Connor McDavid gave Edmonton Oilers fans a jolt at training camp on Friday, then answered it in the same breath. The Oilers captain crashed hard into the net during a camp scrimmage, and rather than staying down he popped back up and calmly converted a penalty shot, a sequence captured on video by TSN.
The collision came on the same day forward Jason Dickinson left the ice appearing to labor after striking his stick against the boards in frustration during a morning drill, according to The Hockey News. Dickinson tried to skate it off but did not take part in the full roster scrimmage that followed.
Asked afterward whether Dickinson was expected to miss time, new head coach Mike Babcock did not sound alarmed. “I don’t think so. We knew he wasn’t scrimmaging today. We just knew that before. We’re just monitoring that,” Babcock said, per The Hockey News. Dickinson is considered an important piece of Edmonton’s top nine forwards and penalty kill.
Babcock was hired in June to replace Kris Knoblauch after Edmonton’s playoff exit, according to CBC News, and he is heading into his first regular season behind the Oilers bench with a roster built to contend. Neither injury appears serious at this stage, but with the 2026-27 season set to open soon, Edmonton will keep a close eye on both situations through the rest of camp.
For McDavid, the moment was just the latest reminder of how closely his every camp rep is watched entering a pivotal season in Edmonton. He stayed on the ice for the rest of the session after his penalty shot, according to Yahoo Sports, giving no indication the crash left any lasting effect.
