Edmonton Oilers Taylor Hall rejuvenated for next season -NHL Update
20-year-old Taylor Hall did not expect to undergo surgery on his shoulder only two years into his hockey career after being picked up by Edmonton Oilers as the first overall back in round-one of the 2010 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft.
The native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is reportedly back on the ice and working towards being fully prepared for the upcoming 2012-2013 regular season as the Oilers will definitely need him playing in full form.
"The surgery was tough. They didn’t just do it arthroscopically, they cut me open and moved the bone around," Hall said talking to the Edmonton Sun. "I have a three-inch scar on my shoulder.”
Fortunately, Hall feels much better and hopefully, it will stay that way.
"There were games last year where it would get hurt in the first period and for the rest of the game I wouldn’t really be able to do much because I’d be in pain," Hall added. "Not enough pain to take me out of the game, but enough to kind of hamper me a
little bit. … Sometimes when I went into the boards I would have to lose the battle because I knew if I put my shoulder a certain way it would kind of pop out. Now I won’t have that."
The way that Hall has wanted to perform and what Edmonton Oilers expect of him as a first overall pick is something both stakeholders are waiting to see. He put up 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 65 games during season one in the NHL while a minor improvement
in 2011-2012 with 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists) in 61 games.
Edmonton will also need to work towards securing the player after he becomes a restricted free agent following the 2012-2013 regular season. He is currently on a $2.7 million three-year, entry-level deal.
With the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Taylor Hall at one point put up 106 points. What Edmonton Oilers need is that same left winger that will eventually get them back into the playoffs and a Stanley Cup, which they are hoping may
be as soon as next season.
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