Caleb Jones will make his NHL debut Friday night when the Edmonton Oilers host the Philadelphia Flyers.
Jones, 21, was drafted in the fourth round, 117th overall by the Oilers in the 2015 draft. He says his mom was the first person he called when he was called up from Bakersfield on Wednesday.
“She didn’t believe me! She was like, ‘You better not be lying to me,'” laughed Jones Friday morning. “She was really happy. She kept calling me all night wanting to know what was going in with the travel.”
Jones said his mom, his grandmother and his billets from Ann Arbor when he was with the U.S. Development Team will be at Rogers Place for the game. His dad, Popeye, is an assistant coach with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. His brother, Seth, plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“I feel like my game is in a pretty good place,” said Jones. “I think my skating ability is my biggest strength. I think when my feet are moving the rest of my game falls into place.”
The Oilers expected lineup is:
Draisaitl – McDavid – Chiasson
Khaira – Nugent-Hopkins – Puljujarvi
Lucic – Brodziak – Kassian
Caggiula – Spooner – Rieder
Nurse – Larsson
Garrison – Benning
Gravel – Jones
Koskinen
Catch the Oilers and Flyers on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 5:30 p.m. The game will start at 7 p.m.
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