St. Albert product 'excited' about free-agent invitation to Edmonton Oilers rookie camp
Marc Lajoie received a text from his agent two weeks ago with an offer to attend Edmonton Oilers training camp.
The St. Albert product, who is pegged to patrol the blueline for the University of Alberta Golden Bears starting this fall after a five-year run in junior hockey, was "excited" to say 'yes' to the free-agent invitation.
"(I've been) looking forward to it since then," the 21-year-old defenceman told media at Rogers Place on Wednesday, the day rookies reported to Oilers camp for fitness testing.
Lajoie is familiar with Edmonton's arena as he played last season, his last in the Western Hockey League as an overager, with the Oil Kings, who call it home alongside the National Hockey League squad.
And, of course, he grew up in the area and played minor hockey in both St. Albert and Edmonton before making the jump to the WHL with the Tri-City Americans in 2019.
Four years later, prior to his final WHL campaign, the Amerks dealt Lajoie to the Oil Kings, with whom he says he got a chance to showcase his offensive skills.
He put up the best offensive numbers of his junior career in 2023-24, besting his previous top output by 20 points by scoring 26 goals and 58 points in 68 games.
"I think a lot of it was the opportunity that I was given in Edmonton," Lajoie said. "I think I always had a bit of an offensive side to my game. When I came here, I got put in the right situations and kind of capitalized on those opportunities."
In early April, at the end of the WHL campaign, the Oilers signed Lajoie to an amateur tryout and sent him to Bakersfield, home of their American Hockey League affiliate the Condors, with whom the rearguard got into a game of action.
And now, the invitation to Oilers camp for the six-foot-six, 223-pounder and a chance to play in the Young Stars Classic pre-season rookie tournament in Penticton, B.C., where the Oilers rookies will face off in the annual showcase event against their counterparts from the Calgary Flames, the Winnipeg Jets and the host Vancouver Canucks.
"I think just being a bigger guy, I had a good offensive season last year, but I don't think that's how my game is going to be if I want to play at the next level," said Lajoie, whose father, Serge, has a long coaching history in the university and junior ranks, having served at the University of Alberta, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and more recently the Oil Kings, among other programs, in assistant and head-man roles.
"Being a big defensive defenseman that's good in his own zone and makes quick plays up to the forwards — we have a good forward group here — so just getting the puck (to them) as quickly as possible and being sound in my own end."
And what if ... he gets a professional chance? Will Lajoie make the jump before the Year 1 Arts enrollee suits up for the Golden Bears?
"Just taking a day at a time," Lajoie said. "Obviously, it's the first day here, and we just got fitness testing now, so haven't really thought about that yet."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc won't hold Liberals 'hostage' over seniors' benefits: cabinet minister
Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says the Liberals will not be 'held hostage' by the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand Old Age Security to more seniors.
Police identify Toronto victim of alleged serial killer
Toronto police have identified the woman who was allegedly killed by a suspected serial killer earlier this month.
Missing father, kids spotted in New Zealand wilderness 3 years after disappearance: police
A New Zealand man who disappeared with his three children in 2021 was spotted on a farm along the country's northwest coast, police say.
No jail time for man who fatally stabbed senior in Vancouver
A man who stabbed a senior to death in Vancouver's Biltmore Hotel building in 2020 has been given a conditional sentence for the killing, meaning he will not serve any jail time if he remains on good behaviour in the community.
Job growth numbers 'good news' in Canada but there are concerns, according to an economist
An economist says the latest job growth numbers in Canada are 'good news,' but he has concerns following Statistic Canada's report.
EXCLUSIVE: 'We were privileged to be friends with our sister': Family mourns murdered N.S. woman
More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to grapple with the loss.
Hot-air balloon strikes and collapses radio tower in Albuquerque during festival
A hot-air balloon struck and collapsed a radio tower Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the city's famous festival -- the second time in 20 years that a balloon has come into contact with the tower.
B.C. billionaire posts third large sign criticizing NDP ahead of the election
British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby's own riding.
Longueuil woman charged after 10-year-old boy scalded with boiling water
A woman from Montreal's South Shore appeared in court on Friday on charges of aggravated assault after allegedly scalding a 10-year-old boy with boiling water more than one week ago.