Edmonton Oilers veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm was asked by the media on Saturday how he wants to be remembered by the prospects who are trying their hardest in camp, but may be leaving after not quite making the cut He joked and responded, “Not an asshole, maybe?”
As the team widdles down its roster to what will look like a version of the team that will start the regular season on October 9th, Ekholm has become the resident “dad” on the team. He’s a veteran with a ton of experience and is a bit older. He was a great mentor for Evan Bouchard, who has taken huge strides in his development when paired with Ekholm and the young kids on the team, and trying out probably absorbs everything he says like a sponge.
“I’m just trying to be myself, more than anything,” he said after the media got a good laugh out of his first answer. “I have three kids to raise so it’s hard to get the full dad role here. I try to be myself and hopefully, they think I was a nice guy that hopefully does a lot of things right…”
Ekholm said he didn’t want anyone to feel out of place and while he might not specifically take some under his wing, they should know he’s there to support them.
Oilers Will Need These Prospects To Step Up
Ekholm, like many of the Oilers on the team, is aware that these prospects will eventually play a huge role on the team. Because the Oilers have so much elite, but expensive talent on the roster, the organization is going to need to build around them and support the stars with inexpensive first and second-year players. It’s best to start embracing that now.
Ekholm has been a perfect fit for the Oilers. After arriving in a trade from the Nashville Predators, he seamlessly fit in and has been incredibly productive, outplaying his contract multiple times over. If there is anyone on the roster that these young prospects should emulate, it’s him.
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