Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.
That’s the mantra Edmonton Oilers prospect Beau Akey is taking into his first NHL training camp this fall, hoping to make the big club as a rookie.
It’s an optimistic — though likely unrealistic goal — but the 20-year-old right-shot defenceman is feeling as good as he can remember. He had a strong final season with the OHL’s Barrie Colts last year, scoring six goals and 32 points in 52 games, a year removed from playing only 14 games in his draft-plus-one year after injuring his shoulder in a collision.
“I’m 100 percent now,” Akey told NHL.com during the Oilers’ July development camp. “I’m looking to make the step to professional hockey, so I’m looking to show the Oilers that at training camp.
“I want to give my all to try and make the Oilers and try to prove to them I can make an NHL roster.”
The Oilers, however, see Akey as a fit on the Bakersfield Condors next season, where he’ll have a chance to grow as a player, and further develop his game.
“A healthy Beau Akey is an elite skater, he can break the puck out well and he has offence,” Oilers senior director of player development Kalle Larsson told NHL.com. “In junior hockey he was a two-way defenseman, leaning a little bit more towards offence. I think in pro, he’ll be a two-way defenseman that will need to be more reliable defensively.
“I expect him to have every opportunity to be a good player in Bakersfield. It will be up to him if he does that or not.”
Akey, who was Oilersnation’s fifth-ranked prospect in the system last summer and a candidate to climb this year, said he’s ready for the challenge.
“I want to be a better version of myself than I was last year,” he told NHL.com. “You always want to grow as a person and a player every year and get better. I just think I want to go into (this season) with that pro mindset and be able to keep working on myself and my game.”
