Hockey fans in Saskatoon will catch a glimpse of Connor McDavid after it was announced he will play in Saskatoon on Saturday.
Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan said McDavid will not be playing with the team when they face the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night. He will instead play in Saskatoon for the following game against the Minnesota Wild.
“We also have to give some other players opportunity to perform and this has to be done before Sunday,” he said.
Coach McLellan confirms @cmcdavid97 will be in the #Oilers lineup tomorrow in Saskatoon, adds he could play all games after that.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 25, 2015
Born in Richmond Hill, Ont., McDavid was the No. 1 pick this summer in the NHL draft. His signing has brought the Oilers organization a lot of hype, which is being reflected in ticket sales.
“Since the announcement, we’ve quickly sold a couple hundred tickets and the box office has been busy,” said Scott Ford, executive director for Sasktel Centre. “But we still have tickets to sell in basically all price categories.”
Ford also confirmed that two other Oilers stars, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle, will also suit up on Saturday.
Puck drop is at 4 p.m. Ticket holders will also be able to see an Oilers morning skate at 9:30 a.m.
Roughly 11,000 fans took in last year’s pre-season NHL game in Saskatoon, and Ford expects a similar crowd this time around.