Connor McDavid makes significant request to teammates ahead of 2023-24 season

Ever since the Edmonton Oilers were eliminated by the eventual Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the postseason, captain Connor McDavid has been focused on getting back on the ice, competiting and making it back to the playoffs.

The 2023-24 season can’t get here quick enough and so it was revealed on Thursday that McDavid has requested his teammates return to Alberta two weeks before the start of training camp to participate in informal skates, according to NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest.

His teammates were more than happy to oblige despite cutting the summer short.

“I think is says a lot about where our group is at, everybody is dialed in, everybody is super-motivated, everybody is determined and everybody is in it together,” McDavid said this week.

“I think that’s kind of the message I’ve been feeling just with guys wanting to come back and make sure we’re all together for a couple of weeks before camp.”

McDavid is positive that the added skating time will bring extra motivation and chemistry to the roster for the upcoming seaosn.

“I think it’s always good to train and skate together,” McDavid continued. “I think just getting that camaraderie back is always a good thing; making sure everybody is in a good place come training camp is important. Just seeing a couple of guys here over the last couple of days, I think everybody’s had a great summer, everybody looks great, and we came back ready to go.”

The Oilers open their preseason slate against the Winnipeg Jets on Sept. 24. Then, McDavid and the rest ofthe crew kick off the 2023-24 NHL season on Oct. 11.

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