Oilers’ Mangiapane ready for bounce-back on flip side of Battle of Alberta

EDMONTON — Spare a thought for poor Andrew Mangiapane, who has spent a lifetime chasing Connor McDavid around hockey rinks, from the Greater Toronto Hockey League all the way to the Battle of Alberta.

This week, finally, he’s not only on McDavid’s team but on his line. After a down season in Washington and six more as a Calgary Flame, Mangiapane has brought his edgy game to Northern Alberta.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

“You always had to shadow him, even at that young age,” he said. “I was the guy skating around, or trying to skate around, keeping up with him. It’s funny — now you’re on the same team.”

Mangiapane pulled on an Oilers practice jersey for the first day of training camp skates on Thursday, an odd sight when he looked in the mirror.

“Yeah, it’s a little weird,” he said, as he arrives at his third NHL team in search of re-establishing himself after an average year in the Eastern Conference with the Caps. “I guess one of the reasons why I wanted to come here, though, was just because they wanted me. They knew what I could do and how I could play, and they were really pushing for me.

“They really made me feel kind of welcome, even before I even signed.”

Before he inked his free agent deal with the Oilers, Mangiapane took calls from several Oilers — including Leon Draisaitl, who he lists alongside Darnell Nurse as the two Oilers he had the most friction with when he was a Flame.

“I’m sure they’ve hated me on the ice before,” he chuckled. “But I think everyone kind of understands that it’s a game, and you’re going to get heated on the ice. But it doesn’t make you a bad person.”

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He’s all-in on The Big E now, with Mangiapane’s first child — son A.J. — born here on Aug. 7.

He signed a two-year deal here with an AAV of $3.6 million, and the Oilers will ask for some of his old sandpaper that they remember, to go with some production as a top-six winger.

“Never played with him, always against him,” McDavid said. “He’s always been that annoying guy on the other side, so it’s nice to have him on our side.

“But he’s a lot more than that. He’s a guy who scored 35 goals. He can play with an edge, plays fast, wins battles. He’s got a lot of things that I’m looking for in a winger. Looking to build something with him.”

With Corey Perry now a Los Angeles King, Edmonton is down a disturber. But while Perry is that rare NHLer who adopted the role when he landed in Edmonton as a fourth-liner, historically players distance themselves from that role as they get established in the league.

“There’s definitely a fine line,” said Mangiapane, wiser at 29 years of age. “I feel like sometimes, when I was in Calgary, I maybe took it a little too far. You’re taking a penalty, and you don’t want to leave your team down a guy.

“But penalties come with the job, right? And I think it does help me to play my game. I play better, maybe, a little bit on that angrier side.”

Mangiapane had one 35-goal season as a Flame, but his career stats show him to be closer to a 20-goal, 40-point player, on average. The last two seasons he scored just 14 goals per year, and chipped in a disappointing 28 points with the Capitals last season — a career low in a full NHL season.

“It’s a great opportunity (to re-establish himself),” he said of being an Oiler. “That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come here, right? You want to win and you want to do good in the playoffs and go on a long run. I’ve never done that, and you want to experience that.”

Silky Selke

Leon Draisaitl reached out to Anze Kopitar on Thursday, after the L.A. Kings great announced this would be his final NHL season.

The Slovenian has for some time been the Western Conference’s Patrice Bergeron, a mantle Draisaitl would like to inherit.

“Kopy was always my idol, growing up. I’ve learned so much from playing against him, watching him,” Draisaitl said Friday. “I had the privilege of playing with him at the World Cup in 2016, and he took me under his wing there. We’ve had a close friendship ever since.”

Kopitar’s two-way game is exquisite. Always has been.

“It’s as good as it gets. As good as you’ll ever see,” Draisaitl said. “It’s the consistency part. He’s done it for a long time — every day, every game. It’s something that I took a little bit (of time) in getting to, but I’m at a point where I’m the same way.”

Draisaitl was the only 50-goal, 100-point man in the NHL last year, and over the past five seasons he sits second in the NHL in both goals (231) and points (534). Now, he’d like to become known as a great defensive forward as well, the final box left to check in a career that will end with a Hall of Fame induction.

“I’d like to be in the Selke conversation at the end of this year,” he said Friday, when asked about goals for the season. “There are a lot of things that go into that, and a lot of things I can learn and get better at. But there are also a lot of things I think do well already.”

Draisaitl turns 30 next month. He’s played 790 regular season games, with another 96 post-season games played as well. His next goal will be his 400th, and he’s just 44 points shy of 1,000.

He’s still one of hockey top offensive players — top-3-5 in the world — but he’s learned to respect an all-around game, as all the greats do over time.

“Every player coming into the league — especially every highly touted offensive player — in the first couple of years you want to put up numbers. Establish yourself as somebody who can score, make plays, and at times even be flashy,” he said. “That’s just immaturity — every kid has that. But with age you learn, the other parts of the game are just as much fun.

“Stripping someone, playing good defence… It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun.”

The Oilers will scrimmage on Saturday before a pair of split squad games against the Flames that take place simultaneously on Sunday evening.

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