Mark Spector

Mark Spector is a columnist for sportsnet.ca

There was an embarrassment of riches on display as Oilers fans got a glimpse of the future.

EDMONTON -- Some of them walked into the Clareview Arena wearing business suits, ties loosened and clearly stepping out on work.

Mothers pushed strollers, with babies who will have to be reminded one day that they were there that day the core of the 2016 Stanley Cup champs skated together for the very first time.

There were more than 500 people in all at the northeast Edmonton arena for the Edmonton Oilers prospect camp, which shouldn't come as a surprise. Any Canadian city, having just drafted Taylor Hall 11 days before, would have filled up a community arena to witness his first skate in the uniform.

Hall, for one, would have.

"I was very excited when I woke up this morning, to finally put on an Oilers jersey," he said afterwards. "Even though it's just a practice jersey."

This wasn't quite that, however. This was something different. Something more.

This wasn't about just one guy, or one piece of the puzzle.

This was, possibly, a historic day for a franchise that -- seemingly over night -- has become Canada's most promising rebuild.

Edmontonians came to see Hall, the MVP at the Memorial Cup for two years running and their club's No. 1 draft pick 11 days ago in Los Angeles. But what they also came to see was, how would Hall look skating next to Jordan Eberle, the CHL Player of the Year this past season and Mr. Clutch at the past two World Junior tournaments for Canada?

And how would those two compare to Magnus Paajarvi (he's ready to drop the Svensson), the best player on Sweden's World Junior entry and an All-Star at the 2010 World Championships in Germany?

Or Anton Lander, the captain of Sweden's WJHC side, who like Paajarvi has already played three seasons in the Swedish Elite League and also wore a letter as an assistant captain in Timra last season.

Or the Finn, Teemu Hartikainen, who led the WJHC in shots and his team in goals last Christmas in Saskatchewan…

There is the Brian Burke way to build, which includes identifying young stars like Phil Kessel and trading away draft picks to get them. Then there is this traditional way, where you draft wisely, amass seven or eight promising kids, and trust that roughly half will pan out.

"There's strength in numbers," said Oilers head coach Tom Renney.

They won't all be there, if this 30th place team ever passes the Stanley Cup around a yet-to-be built new arena in downtown Edmonton. But that process will play out slowly, over time.

Right now, on the heels of the most embarrassing season in franchise history, comes an embarrassment of riches. Clearly, this was more than selling hope in Edmonton.

"This is about getting some respect back," Renney said. "But we have to earn it in a legitimate way."

There will be plenty of time to debate which of these kids should start their North American pro careers in Edmonton or, as successful organizations like Detroit and New Jersey would have it, on the farm in Oklahoma City.

And line combinations. Lord, talk radio will already be building line combos off one day of skating and shooting drills in July.

"This is a development camp. We're not evaluating," Renney said. "We're just evaluating what we have here. Hopefully that's a two-way street."

Paajarvi took the time to survey the ice surface Tuesday, drinking in the first moment of what could be something special.

"You don't know them as persons," he said of his future teammates. "But it gets a whole lot different once you get out on the ice. You talk the hockey language (and they are) great guys, so far. We've got a couple of days here, hopefully we can make some good of it. Develop as persons, off the ice."

Paajarvi and Lander have played big games together for years in Sweden. Hall and Eberle have fought the same battles here in Canada.

"We want to be linemates one day," Eberle said of he and Hall. "He's got that dynamic speed -- we feed off each other in that way. We both can finish, and both see the ice and make plays."

Every one of these players continually caught themselves, adding, "The first thing is I hope to make the team." But they're kids, and this is their first rodeo.

They're getting caught up in the possibilities here in Edmonton, and why not? Reality will set in soon enough. Let them have their fun.

"When you have a young group of guys, a young team in a Canadian city, a bunch of guys who really want to play hockey and do well, it's very exciting," Hall said. "I can definitely see some pieces on this team.

"Nothing's for sure, I don't know when my first game will be. But there are a lot of kids here who are very excited to put on an Oilers jersey. A lot of kids who really want to play for this team one day."

And on Tuesday at a community rink deep in the northeast end of town, a lot of people who couldn't wait to watch them do it.