Together, they expected at least a few all-nighters and long stretches of baggy-eyed exhaustion.
In the end? Not so.
Jordan Oesterle and his wife, Ashley, struck a parenting goldmine instead.
Baby Eli – born early in the summer and now - with more than five months of mini adventures behind him – enjoys a good slumber even more than his hockey-playing papa.
“Ever since he was two months old, he's slept 7 to 7, every night,” Oesterle smiled. “I don't know what we’ve done, but it’s not quite what I expected. Honestly, we try not to tell people, because we’re sleeping good these days.”
For Oesterle, some extra gas in the tank should serve him well this time of year.
With Flames training camp off and running, and with the 31-year-old looking to establish himself on a new team with roles to fill on the backend, it’s hard not to have some pep in your step.
“Obviously, my goal is to earn a top-six role,” Oesterle said of his early conversations with Head Coach Ryan Huska. “Just help the team win – and if there are injuries and the team needs me to play powerplay, penalty-kill, 5-on-5, whatever it is – I've stressed to them that I want to contribute wherever they need me so I can help this team win and get back to the playoffs.
With stops in Edmonton, Chicago, Arizona and Detroit, Oesterle – who signed a one-year. $925,000 contract back on July 2 – has 349 games of experience under his belt.
He’s totalled 19 goals and 84 points in that span, and is a powerful skater that can either transport the puck, or move it with a crisp first pass to kick-start the transition game.
While those are all attractive qualities for any player in this league, what separates Oesterle – and has, honestly, given him longevity in this league – is his ability to play both sides of the blueline.
“It makes me a little more versatile, so if you do end up being that seventh defenceman, it doesn't really matter if it's a left or right shot that's needed – you can slot in anywhere,” he said. “I think that helps keep you around in the league if you're an extra defenceman. But every year I try to go in and be impactful. And whether that's on the left or right, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to play games and help the team win.”
Oesterle figures he played the entire 2017-18 season on the right side when he was a member of the Blackhawks, transitioned to more of a “50-50” split over three seasons in Arizona, and then saw the bulk of his minutes on his off side over the past two years in his home state of Michigan.
While he started Flames camp on the left with veteran Chris Tanev riding shotgun, there’s no telling what the future holds.
All Oesterle can do is put his best foot forward and be ready when his number is called.
No matter where that ends up being.
“I've obviously been on teams that are rebuilding and trying to make those pushes, but to come to an organization that wants to win now, it’s exciting,” he said. “I remember coming into this building and it was always tough game against the Flames.
“When this became an option, I jumped all over it.
“I want to help this team get into the playoffs and see what we can do.”
