Oilers open camp full of youth and optimism

EDMONTON – For the Edmonton Oilers, there’s no place to go but up.

At a time when optimism abounds in every NHL city, that's literally the case for the Oilers after they finished dead-last, 30th by a good measure, in 2009-10.

It's no surprise, then, Rexall Place was rife with positive buzz Saturday morning as the Oilers opened training camp with 65 players taking part in three sessions.

"Somebody said it's nice to put last year behind," defenseman Ryan Whitney said. "Today is kind of the day. It's done with. It really doesn't have to be mentioned.

"Today's the beginning of a new season and that's what's great. Every camp opens and last year is over with -- whether it's a good year or a bad year. It's nice to put it behind us and go from here."

With the Oilers in full rebuild mode, much of the excitement naturally surrounds 18-year-old Taylor Hall, the two-time Memorial Cup MVP from Windsor taken No. 1 in the 2010 Entry Draft. There’s also excitement about the arrival of 2009 first-rounder Magnus Paajarvi from Sweden and the return of 2008 first-rounder Jordan Eberle -- who was arguably good enough to earn a job at training camp a year ago.

"It's just great to get started," said Paajarvi, who skated on a line with Gilbert Brule and Andrew Cogliano. "I'm just glad to be here and I'm super-excited to show what I've got."

The Big Three and an infusion of youth is the main storyline, but if you talk to the  veterans, it's obvious that optimism isn't the sole domain of all the wide-eyed kids in the room.

"With the way last season ended, everyone kind of has that hunger to turn things around right away," Sam Gagner said. “Everyone is talking about being patient and kind of letting a rebuild happen, but I think the guys in here want to turn things around right away.

"Last year was my third year out of the playoffs and the fourth for some guys. It's not fun. You play hockey to be in the playoffs."

No matter what happens during camp and pre-season, the team that finished 33 points out of the Western Conference playoffs with a 27-47-8 record will be drastically different under new coach Tom Renney when the regular season opens against Calgary on Oct. 7.

"You always have high hopes, but it really is a season to start fresh," defenseman Tom Gilbert said. "It's great to have all these young guys in here bringing so much energy. There's so many new faces and the look of the team is different. There's more optimism right off the bat."

Gone are several veterans, including captain Ethan Moreau, Steve Staios, Lubomir Visnovsky, Denis Grebeshkov, Mike Comrie, Fernando Pisani and Patrick O'Sullivan.

Hall, Paajarvi and Eberle have jobs to lose. Whitney, obtained from Anaheim for Visnovsky at the trade deadline, Jim Vandermeer, acquired from Phoenix in an off-season trade for O'Sullivan, and free agents Kurtis Foster and Shawn Belle are in the mix.

"There's always excitement," forward Dustin Penner said. "And there's a feeling-out period, like we're going through now.

"There's a lot of camaraderie in the room already. It's just because everybody has the same mindset. There's a lot of spots open on the team. Guys feel they have an opportunity to grab an NHL spot."

Renney takes over from Pat Quinn, bumped to the role of senior adviser one year into his contract. Ralph Krueger, the architect and former coach of Switzerland's resurgent national program, signed on as an associate coach.

Former Oiler Steve Smith has come over from Chicago and takes over from Wayne Fleming as one assistant, joining returnee Kelly Buchberger.

"There's new faces. New coaches. New training staff. It's exciting for myself," Whitney said. "It's a great spot for me. I think it's a great spot for a lot of guys right now.

"Obviously, there's some question marks like with any team, but there's guys who really want to be here, want to play. You need guys who are excited to be where they are. We've got three rookies who are definitely excited to be here, but even the veterans are excited."