subject: Omark set to make NHL debut with Oilers [print this page] Omark set to make NHL debut with Oilers Omark set to make NHL debut with Oilers
The village of Overtornea, situated in northern Sweden on the border of Finland, is home to a little less than 2,000 people and upwards of 5,000 if one were inclined to count the outlying residents.
No matter how you add it up, it's small. And it just happens to be home to Linus Omark, who will play his first National Hockey League game Friday night for the Edmonton Oilers, and Johan Harju, who will play his seventh game for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The former linemates will face off at Rexall Place, where to buy Discount NHL Jerseys? maybe ujersy is a good choice.
"We played when we were kids, in juniors, and then in the Swedish Elite League and in Russia. This is the first year we aren't playing together," said Omark. "That's pretty amazing."
"We've played together since we were six years old," said Harju. "We are best friends. It's going to be fun, it's our first NHL game against each other. He is a really creative player. He's made some sick moves."
Omark will make his debut on a line with Ryan Jones and centre Ryan O'Marra, who was also called up from the Oklahoma City Barons, the Oilers' American Hockey League affiliate. The two will step into a lineup that is now without captain Shawn Horcoff (torn knee ligament) and Ales Hemsky (groin).
What happens after starting out on the third line will be up to Omark. Head coach Tom Renney said he wasn't going stifle Omark's offensive game, but that he would have to play within the system, not unlike Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle.
"We don't want to lose games because we're not paying attention to detail," said Renney, "but that said there are things you have to allow people like this to do."
Drafted by the Oilers in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, the 23-year-old has a repertoire of dangling moves and spin-around shootout manoeuvres that have made him a YouTube star, but he did not have a chance to crack the NHL lineup out of his first camp with the Oilers.
Omark also made it clear on his way to the AHL that he wasn't happy.
"The first game was tough to play mentally," said Omark. "It was like anger on the ice all the time, but five or six games in I think I played pretty good.
"I tried to prove to everybody I can be better. I have worked a lot down there. Some games I played OK, if you want to buy New York RangersJerseys, go to ujersy" continued Omark, who has been playing with O'Marra and Liam Reddox and had an eye-popping five-goal outing this season.
He arrives in Edmonton with 13 goals, 13 assists and a plus-6 rating through 26 games, which is on track with the kind of numbers he eventually put up with Lulea in the SEL and with Moscow Dynamo of the Kontinental Hockey League last season.
Harju, who is one year Omark's senior, also started the season in the AHL.
"I have to play my game, do my stuff and hopefully they like what they see," Omark said. "I had to just play my best there and wait, but you can't think When are they are going to ...
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