“We’ve been very happy with him all year,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We anticipate him being an Oiler in the future. We weren’t really expecting it to be so fast and probably more down the road and maybe next year, but since he came to training camp, he’s been outstanding and caught our attention immediately.
“Then he went down to Bakersfield, played some AHL games, and played very well down there in more of a defensive role. When we needed players and we called him up, he came up and played a few games and fit right in.”
Now, the 24-year-old is on the verge of dressing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time, looking to build on that role as a two-way centre and make his mark with the Oilers, who have the opportunity to take a 2-0 series lead back to Orange County.
“Building my game and taking pride in the D zone, battling for pucks and trying to do the little things right,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not easy for the coach to trust a young guy, especially. I played in the (Deutsche Eishockey Liga) last year, and I’m not sure what to expect. Our staff and my teammates did a great job helping me adjust, so I think just all of that.”
