BLOG: Shore a valued piece and Oilers locker room presence

BOSTON. MA - About a mile down Commonwealth Avenue from Agganis Arena, the home of the Boston University Terriers where the Edmonton Oilers practiced on Wednesday, forward Devin Shore played some of his best-ever hockey under the Green Monster in absurd conditions for a hockey game.
When playing for the University of Maine nine years ago as a second-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2012, Shore was part of a Black Bears team that took to the field at Fenway Park as the rain poured down over the ice surface during the 2014 Frozen Fenway series in Boston for their meeting with Boston University.
"We played BU and got a big win, but that was a crazy game," he said. "The week before, Boston College, Providence and Notre Dame all played and it was perfect outdoor hockey weather. And then, a week later, we played and it was like six degrees Celsius.
"There was a rain delay and it started thundering. There was a half-hour rain delay in the middle of the hockey game."
The Ajax, ON wasn't about to let literal rain ruin such a monumental day for him and his Black Bears teammates. Shore netted two goals and added an assist in a 7-3 victory over the Terriers during his sophomore season, extending his point streak to 11 games that included 11 goals and 10 assists.
"Not too sure many people can say that they played in the hockey game with the rain delay, so that's cool," Shore said.

Not many people can also say that they owned a 4.0 GPA as a Business major in their freshman year to earn Hockey East's Top Scholar-Athlete Award, while leading their team as a rookie in scoring and serving as one of only five freshmen in the conference to play in all 38 games.
Returning to Boston University for practice on Wednesday brought back a lot of college memories for the now-28-year-old forward, who's in the midst of a strong stretch of games for the Oilers since the NHL Trade Deadline with two assists in his last three games.
"Trying to just play the same game," he said after the skate. "Just light shoulders, deep breaths and just kind of relaxing out there but still playing with intensity. I'm just kind of trying to get in the rhythm a little more. It just so happens that pucks are starting to go in, which always helps, but I'm just trying to stick to the same simple stuff that makes you successful and doing my best."

Shore has had to ride the ups and downs of the NHL this season, having been placed on waivers twice, sent down to the Bakersfield Condors and recalled to Edmonton six separate times, completed a conditioning loan, and utilized as an emergency call-up on one occasion since Oct. 9, 2022 -- three days before the start of the season.
But through it all, Shore has been a vital piece of the Oilers locker room culture while riding the ebbs and flows of the business with a professional understanding and a smile on his face.
Beyond the marker of the Trade Deadline, Head Coach Jay Woodcroft has been seeing some strong contributions from Shore dating back to his return from a stint in Bakersfield with the Condors, when he was back in the Oilers lineup for the first time in 49 days against the Colorado Avalanche.

"He had gone down to the American League and got kind of his engine up and running again, playing a lot of minutes," Woodcroft said. "And for him to contribute the way he's contributing, I think it's important.
"And you know what? I think at this time of year, you need lots of contributions up and down your lineup. We've talked about it as a staff -- this is the wee time of year and we're going to need everybody. We have a strong belief in the people in our dressing room.
In another recent show of humility, Shore elected to pass the number 14 to new acquisition Mattias Ekholm, who's received only a small but powerful dose of his importance to the group.

"He's awesome. So talkative and so nice," Ekholm said. "To be honest with you, it was just a coincidence that was the way it went through. It wasn't like I had to have 14. There was a lot going through my mind when I got traded and everything, and they kind of made that happen. So I'm obviously very thankful for it."
"It was it's just a number," Shore said humbly. "I like 14 a lot, but Mattias has played 700-ish games in this League. He's been a great pro and a great veteran for a long time now, so I'm happy to give it over to him."