"As far as being around the room and stuff as a kid, we were fortunate to have that," said Lowe, a 2011 third-round Carolina Hurricanes draft choice that signed with the Oilers on July 1, 2017. "My uncle (Ken Lowe), as most people know too, worked for the team. I hung out in the training room with him a lot when I was around the rink. I got to see the warriors like Jason Smith and guys like that after games and practices with ice bags strapped on their shoulders and knees."
Simpson, an Edmonton Oilers fourth-round selection also from the 2011 NHL Draft, has been with the organization for the entirety of his professional career
"You get an idea of what it takes," he said of his childhood surrounded by the Oilers organization. "The type of guys in the dressing room, the amount of skill and hard work that goes into it. Growing up around that, you get a sense of the dedication needed to be able to play in pro levels."
The two depth defencemen are part of a young crop of Condors blueliners but at the age of 24, are both seen as veterans on the back end for the club. They've been doing their part to help adjust rookie defencemen Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear and Ryan Mantha to the pro game. Lowe's been partnered with Jones lately and Simpson defends alongside Bear.
"For the young guys coming in, they've had the right attitude," said Simpson. "It's easy for us to pass on the little trinkets to those guys. We're still young guys trying to get better as well but it keeps us youthful dealing with the young guys every day."
