'There's a buzz': Oilers rookie camp has started. Here are some young guns to watch.

Oilers rookies Xavier Bourgault, Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Carter Savoie, and Reid Schaefer in Edmonton on September 14, 2022 (TSN).

Hockey season officially began Wednesday for 25 players attending the Edmonton Oilers Rookie Camp.

The players checked in for physicals and training at Rogers Place before they will head to Penticton to play rookies from Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver.

This year's crop for Edmonton features four first-round picks and 11 players who suited up for the farm team in Bakersfield last year.

Here are five players to watch:

Xavier Bourgault, 19

• 22nd overall pick in 2021
• 2021-22: Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL: 63 games, 50 goals, 54 assists

A prolific scorer at the junior level, Bourgault says he can play centre but is most comfortable as a right winger.

He's healthy for camp and is coming off a strong showing at last year's Memorial Cup, where he recorded seven points in just four games.

Bourgault said he's working on his pace of play and two-way game, but acknowledged making the Oilers this year will be tough.

"There's a pretty good lineup up there, but there's always a chance for younger players like me. So I'll try to push as hard as I can and make their decision harder," he told reporters.

"If I want to play in the NHL one day, you need to be always ready and everything happens very fast, so I need to work on those things."

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Philip Broberg, 21

• 8th overall pick in 2019
• 2021-22: Edmonton Oilers, NHL: 24 games, 1 goal, 2 assists

Oilers fans saw a flash of Broberg last year when he played 23 games in the regular season and one more in the playoffs.

The 6'3" Swedish-born defenceman said he's "really pushing" to be a fulltime NHL player this year, after scoring 24 points in 35 games with AHL Bakersfield Condors last season.

Broberg said he added 12 pounds of muscle so he can be more physical. He's hoping to take a spot on left defence, and there is one vacant on the roster after Duncan Keith retired.

"It was a really good year for me and I'm excited for this year…The opportunity is there. Everyone wants to take the spot. The motivation is there, for sure," he told reporters.

"I want to be a guy that you can rely on, on defence. My offence will always come and be there."

Broberg is expected to battle for playing time with other left-handed defencemen Ryan Murray, Slater Koekkoek, Markus Niemeläinen and Dmitri Samorukov.

Dylan Holloway, 20

• 14th overall pick in 2020
• 2021-22: Bakersfield Condors, AHL: 38 games, 10 goals, 16 assists

The speedy forward from Calgary had a frustrating year after he had to have surgery on his injured wrist for a second time.

Holloway hurt it at the end of his college career and was only able to play 38 games in Bakersfield.

"I feel a lot better this year. Obviously, it was a long road and at times it felt like it wasn't going to end but I'm just really happy that I'm healthy and able to participate in camp this year," he told reporters Wednesday.

Holloway said he had a "big offseason" while getting stronger and faster. After getting into one playoff game in the Western Conference Final, he plans to wear #55 and be an Oiler this year.

"It was definitely really cool to be a part of (the playoff roster) and to get in that last game was kind of a little cookie on top. I wish we would have won that game but overall it was a great experience," he recalled.

Holloway is expected to compete for playing time with Tyler Benson, Devin Shore, Brad Malone, and Gregg McKegg.

Carter Savoie, 20

• 100th overall pick in 2020
• 2021-22: University of Denver, NCAA: 39 games, 23 goals, 22 assists

The skilled left winger from St. Albert is likely to start his year in the AHL after playing just two games for the Bakersfield Condors and recording zero points.

Savoie, a smaller left winger from St. Albert, had no troubling scoring in college, lighting the lamp 36 times in 63 NCAA games.

"I'm really excited. This is kinda my first swing of things. Last year I wasn't here, I was at school. There's a buzz around all the guys right now, it's fun to be around that," Savoie told reporters.

The 5'9" forward said he spent his summer working on his foot speed and strength.

Reid Schaefer, 18

• 32nd overall pick in 2022
• 2021-22: Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL: 66 games, 32 goals, 26 assists

Describing himself as "big power forward" on Wednesday, the 6'3" left winger said he needs to keep working on his skating, particularly his starting footspeed.

Schaefer, from Spruce Grove, said he learned a lot from the Oilers development camp and plans to continue gaining knowledge from being around the NHL club.

"When you go pro, it's very professional. You gotta act like an adult, you're around adults. Just the off-ice habits they have as well, just taking care of their body, that's a necessity…it's obviously a big adjustment," he told reporters.

Schaefer said he wants to push for an NHL spot, but if he doesn't make it his goal this year is to win a championship with WHL Seattle.