The only thing better for James Hamblin than seeing his hometown Edmonton Oilers make a near-miraculous run all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year was having the best seat in the house for part of it.
Of course, as a call-up from the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors earlier in the season, he wasn’t just seated on the bench next to the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman. Hamblin got his fair share of chances to make an impact out on the ice too.
Who can forget his heartfelt eyes-to-the-sky celebration honouring his late mother after scoring his first NHL goal?
On Nov. 18, he buried a rebound past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson midway through the first period before pointing up past the rafters and saying, “I love you, Mom.”
It was one of two he potted, to go along with an assist in the 31 games he played with the big club prior to being sent back to Bakersfield.
It is, after all, a numbers game as players endeavour toward productivity that will have them move up and then stay up once they get there. And rarely is it ever a linear path that gets trodden.
“It definitely built my confidence a bit coming into this camp knowing what’s needed out of me, what’s needed to perform on a day-to-day basis,” Hamblin said of last season’s journey. “It’s a lot of those little things that you’re not really aware of before you come to the NHL, but once you get here, it’s those day-to-day things that I need to be really good at.”
But stats aren’t the only numbers on Hamblin’s mind here in Oilers training camp.
The 25-year-old undrafted forward switched from No. 57 to No. 52 as an ode to his mother, Gina, who was that very age when she died of cancer in September 2017. Hamblin said she was always his biggest fan and believed in him even in times when he didn’t.
“I was very fortunate that the Oilers organization let me change my number in this case,” he said. “It was something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and I’m super excited just to have her as a symbol on my back.
“It pushes me every day and it just reminds me that there’s more to life than just hockey. And that I have an amazing support group around me.”
With the third line already set to open the regular season, with free agents Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown, and Adam Henrique, returning to try and pick up the same chemistry they left off within last year’s playoffs, Hamblin is eying a fourth-line role.
But perhaps his best chance at earning a roster spot is as a 13th forward looking to earn his keep and take whatever chances come his way. Of course, he’s not the only one. Lane Pederson and Raphael Lavoie are also in the running for that role in some stiff camp competition.
“I’m really excited just for the opportunity that’s in front of me and, obviously, I’m just trying to put my best foot forward every day and try to make this team,” he said. “I think I’m trying to prove that I’m a versatile guy that can fit exactly into that bottom six. Can play centre, can play wing, can play on the PK (penalty kill), and play meaningful minutes and help this team.
“That’s what I want to do.”
His work on the penalty kill in the minors could be what ends up pushing him over the top here in training camp.
“I think that’s something that I’ve always prided myself on, is PK,” Hamblin said. “I’m a quick guy, I’m a fast guy and I think that’s an area of my game that I can continue to improve on and hopefully help this team win.”
And having a chance to do it all right here, in his own town, on the very team he grew up watching, makes it even better. Even he ended up having to watch the playoff proceedings from the sidelines.
“It was unbelievable,” he said. “It was a little bittersweet for myself just not having that opportunity to work my way onto the ice with the guys, but I’m just so happy for all the guys and all the fans. Just coming to the games and seeing the amount of people it’s affecting.”
As for Hamblin’s own story, he is fast becoming a hard guy not to root for.
“With him, I think he’s a very reliable player,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “During our winning streak, he was playing really good hockey for us. I’m not sure how many games he played during that 16-game winning streak, but I think the majority of them if not all of them.
“And he was a big contributor for us. His minutes weren’t up, which is hard to play well when you’re not in the game regularly. Sometimes only six minutes, sometimes up to 11, 12 minutes. but I know he was always ready to play and he was always reliable. I know a lot of guys aren’t comfortable doing that, but I thought he contributed a lot.”
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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