Former Okotoks Oiler Nick Blankenburg signed a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators on July 3 after spending three years under the Columbus Blue Jackets organization.
Blankenburg is ecstatic about joining Music City but also enjoyed his time with the Blue Jackets.
"Yeah, it feels great. Obviously, I am very thankful for my time in Columbus. I have nothing but good things to say about my time there and just really thankful for the opportunity. Now I'm just looking forward to a new opportunity here in Nashville. Just very blessed to be able to do what I do, and play hockey for a living. Obviously, Nashville's a great town and it seems like they are building a great culture there. I'm just really looking forward to being a part of it," Blankenburg said.
"I have so many good things to say about the city of Columbus in general. I think it's just the little things that maybe guys don't appreciate unless you actually play there and live there. A few some examples, the airport is literally seven minutes away from downtown and there is really no traffic. It's just the little stuff like that. There is so many nice neighbourhoods to raise a family. There is so many nice golf courses to play and they really treat you well out there. The just-from-the-city aspect for a young kid who is just coming out of college will have state campuses right down the street. So I felt like it wasn't too overwhelming to jump into living by yourself in a big city. It almost kind of felt like a mixture of college and a smaller city life. A lot of good things to do around there, a lot of good restaurants. The support from the fans was incredible over the last two years and a bit. Another thing for me was it was only a three-hour drive back home where I am from in Michigan."
"Just at the end of the year, I know guys who were saying 'I got to drive my car back 15 hours or 27 hours back to Canada or hopping on these long flights. For me, it was just pack the car up and I'm home in three hours. So, it was nice for me."
One of the many reasons Nashville caught his eye was the July 1st signings of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei who have a combined three Stanley Cups between them.
"On July 1st when I saw all those guys signed I was fired up. I really want to go somewhere that has good opportunities, and a good culture. Everyone plays to win, so really looking forward to it and the team should be really good," he said.
While some of the new players coming to the Preds are exciting, Nashville has a ton of talent who has been on the team for a while like defenceman Roman Josi who has won the Norris Trophy for best defenceman in the NHL. Blankenburg being a defenceman himself, is going to have the opportunity to pick the brain of one of the best defencemen in the league.
"He's world-class at what he does and is really well respected around the league. I just think anybody who does it the right way and who obviously is as good of a player as he is, you want to surround yourself with people like that. I have been fortunate enough in my career to play with a lot of really good players. I mean, looking back at my time in Okotoks, Jacob Bernard-Docker who is another D-man, I would always talk to him and always pick his brain," Blankenburg stated.
"I was lucky enough to go to Michigan for four years and played with a lot of good players there. Quinn Hughes, and just trying to learn from him. Obviously, in Columbus, you got a guy like Zach Werenski. I think just trying to learn from these guys, almost just watch them and see the little things that they do that maybe people don't witness every day."
Blankenburg mentioned that when speaking to Nashville, they really care about the personalities and types of players they bring in. That was another reason that attracted him to the team. He also said a small reason for wanting to go to the Preds was because of the culture Nashville has as a city. Blankenburg even mentioned that the AHL team in Milwaukee is attractive to him and has heard many good things.
Just because he signed his brand new contract doesn't mean work has stopped for Blankenburg as he continues to improve his game over the summer.
"Besides from being in the gym, and trying to be in the best shape of my life by the time camp comes around, the big thing for me has just been reflecting over what has kind of happened over the last two years. Just kind of accepting what happened, just dealing with injuries, things that were out of my control, and coming to peace with that. I felt like I needed to take a little break from everything and just kind of get away from the game right when the season ended and relax for a little bit," he said.
"That was important to me, just to ground myself in who I am away from hockey. Besides that, I would say the other thing is that I love to watch a lot of my clips and a lot of the games I played in. Just kind of almost talking myself through different plays, different reads, and just getting in that mindset, especially now as the season is coming closer here."
He added that being a Unrestricted Free Agent had him think about hockey for a bit longer this year, but after signing the deal he has been able to breathe a little easier and take some time away from the game.
Blankenburg talked about how he enjoyed his time with the Okotoks Oilers during the 2017-2018 season and is something he will never forget.
"My experience in Okotoks is nothing short of unbelievable. I have so many people to thank for the amazing experience that I had in Okotoks. Firstly my billet parents Lori and Reece Kosek were unbelievable to me in bringing a 19-year-old kid who was really struggling living 27 hours away from home. Just their hospitality and their love for me. I will forever be grateful for them and just what they did for me. We actually still keep in touch and I know they were able to come out to our game when we played in Calgary two years ago, which was great for me and to see them," Blankenburg mentioned.
