POST-GAME: Akey in awe of first NHL experience

EDMONTON, AB – Congrats, Beau, you're in The Show.

Oilers 2023 second-round draft pick Beau Akey suited up for his first NHL pre-season game on Sunday at Rogers Place, and though he admitted he was a bit awestruck by the sheer size of the arena, he certainly didn't play intimidated.

"The first time stepping into that atmosphere in warmups was pretty cool," said the standout blueliner with the Barrie Colts, whose rink holds just over 4,000 fans – a stark contrast to the 18,347 capacity in downtown Edmonton's ICE District.

"You really realize when you're standing in that rink how big that rink is and how big it actually feels. It's just a pretty cool experience to be able to play against those guys and play with them."

Play with them he did as the 18-year-old parlayed his impressive showing at the Young Stars Classic prospects tournament into a steady night against the Winnipeg Jets. Akey formed a pairing with Ben Gleason and even earned some three-on-three overtime action before the Oilers dropped a 2-1 decision in the shootout.

"You can see why he was drafted where he was," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said of the 56th-overall pick "He has poise, he's competitive, he made a lot of really good plays with the puck and was unafraid of the stage. That's a good sign for our team."

And while Akey will almost certainly be headed back to the Ontario Hockey League in the not-so distant future, Woodcroft said the offensive blueliner has made the most of his first Edmonton experience.

"Realistically, he knows he's not playing for the Edmonton Oilers in the middle of October here," he said. "But what he wants to do is come in and leave an impression – an impression on the management group, an impression on the coaches, and an impression on the people that matter most for someone like him, which is the players on the NHL hockey team.

"Because one of the first steps to making the NHL is just being able to show that you belong on the same ice surface. He's a young man who's had a good start to his camp and he's someone that is obviously showing why we drafted him where we did."

Having veteran NHLers Darnell Nurse and Derek Ryan as locker-room neighbours doesn't hurt his development either.

"They've been great with me," Akey said. "They've been chatting with me the whole time, talking me through the game, just telling me, 'don't let the nerves get to you and you'll be good'."

Akey was indeed good on Sunday, just as he has been throughout his very brief tenure in an Oilers sweater.