BLOG: McDavid excited to develop chemistry with new teammates during Main Camp

EDMONTON, AB – You can feel it in the air.

Camping season.

As on-ice sessions begin at Oilers Main Camp, captain Connor McDavid said there’s a different feel amongst the group this year thanks to the crop of new additions and young players who will change the complexion of their roster, while bringing a fresh sense of excitement to a team that’s preparing for another 82-game regular season after a second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

“I think it's motivation. I think it's excitement,” McDavid said on Thursday after the first on-ice session of Main Camp at Rogers Place.

“I think it's a little bit of new blood, young blood, which is exciting to have, and it brings energy to the rink every day. So truthfully, I thought that was the best practice we've had in a long, long, long time. It was exciting and fun to be out there. High-paced and competitive.”

McDavid skated alongside two new arrivals this offseason in Andrew Mangiapane and David Tomasek as part of the first group of players on Thursday to take to the ice at Rogers Place. Other notable lines included Ryan Nugent-Hopkins playing between Adam Henrique and Matt Savoie during the same on-ice session, and Leon Draisaitl centring Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen in the second group of players.

2025 Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard was on the wing with two experienced NHLers in Mattias Janmark and Trent Frederic, so there’s a strong sense of newness to this year's starting forward combinations despite the majority being returning players. Despite that, there are still the 'tried and tested' line combinations that the club can also go back to, but early in Camp is a great time to start building chemistry between different forwards.

"At times last year, it was a little stale, and you can have that with older teams that have one eye on the playoffs," McDavid said. "So you can have some monotonous days, and I felt that last year. So having some new faces in here, some young blood, as I said, playing with new guys, it can be exciting. It's a new project, something to work on and build on.

"With that being said, we know that we can always go back to the old things, playing with Leo or playing with Nuge or whatever it is. We always have those things to go back on, but it's exciting to try to build something with some other guys.

The Oilers captain hopes it can help translate to a better start to the regular season this year, following last year's slow start following a deep playoff run.

"The team hasn't gotten off to two great starts the last couple years, so making sure that our group's ready to roll right out of the gate, it's important," he said. "Obviously, we saw coming down the stretch last year getting hit a little bit with the injury bug, and if you're not in a good spot, it's tough. So we want to put ourselves in a good spot right off the opener. That's what we're trying to accomplish here out of Camp."

With Head Coach Kris Knoblauch revealing that Zach Hyman will be out until November as he recovers from wrist surgery, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins centring a line with Adam Henrique and Matt Savoie on Day 1 of Camp, Tomasek and Mangiapane look poised to get the first auditions to fill those roles to begin the regular season.

McDavid said both of his linemates carry qualities that he looks for in a winger, with Tomasek showcasing some of his offensive prowess during Thursday's skate as the dangerous shooter who registered 27 goals and 33 assists (57 points) in 47 SHL games with Farjestad BK last season to lead the league.

"A big guy, obviously played lots of pro and played at a high level. You can tell that," McDavid said. "You can see that he's a great shooter. Every single time he goes on a drill, he seems to score. That's a talent that not everyone has."

"A lot of things that I'm looking for in a winger, so it's fun to play with him day one. But as we know, things can change. But hoping to build something with him and something that we can build on and roll moving forward."

McDavid has experience playing against Mangiapane from their youth hockey days, and his parts of seven seasons spent as a member of the Calgary Flames, where he scored a career-high 35 goals during the 2021-22 season. A fast and tenacious winger, Mangiapane can help win pucks on the forecheck and open up scoring chances for the Oilers captain, while benefiting from his playmaking to try and get back to those career-high totals this campaign.

"Somebody I grew up playing against," McDavid said of Mangiapane. "Never played with him, always against him, and he's always been that annoying guy on the other side. So it's nice to have him on our side, but he's a lot more than that. He's a great player. A guy who scored 35 goals in this league before. He scored goals in this league and can play with an edge, plays fast, and wins battles. That's what you're looking for."

McDavid is coming off a 26-goal, 100-point campaign in 2024-25, having recorded 100 assists the previous season and 64 goals the campaign before that when he posted an incredible 153 points in all 82 games for the Oilers. The captain says it doesn't matter how the points arrive – just that he wants to do whatever he can to help the team get back to the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight season to accomplish the ultimate goal that's evaded them.

"I think I'm always looking to improve," he said. "Scoring goals was something early in my career that I wanted to work on and I seemed to check that box, and then for whatever reason, it's gone back to the playmaking side, which is fine too. I'm here to do whatever the team needs and help this team win, but I want to score goals, and I want to play at a high level and play at the level that I expect for myself and I'm looking to establish that right away."