Edmonton, AB – It may be the closest thing to an Oil King having royal bloodlines. Keegan Lowe has the most famous hockey dad in this city and that’s a fact that became even more evident as the young prospect stepped out onto the ice for the first time since being drafted by the Edmonton Oil Kings. As far as first impressions go, it was kind of what the 15 year old was expecting.

“I was kind of nervous because it’s a WHL camp but I’m trying to just not think about it and play how I play normally, just stick to stuff I do all the time.”

Lowe’s normal stuff is you guessed it, a stay-at-home defensive defenceman just like his dad. He doesn’t mind the rough stuff either and can play with a bit of an edge, just like the Oilers’ General Manager used to do.

“I try to play physical most of the time but I try to keep my composure. When you play physical sometimes you can lose it. When I need to, I play physical but when I don’t, I just stick to the normal game plan.”

“It was a good weekend for Keegan and all the kids.” said Oil Kings’ Assistant General Manager & Director of Player Personnel Randy Hansch. “It was an introduction for the kids in the 1993 age group, it’s their first time going through a training camp like this. They all responded well including Keegan.”

Keegan grew up playing Edmonton Minor Hockey but decided to take a step away from the microscope that hockey fans in this city tend to use and played last season for Shattuck St. Mary’s School, the same prep school in Minnesota that Sidney Crosby went to before his prolific career with the Rimouski Oceanic and of course the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It takes a lot of that pressure off. We don’t have our names on our jerseys or anything so no one knows who you are so you can just play your own game.”

The year away from home helped his game and he turned in a campaign that saw him score 4 goals and add 13 assists for 17 points in 48 games.   Pretty good numbers for a self-described defensive defenceman.

“It was great. My coach was the best coach I’ve ever had – Murray Eaves. He taught me a lot of stuff and I got a lot stronger plus I’ve grown a lot throughout the year and I think I improved a lot.   Tryouts I was pushing just to make the last ‘d’ spot on the team and at the start of the year I didn’t get that much ice time penalty killing or on the powerplay but by the end of the year I was playing in all situations. At national championships, my coaches had the confidence in me to use me in all situations.”

By the way, Keegan’s team fell short at the national championship bowing out to the Texas Attack in the quarter-finals. That’s obviously something he wants another crack at when he heads back to Shattuck St. Mary’s for his second year.

You can guarantee people notice when ‘Lowe’ is stitched onto the jersey in the City of Champions. Kevin played 1037 regular season games for the Edmonton Oilers plus another 172 playoff games in the orange and blue. A couple of facts not lost on Keegan which led to a couple of thoughts when he heard the news when he was first drafted by the Oil Kings in the 6^th round of the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft.

“When I first saw my name, I was excited to get drafted then I saw the team and I thought ‘nice home town team’. After a bit, I was thinking that every one is going to be on my back pressuring me but I think it’ll be fun if I get the chance to play here. I’ll do what I said, don’t think about it.”

“We were certainly impressed with the way he handled the extra attention.” said Hansch. “He’s very mature for his age. It’s something that he had to deal with a little bit growing up but he’s fortunate because he’s got both of his parents who are used to the public eye and they can help him deal with it properly.”

One huge benefit of having high profile heredity is the odd tip he gets from his dad.

“Not just this weekend but all the time, he gives me tips and stuff. He didn’t get to see me much this year but he watched me play at the Alberta Cup. He tells me what I can do better and it helps a lot. “

For now, the help that Keegan will get will be in the gym as he starts his off-ice training with some assistance from Oil Kings’ Strength and Conditioning Coach Simon Bennett. Keegan and all the players that participated in the Spring Training Camp will be back for Oil Kings Rookie Camp which runs August 21^st – 24^th at Confederation Arena.