BLOG: Holloway bettering himself to make an impact next season

EDMONTON, AB -The path to being a full-time NHLer is in front of Dylan Holloway and the 21-year-old is doing everything in his power to follow it.

The Oilers blue-chipper entered last season riding a tidal wave of momentum. From the Young Stars tournament in Penticton, B.C. to Oilers training camp and preseason, Holloway could do no wrong. A team leading four goals and six points in the preseason -- including a hat trick -- garnered him the nickname 'Hollywood' as he found himself riding shotgun with Leon Draisaitl in the team's season opener.

However, the offence did not come as freely for the rookie once the games began to count. It wasn't until his 17th game of the season that Holloway finally tickled the twine for his first National Hockey League goal - an absolute laser of a shot in Edmonton's three-goal comeback against the New York Rangers on Nov. 26.

The Calgary, AB native would score two more times with the Oilers in 2022-23, with all of his goals showing off the high-end shot that got him drafted 14th overall in 2020. After a demotion to the Bakersfield Condors in mid-February to make way Kailer Yamamoto's return from injury, an injury of his own and an Oilers playoff push put an end to his rookie season at the NHL level.

Older, wiser, and more experienced, Holloway is doing what he can to make sure he sticks with the big club in 2023-24.

"I think there's a lot to learn from last year for sure," Holloway said after spending some time coaching kids at Oilers Hockey School on Thursday. "I think the biggest thing for me is just to make sure that you're trying to play at your best every single night. You can't take a night off, especially as a young guy. You've got to go in and try and take a spot and try and keep that spot, that's the hardest part.

"I think for me this year going in, I definitely have more confidence and able to learn from last year a lot, so I'm excited for the season coming up."

When he was healthy with the Condors, Holloway was a difference maker. In his 12 AHL games last year he recorded 10 points (7G, 3A) for a 42-goal pace.

Health has typically been the greatest obstacle when it comes to Holloway's path to the NHL. A wrist injury while at Wisconsin led to multiple surgeries which postponed his pro-debut, with several other knocks and maladies halting his momentum over the past two years. The 6-foot-1 winger is working on controlling what he can control this offseason, and health has been a major point of emphasis for Holloway as he enters an important period in his development.

"You're always kind of trying to do new things to try and get better, get that edge," he said. "I think the biggest thing for me this year is I've been able to work with a nutritionist, I've been really dialing in my nutrition and what I eat, so I think that's probably the biggest one that I've done so far this summer."

Holloway is eating better, eating less sugars, and finding himself with more energy. In his 51 games of NHL experience, he was able to witness the dedication the game's elite has to their craft away from the rink. Holloway is learning that becoming a difference maker doesn't happen overnight and it doesn't happen only on the ice, it's a full time commitment.

"The biggest thing for me is just learning from the older guys that have been in the league a while because obviously they know exactly what it takes to play well every night," Holloway said. "So, kind of learning from them and then trying to implement it myself -- my diet and sleep schedule and stuff, trying to get to bed early."

Holloway said he will spend the next month skating and training, with a little vacation time mixed in as he prepares for Oilers Training Camp. The admitted he has set several goals for the upcoming season, but the first one is to be in the lineup for Oct. 11 in the Oilers first game against the Vancouver Canucks.

"Nothing's given. At the end of the day, you're trying to go into camp and earn a spot and basically take somebody's spot," Holloway said. "You've got to be ready and no matter what it looks like or what you think the odds are, you just got to be ready and be the best version of yourself, so that's what I'll try and do."