EDMONTON, AB - Don't miss out on any of the content from the off-season with our Weekly Recap, which included Inside the Oilers blogs, the continuation of Oil Archive and more.

EDMONTON, AB - With Combine, Draft, Development Camp and Free Agency all in the rearview mirror, the true dog days of hockey summer are just getting started as July and August mark the calm before the training camp storm in September. Catch up with your favourite Oilers and Oilers prospects via social media as they document everything from training sessions, honeymoon stair sprints and their escapes to tropical islands in the latest edition of Off-Season Oil. 

EDMONTON, AB - A day spent with Oilers Captain Connor McDavid at the 2018 NHL All-Star Break, sights and sounds from Armed Forces Night and more. 

Revisit some memorable moments from the 2017-18 season by watching videos produced by Oilers TV.

Android users can view videos here.

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS | Armed Forces Night

Video: SIGHTS AND SOUNDS | Armed Forces Night

EDMONTON, AB - Forward prospect Colin Larkin signed with the Oilers on March 5, 2018, as a college free agent after four seasons at Umass-Boston.

The 24-year-old, whose brother is none other than Detroit Red Wings speedster Dylan Larkin, described the Oilers pitch while he was at Development Camp a few weeks ago. 

The 6-foot-3, 192-pound forward admitted there wasn't much the Oilers brass needed to say to convince him to sign with the organization.

Rather, it was the other way around.

"Honestly, I felt like I was selling myself to the Oilers more than anything," Larkin said. 

"It was at the end of my college season at UMass-Boston. I had a couple meetings with the Oilers towards the end of my season."

Larkin described some selling points the Oilers organization used to entice the free agent.

"They don't need to say much," he added. "There's a lot of prestige in this organization. There's a chance to play with young players, there's a lot of high draft picks and a lot of elite talent in this organization. 

"I think the arena and facilities are state of the art. That's part of their pitch. Just to get an opportunity to sign with the Oilers was a dream come true."

Larkin concluded his best collegiate campaign in his senior year in 2017-18, recording 24 goals and 46 points in 27 outings, ending his Div. III career with 148 points in 111 games. The opportunity the Oilers presented was too hard to pass up for the eldest Larkin.

"I had a lot of success at the college level in Div. III," Larkin said. "The opportunity to join the young talent here and get a chance with the Oilers was a no-brainer for me. I was extremely excited to sign with Edmonton. That was a really proud moment."

Larkin, who resembles his brother physically but also plays a similar style of game, understood he was coming from a Div. III program but believed it was the best for his development. The former Umass-Boston Beacon joined the club as a freshman in 2014-15, scoring 10 goals and 27 points in 27 matches. By the time Larkin became a senior in '17-18, the prospect was heralded as team captain.

"Being able to go in as a freshman, be a top power play guy, a penalty kill guy, a top-six forward right away and then develop into a top player in the league and country at that level was huge for me," Larkin said. "It kept my development going instead of not playing or trying to get in and out of the lineup and changing my role. 

"My development was perfect there at the Div. III level and I wouldn't have had the opportunity if I hadn't gone to UMass-Boston."

EDMONTON, AB - Relive EdmontonOilers.com's favourite moments from 2017-18 with some standout photos from the season in Part 2 of Oil Archive.

Android users can view the photos here.

All photo credit to Andy Devlin and Marko Ditkun.

EDMONTON, AB - Ryan Strome is making efforts to improve his on-ice vision this off-season.

"I've actually started doing a little bit of vision training," Strome, who signed a two-year contract with the Oilers last week, said on 630 CHED's Oilers Now Monday. "I've always kind of had an eye that doesn't see as well as the other, so I've tried a different approach. 

"I'm seeing a specialist in Toronto to try and make my eyes work together."

Strome, 24, notched 13 goals and 34 points in 82 outings in the 2017-18 season. The pivot found his fit with the Oilers late in the campaign, cementing himself as the club's third-line centre while also becoming a tool on special teams.

"Theoretically the idea is to instead of kind of be guessing where the puck could be by your vision not being up to par," Strome said. 

"Hopefully it can make things a little bit easier and your instincts can take over and your brain knows what you're doing."
 

EDMONTON, AB - Canada Under-18's and Ottawa 67's head coach André Tourigny gave his assessment Oilers prospects Evan Bouchard, Ryan McLeod and Olivier Rodrigue and their play in the OHL and QMJHL this past season to 630 CHED's Oilers Now on Monday afternoon.

Tourigny, who will serve as bench boss for Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team at the upcoming Hlinka Gretzky Cup this August 6-11 at Rogers Place, had a first-hand experience viewing Bouchard, McLeod and Rodrigue from behind the bench of the Halifax Mooseheads in 2016-17 and in his first year as head coach for the Ottawa 67's this past OHL campaign.

"You couldn't miss [Evan Bouchard]. He was on the ice for 40 minutes," Tourigny said of the London Knights defenceman and Oilers first-round pick. "The poise is the first thing that comes to mind because whenever he has the puck he's always calm and in control. He moves the puck really well and has that push. He will fake a pass and then wait, wait and wait until the last second to make an area pass or tape-to-tape pass. He's really creative offensively, confident, assertive and he's not a small guy as well.

"The Edmonton fans will love this kind of defenceman."

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