Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan dropped in at the Royal Glenora Club on Wednesday, trying to put faces to names like he was a regular hockey fan as he watched his players in an informal practice.
“Which one is (Anton) Slepyshev?” McLellan asked.
While most eyes will be on Connor McDavid, then fellow centre Leon Draisaitl and defenceman Darnell Nurse at the Young Stars Classic tournament, which starts Friday at Penticton, B.C., Russian winger Slepyshev is the wild card.
It’s awfully crowded with a dozen Oilers forwards on one-way contracts, but the six-foot-two, 194-pound Slepyshev, 21, is not that far away from being an NHL player.