Hockey I.Q., hustle earn Hamblin a shot with Oilers

Defensive-minded forward grew up playing alongside fellow Oilers Benson and Skinner

Every kid has his story to tell, their particular road to making “The Show” for their first NHL game after all those early morning rides to the rink with their parents after a stop at Tim Hortons for a double-double and Mcdonalds for an Egg Mcmuffin.

James Hamblin's journey certainly is chapter and verse on that trail with his dad Tim, a longtime phys-ed teacher at Leduc Composite, and his late mother Gina, who worked for Suncor before pancreatic cancer took her away in 2017 at 52 years old. They were all in this ride together.

Now Hamblin — an undrafted NHLER who played on the same Southside Athletic Club bantam AAA Lions 10 years ago as Tyler Benson and Stuart Skinner, playing for coach Taylor Harnett's powerhouse that won the Western Canadian bantam AAA championship — has made it to the bigs. Hamblin has defied the odds, making it to the Edmonton Oilers lineup on his sweat equity and hockey IQ.

The five-foot-nine, 176-pound forward who played his first NHL game Monday against the Florida Panthers, was a bit player on that juggernaut bantam AAA team.

“I think I had 18 points,” said Hamblin.

Benson had 146 points, an Alberta record, by way of comparison. Benson (first overall pick), Skinner (17th) and Hamblin (17th) wound up being firstround picks in the WHL bantam draft. Then Benson (second round 2016) and Skinner (third round in 2017) were high-end Oilers draft picks. NHL scouts never warmed to Hamblin, however, probably because of his size, and he went through more than one draft unwanted.

Yet Monday, after being the last cut at training camp, there he was wearing a No. 57 Oilers jersey — the fourth to do so after David Perron, Anton Lander and Colin Mcdonald. His dad, his grandma Amu and his girlfriend Paulina were in the house at Rogers Place and his mom was probably looking down from heaven with a huge smile on her face.

“I wouldn't be here without my mom,” said Hamblin, who lost Gina when he was a teenager. “My dad was always the `after the game, you should have done this,' and my mom just said `have fun.' She would say to me before a game, `go and hit somebody.' She kept it light.”

“I'm always thinking of my mom. I don't think it changes because of today. My mom and dad traded off driving me (to rinks).”

And having Benson, Skinner and Hamblin, 23, the Three Musketeers in the same Oilers room. How crazy is that?

“Super cool, super special to look back to those days (bantam) ... and coming into the Oiler organization with Stu and Benny, they've helped me so much. They're virtually the same guys as they were back then,” said Hamblin. “Three guys from that (Southside team) in the NHL, you have to give them credit. Definitely doing something right.

“I remember Tyler being super amazing, putting up all those points back then. I was a hard-working, checking thirdline forward. More of a defensive game. Nothing 's really changed. Makes it easier coming in today (to the Oilers). I don't have to change my game,” said Hamblin.

“As a bantam team, we were really close and there's a lot of players (defenceman David Quenneville is playing in Sweden) from that team playing pro somewhere, if not in the NHL,” he said.

Skinner remembers those days. “James, Benny and I have skated with each other for a very long time,” said Skinner. “We had a really good (bantam) team. I think we only lost one game (2012-13). Bad goaltending?

Must have been. We were playing against Sherwood Park and Sammy Steel made me look bad.”

“Then I got drafted here and so did Benny, and James got signed in (Bakersfield). And here we are today ... I'm super, super excited for James,” said Skinner.

The Millwoods or Bill Hunter arena was their home rink in the bantam days. There were a lot of meals together at Boston Pizza or post-game fun times at teammate Ryan Anderson's house.

Benson, Skinner and Hamblin were inseparable as kids, going to Oilers games as a three-man unit at Rexall Place.

“My first favourite was Janne Niinimaa. Probably because of the name. Then it was Ales Hemsky, Sam Gagner, Ryan Smyth of course. Jason Chimera ... I got to train with him at the end of his (NHL) career. Lots of guys I looked up to,” said Hamblin.

Hamblin, who played junior in Medicine Hat with Skinner, admits to some sticker shock when he wasn't drafted in the NHL.

“But it's not the end-all and be-all,” he said. “Kind of motivated me. In the back of my mind I've always believed in myself. Plus, I had my mom and my dad and my grandma. I've always had lots of support. They never stopped.”

“I've always called my grandma Amu because I couldn't say Oma growing up. We're a German family and that's German for grandma. Amu? She's a huge Oiler fan,” he said.

Hamblin's also had a lot of coaches who believed in him, too. Like Jay Woodcroft, who had him in Bakersfield, starting out during the pandemic. His path to the NHL might not be typical but he's here.

“The first time I saw James, I noticed he wasn't the biggest guy in the world. But he always showed up. He's a relentless person, driven to be the best he can be,” said Woodcroft. “He worked hard and increased his responsibility on that team. He worked and got an NHL contract, and he was with us in camp until the very last day.”

“When you're talking about players like James, it's a good lesson for young coaches to coach with your eyes, not just your ears. You don't always worry about what's being said about people (undrafted). The two things you have are your eyes and make sure you're paying attention,” said Woodcroft.