BLOG: Hamblin soaks in first NHL experience

EDMONTON, AB - Monday was a night that James Hamblin soon won't forget.
The local kid got to live the dream that so many Edmontonians grow up wishing they can achieve -- officially donning the Oilers Blue & Orange for his first National Hockey League game. Hamblin stepped out onto the Rogers Place ice for the timeless rookie traditional of a solo lap during warm-up.
"It was super cool. I was obviously pretty nervous," Hamblin said about the experience. "I think even just for the lap at the start of the warmup. That was probably the most nerve-wracking part, but I felt I got more comfortable as the game went on."
The moment was a long time coming for Hamblin who grew up in Edmonton and played for Southside Athletic Club alongside current Oilers Stuart Skinner and Tyler Benson. The undrafted free agent did it the hard way, working his way up from the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers, to the Bakersfield Condors, and now to the Edmonton Oilers. For Hamblin, one of the most rewarding parts of the night was being able to take in the experience with his family.
"I had quite a few people over here -- notably my dad, my sister, my grandma, and my girlfriend were here," Hamblin said. "It was just a super special day -- a lot of pictures and I'm just so thankful that they could be here for that first game."

Hamblin had a mostly seamless transition into the Oilers lineup. The 23-year-old was saddled on a line with Brad Malone and Dylan Holloway, both whom he shared a locker room with in Bakersfield last season.
"Brad and I were talking about that, I don't know if Brad and I have ever really played (on a line) together, but we were super happy to play with each other, or I was super happy to play with him," Hamblin said. "Obviously, just Brad being an older guy, he's super helpful and everything. And Holloway obviously being a great player. I played with him before, so a lot of familiarity there."
The trio acquitted themselves nicely on the evening, playing around 10 minutes each while the Oilers locked down a Panthers team who had been leading the NHL in shots entering the night. As the game wore on, Hamblin found himself adjusting to the pace of the NHL game and the work ethic that National Hockey League players bring on every shift. While he didn't end up contributing on the score sheet, his evening was made even more memorable by the incredible flair for the dramatic that the overtime finish provided.
"I was just super excited, I was jumping and screaming. I was basically a fan just loving it," Hamblin said. "I was super pumped up that we scored and to win the game was just super special."

As far as how the rest of the game went for Hamblin, he is still looking for his first true 'welcome to the NHL' moment. Hamblin settled in to his role and sharing the ice with a well-respected veteran and former NHL 08 cover star in Eric Staal was a great experience, but that first point or memorable moment is still to come.
There was one instant that could be seen as an NHL rite of passage that probably more than a few NHLers have experienced -- and it came courtesy of Matthew Tkachuk.
"I think he punched me in the back of head at one point," Hamblin laughed. "Yeah, I arrived (in the NHL), exactly."