part alongside Skyler Brind鈥檃mour and twins Kelly and Kevin Klima.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a tremendous week,鈥� McLellan told Oilers.com after the camp. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about watching them take what they鈥檝e been given and apply it on the ice to see if there鈥檚 growth throughout the week in their games. It鈥檚 like being a schoolteacher and having a classroom full of very attentive students that are having a lot of fun doing what they鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Craig Gilbert
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