Nurse pushes hard at Oilers camp
Top draft pick sets sights on tryout with world junior team
SHERWOOD PARK — Another bead of sweat began its descent on the forehead of Darnell Nurse as he started to look back on his first development camp with the Edmonton Oilers.
“It’s been tiring,” said the lanky defenceman, who was selected seventh overall by the Oilers in the NHL entry draft on June 30.
There hasn’t been a lot of down time for Nurse since the draft in New Jersey. He snuck home to Hamilton for a day, re-packed, then headed to Edmonton for the camp.
He’ll return in the fall to play for the Oilers in a rookie tournament at Penticton, B.C., after squeezing in some family time and taking part in Team Canada’s junior development camp, which runs Aug. 4-10. From there, he’ll report to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League.
“It’s tiring to go through a camp like this, but a lot of fun,” he said. “The best part about it is that you get to push yourself every day. When I get to the world junior camp, I’ll have this experience to draw on and I’ll have my wind when I get there. It’s definitely been a great experience for me.
“There’s a lot going on, but I’ll be in great shape in September.”
Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish said he wanted all of the prospects to leave the camp with technical pointers as well as a taste of the program. That they’ve had a chance to get indoctrinated in the Oilers’ environment hasn’t hurt.
“Once you get the first one under your belt, you’ll know what to expect,” said Nurse. “Seeing familiar faces when you get back makes it easier, too. That (rookie camp) is going to be another step up, so it’s good to have this under my belt.”
Step 1 for Klefbom
Given that he’s spent the last three seasons playing in the Swedish Elite League, Oscar Klefbom should have been discernibly better than the crop of prospects at Millennium Place. And he was.
Klefbom, who underwent shoulder surgery last winter, is going to get a chance to prove he’s ready for the NHL when training camp opens in the fall.
“That’s really the first fundamental obstacle a guy like that has to clear,” MacTavish said.
“You want to make sure your top prospects aren’t taking backward steps, so we want to make sure he’s able to clear each obstacle on his way to competing for a job with our team.
“He’s got good perspective for a young guy. There are a lot of guys with 10 years of experience who don’t have the professional savvy he has at this young age. That’s why his transition to the next level is going to occur very quickly. I’m not exactly sure when, but I do know it’s going to be fairly soon.”