Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Tippett had a special message for defenceman Ethan Bear at practice on Wednesday.
“I skated up to him this morning. I said, ‘Knock, knock. Opportunity waits,'” Tippett said.
With Joel Persson out seven to 10 days after suffering a shoulder injury Tuesday against Arizona, the door is open for Bear to be on the Oilers opening-night roster. This is the latest he’s ever been in camp since being drafted in 2015.
“I’m obviously happy to still be here, but at the same time, I’m not satisfied. I’m not getting comfortable,” said Bear, who had 31 points in 52 games last season for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
He didn’t get into every game because of a shoulder injury. Bear, 22, also admits he didn’t take his conditioning seriously enough until this summer.
“Just trying to take care of myself away from the rink. When I’m here, make sure I’m focused and ready go to,” said Bear, who got into 18 games for the Oilers at the end of 2017/18 season.
“He’ll play next two games. Hopefully, he plays well,” Tippett said. “He’s one of the guys who has surprised me coming into camp. He’s in great shape. The little details of the game, he’s really trying to dig into and be strong at.”
The Oilers close out the pre-season with road games in Winnipeg on Thursday and Calgary on Saturday.
Connor McDavid’s participation in those games is undetermined. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missed Wednesday’s practice with a sore leg and won’t play in Winnipeg. Markus Granlund is nursing a groin issue. There’s a chance he’ll play on Saturday.
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