"The opportunity in Okotoks is a part of my story and how I got out there. Just the way that season went. I have a lot of good memories from being around the guys, and how good the staff was to me. Honestly just how much fun I had living in the town of Okotoks and being so close to Calgary. Just having such a great group of guys to share that experience with. I will forever be grateful for my time in Okotoks. I hope to make it back there someday for a trip."
Coming from Michigan and not knowing the area, Blankenburg explains how he got involved with the Okotoks Oilers.
"Basically there's a guy, his name was Jeremy Browning. He was basically a Midwest regional scout I want to say was his job title. When I was playing midget major year, AAA with Victory Honda, he was out scouting and saw me. I guess I caught his eye and saw me when I was playing that year before Okotoks and then just basically gave me his card for the Okotoks Oilers in the AJHL. I never heard of the league or anything like that. Once I did some more research, I see a guy like Bernard-Docker and (Dylan) Holloway. They had two big-time commits in North Dakota and Wisconsin. That's all I really wanted to do was play college hockey. So I was like "It's got to be a good team and a good league'. When I was looking at recruiting that was the year (Cale) Makar had an unbelievable season in Brooks. So for me, it was just like I knew I had to find an opportunity where I would get a chance to play and basically at that point I just believed if I was good enough I'd end up making it. Doesn't matter if I'm playing in the AJ or the only other option would have probably been in the North American league. This seemed like the better fit for me," he explained.
"I ended up keeping that card thankfully, Kyle Schussler the D coach at the time for Okotoks gave me a call at some point during the year and he seemed like a great guy, very genuine, and was easy to talk to, we had a lot in common. They ended up getting me out to June camp that summer after the season was over and I think within a day or two of that June camp, Deiser (Tyler Deis) called me into the office and said they wanted to use the import slot on me and sign me. Right then and there, just seeing the rink, seeing the city, I knew this was somewhere I wanted to be. Two months later in late August, I ended up flying out there with all my bags and that was really kind of it."
Blankenburg still keeps in touch with the current head coach and GM of the Okotoks Oilers in Tyler Deis.
"I have a lot of respect for Deis, we still keep in touch here and there which is really nice. I feel with him is he was just very honest and the biggest thing he required was just that you work. That was instilled in me at a very young age in my hockey career. We had a really good relationship over the year I was there. I almost feel like Deis is a blue-collar kind of guy, you just put on your work boots and your hard hat and you just go to work. I feel like that really helped me over that year. He's obviously very smart, knows what he is doing, and has been around the game for a long time. Very good coach on the ice but, I think more importantly off the ice on how he was able to help me transition and to be there for me during hard times of missing home, this new experience, this new opportunity, and helping me through that. I'm very grateful," Blankenburg said.
He added that Okotoks made the transition easier with it being a tight-knit community and said he couldn't think of a better junior hockey town to play in. He said that he almost has to pinch himself because he still can't believe he got the opportunity to play in Okotoks.
When asked about some of the things he missed about being away from Okotoks, Blankenburg was quick to mention the home-cooked meals from his billet mom Lori.
"I miss the home-cooked meals from Lori, my billet mom. She would always have the boys over for pre-game breakfast on gamedays and she would always cook us up pre-game meals, chicken and pasta. Which I still think is some of the best pre-game meals I have ever had. Reece, the old man would always cook us up steaks and fillets whenever he had the chance and that was unreal. I really miss sitting around the dinner table with them and the other guys I lived with too and just kind of shooting it and having a good time," he said.
"They were great, they made the transition so smooth. Like Lori would throw a grocery list out once or twice a week, and just go to the grocery store. Anything we would want she would throw it on there. She was great. I didn't have a car, and they would let me drive their car whenever I needed it or wanted to."
"They had an unbelievable house, just in the foothills. They have a little par 3 golf hole in the backyard with a putting green, so we always would go out there when it was nice. They had an indoor pool with a hot tub, a steam room, a sauna, like a little movie theatre room. I had the whole basement to myself. I was very lucky to be living like that as a 19-year-old."
Lori Kosek, Blankenburg's billet mom had nothing but great things to say about him. As they still keep in touch, she mentioned what he meant to her and her family.
"Nick was a special kid because he was such a good hockey player. I found out about Nick when he was living with us that he had gone from a forward to a defenceman. He read the ice like no one I have ever seen read the ice before. He's just a special young man, I watched him grow from being scared to death because this was his first time ever leaving Michigan and coming thousands of miles across the country to live with people he had no idea who they were. His mom and dad had never met us," Kosek said.
"If he is reading this, I just want him to know that I love him and I miss him always. He's always got a place in my home."