Oilers’ Hamblin honours late mom after first NHL goal

James Hamblin’s first NHL goal is one that neither he nor Edmonton Oilers fans will be forgetting anytime soon.

Hamblin, who is up with the Oilers after being recalled less than two weeks ago, was able to fire a puck past the glove hand of Jonas Johansson to give him his first NHL goal. It was an extremely emotional moment for Hamblin, who lost his mother to cancer back in 2017 when he was playing in the WHL for the Medicine Hat Tigers. Immediately after scoring, he tapped his heart, pointed at the sky, and was seen by cameras saying, ‘That’s for you, mom.”

Hamblin’s goal marked the second of the period for the Oilers, who were given a 1-0 lead moments earlier thanks to Derek Ryan netting his first of the season.

As incredible as this story is, it’s only the start of what has been an amazing journey for Hamblin. The undrafted 24-year-old was able to sign with the Oilers as a free agent once his WHL career had wrapped up after the 2019-20 campaign. At the time, he wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a potential future NHLer. He went on to not only crack the Bakersfield Condors roster that very next season, but quickly established himself as a solid point producer, and was able to suit up for the first 10 games of his NHL career in 2022-23.

Hamblin’s story is an excellent example of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. The hardships he has faced and come out on top of make him an extremely easy player for not only Oilers fans, but hockey fans all around the world to root for.