Oilers' little good luck charm pays a visit to morning skate
While the Edmonton Oilers welcomed back Philip Broberg from AHL Bakersfield for their morning skate Thursday, they reserved their healthiest and loudest hellos for five-year-old Ben Stelter, their good luck charm who is battling brain cancer.
Stelter, who was the Scotiabank Skater standing with captain Connor Mcdavid and the Oilers for the anthems March 24, had his first practice with the team prior to the game against San Jose, sharing the ice with No. 97 and Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the crew. Later on, in the Hall of Fame room at Rogers Place, Mcdavid presented the little guy with his special Upper Deck Heroes Inspiration card.
Stelter, diagnosed with glioblastoma in March 2021, has undergone surgery and many rounds of chemotherapy and radiation and he’s soldiered on, always with a smile on his face. The sight of Stelter seems to be Guaranteed Win Night, too. He carried a perfect 8-0 record into the Sharks game when at Rogers Place with his family.
“Brings a little joy and fun to the rink,” said Oilers centre Derek Ryan.
“For most guys it’s a little dose of reality to realize there are bigger things out there than hockey. We’re trying to build for a playoff run but at the end of the day, in life there are a lot bigger things and this brings that into the locker-room.”
Stelter has been around high-fiving players, cheering them off the ice. Zach Hyman brought him out for a post-game media session at the Hall of Fame room on March 24. He sat right beside Hyman at a table on the stage.
“He’s been a real inspiration for us. You can tell we’ve been rallying around him,” Oilers centre Ryan Nugent-hopkins said.
NO SIGN OF NURSE
Darnell Nurse, who missed the two road games in Columbus and Pittsburgh, didn’t put on his gear Thursday, either with his teammates or by himself for a little whirl around Rogers Place as he nurses a right leg issue. He won’t play Friday against Vancouver in Game 82 and remains iffy for the first game against Los Angeles next Monday or Tuesday. If Nurse, who got tangled up with Colorado’s J.T. Compher a week ago in front of goalie Mike Smith, isn’t skating this weekend, then you can probably write him off for the playoff opener.
“Nice to see Darnell in person today. But, no, he didn’t skate,” said coach Jay Woodcroft, who might go 11 forwards and seven defencemen to start the playoffs even if Nurse can start against the Kings, just to guard against in-game injury.
Not having veteran defenceman Slater Koekkoek, who has been out for two months for personal reasons after being sent to Bakersfield in early February, leaves them vulnerable on the back end. You need at least eight veterans on the blue-line for the playoffs.
MOVING AROUND PIECES
Jesse Puljujarvi was back with Mcdavid after missing three games while sick, and Kailer Yamamoto moved to the right side with Leon Draisaitl.
“I like the versatility to use either one at that position. With Jesse he’s a big body who goes to the hard areas and opens up space for his linemates,” Woodcroft said. “Yamo hounds pucks, gets inside on people and keeps plays alive. Flexibility to move them around makes them dangerous players. Good luxury for the coaching staff.”