Oilers defenseman Justin Schultz had a tricky transition last season. Going from playing a college season at the University of Wisconsin to being thrust into a lockout season that saw him split time between the AHL and NHL made for a busy year.
As he tells Con Grikowsky of the Edmonton Sun, Schultz may have just run out of gas last season.
“At times, I was feeling fatigued because I wasn’t used to that many games,” said Schultz. “Overall, I think it was a good first year and I’m looking to improve on it.”
In the shortened season with the Oilers, he had 8 goals and 19 assists. With the Oklahoma City Barons in the AHL, however, he had 48 points in 34 games including 18 goals. For an 82-game season, that’s 75 points worth of production for a guy in his first professional season. That’s, uh, pretty good.
With everyone in Edmonton being another year older and experienced next season, Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson and Montreal’s P.K. Subban may have another young blue liner chasing them in the defensive points race.