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The Growth of Oscar Klefbom

Oscar Klefbom has stepped into the Oilers lineup and excelled.

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Since being recalled from November 25th, Oscar Klefbom has come into the Oilers lineup and ran away with the chance given to him, averaging 21:53 TOI/GM.

Using Own The Puck's HERO charts, it's quite apparent that Klefbom has settled quite well into the role he has been given.

"He's playing a lot of big minutes for us. It all goes down to being more comfortable with your surroundings," said Oilers head coach Todd Nelson via oilers.nhl.com. "Last night against a heavy team like Winnipeg he handled it well under lots of pressure."

"He responded well after his mistake last night... He's a guy that doesn't let things get to him, he parks it and moves on."

Nelson also noted that he wants to see better offensive plays from him, but realizes that's something that will come with time.

The 21-year old, former first round draft pick is currently second on the Oilers in P/60 with 0.87. First on the team is his defensive partner, Justin Schultz with 1.04 P/60.

Hey Partner!

Not only has Klefbom succeeded in his own right this year, he has also helped stabilize the play of Justin Schultz. The pair have played better together than they have apart.

Super WOWY

It's apparent that Justin Schultz has seen a huge boost in his number when the two are paired together. Todd Nelson's trust in the two of them has shown, as they each see ice time in all situations.

The willingness and trust in Klefbom dates back all the way to the time he spent in OKC with Nelson. While there, he ate up minutes playing 36% ESTOI% (how much of the team’s 5v5 time he was on ice for).

Moving forward, I am looking forward to watching the pair grow even more together.