CHL to NHL: Hamblin plays first NHL game
Former Medicine Hat Tigers forward James Hamblin made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers Monday night.
Hamblin played 9:56 as the Oilers beat Florida 4-3 in overtime and saw brief time on the team’s power play and penalty kill units.
Over the course of five seasons with Medicine Hat, Hamblin played 323 games, the sixth most in franchise history while his 283 points rank 13th all-time.
The Edmonton native captained the team from 2017-2020 and in his final year, he was selected to the WHL’s East Division First All-Star Team after a 92-point campaign.
Undrafted in the NHL, Hamblin signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Oilers in March. Before his NHL debut Monday, the the 23-year-old had played 117 AHL games with Bakersfield.
Take your lap, James 🤩 pic.twitter.com/7MUuFb3dvu
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 29, 2022