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Despite his age, the 18-year-old rookie brought to Edmonton the moxie of an off-the-ice veteran thanks to tutelage from his father. Sam GagnerBut there was no way dad, Dave Gagner -- yes, the same Dave Gagner who played 15 seasons in the NHL with stops in seven cities until retiring in 1999 -- could give his son the on-the-ice tutorial he-s receiving these days.-The guys are bigger and stronge bcs football rankings r and they play the body a lot more here,- Gagner said. -I need to continue to work on that side of my game to get stronger and faster. As I adjust to the pace it should help.-Picked sixth overall in the Entry Draft less than six months ago, Gagner appeared to be on his way to another year of junior hockey with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.A diligent and amped-up summer training bcs football rankings schedule produced a player who entered Oilers training camp primed to earn an NHL contract. Gagner, with all of one season of junior hockey on his resume, is now a candidate for the Calder Trophy.Gagner isn-t just competing. He-s been so good that he forced a somewhat reluctant Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe to keep him in Edmonton after the first nine games instead of returning him to London bcs football rankings for another year of maturation in the OHL.Through 11 games Gagner has seven points, including six assists. To Lowe-s surprise he-s also averaging roughly 15 minutes of ice time per game.Try none, but that doesn-t necessarily surprise Gagner, whose confidence was soaring heading into camp. He was coming off an MVP run in the Canada-Russia Super Series, which was preceded by him being the youngest m bcs football rankings ember of Canada-s gold medal-winning team in the 2007 World Junior Championships.Chicago BlackhawksPatrick Kane-The fact that he played at the World Juniors as an underage kid, which from Canada is pretty rare, and how he played against the Russians, all of a sudden it increases your realization of his potential of him playing this season,- Lowe said. -There are many nights in which he-s been amon bcs football rankings g our top three best forwards.- Gagner targets his father-s career as a major factor in his rapid development. -I know what it-s all about,- he added. -That helped me relax a little bit.--Being drafted is a huge accomplishment, but it-s just an opportunity to try out,- Gagner said. -I wanted to really work hard this summer to prove I belonged at this level. Obviously it has worked out so far bcs football rankings .-Lowe believes he-s already shown that he will be a major point-producer in the NHL for years to come, but he stopped at labeling him a future superstar because, -that-s a bold statement and it puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders.--He-s very smart, has a good understanding of the game, and maybe his best attribute is that he-s passionate about the game,- Lowe said. -Generally, it-s the great bcs football rankings ones who have the ability, the sense, and the passion.- bcs football rankings
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