"He's a hard worker who works on his game on and off the ice," Khaira said from the Oilers dressing room Sunday morning. "To see a guy succeed like that and put up a couple of goals, it's good for his confidence and as a line it's fun playing with a player like Jesse."
Khaira, along with Strome, is looking to feed off the 20-year-old's energy as the Oilers prospective third line for this upcoming season earns more reps tonight at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg.
"We're just trying to get better for him, I'm sure he's doing the same," Khaira said. "So if we can keep motivating each other and keep going to start off right it's going to be good."
A VETERAN EYE FOR TALENT
As a fellow centre and a veteran in the locker room, Brodziak will be watching McLeod a lot closer as the prospect earns his fourth-consecutive pre-season game with the Oilers.
"He looks like a player who knows exactly what he's doing out there. He's a strong player, a smart player, and up to this point he's accomplished a lot on the ice. I'll be paying attention a bit more, definitely.
"During the game you don't get a whole lot of opportunity to watch certain individuals, but from everything I've seen he's definitely making a name for himself and when I do watch he looks like a confident player who knows what he's doing out there."