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Spirit grad assists in NHL debut for Oilers

November 20, 2016
2:18 PM EST

The long road from Jr. A in Stouffville to the NHL ended in Texas this weekend.

Drake Caggiula, who starred for the Stouffville Spirit from 2010-12, made his big league debut for the Edmonton Oilers in a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars on national TV Saturday.

Caggiula also picked up his first NHL point, assisting on Tyler Pitlick’s first-period goal.

“Nice to get the first game out of the way and the first one (point) early … nice confidence boost,” Caggiula told the Edmonton Journal.

“Dream come true getting your first game, obviously growing up you’re watching Hockey Night in Canada and all that stuff,” he said.

A native of Pickering, Caggiula’s family lives in Whitby.

"Drake gave us exactly what we needed from him," said Edmonton head coach Todd McLellan. "A spark, some speed, he got in on the scoresheet and we were able to use him on the penalty kill on a night where we took too many penalties. Happy for him to get the start that he got tonight and come into the lineup on a winning game."

Spirit general manager Kenny Burrows recruited Caggiula from the Ajax-Pickering AAA minor midget Raiders.

“Good for Drake,” Burrows said. “We know how hard he worked to make it. He deserves this.”

The Spirit and the Stouffville Arena got some airtime on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday, thanks to Caggiula.

Caggiula led the University of North Dakota to the 2016 NCAA Division 1 championship in April, and was named most outstanding player at the Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla.

As a 17-year-old, he was MVP of the Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs in 2012, leading Stouffville to the Central Canadian championship final.

After receiving offers from several NHL teams, the undrafted Caggiula signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Oilers in May.

Projected to begin the year in the minors, Caggiula made the Oilers in training camp but injured a hip in a preseason game against the Winnipeg Jets.

The Oilers host the Chicago Blackhawks Monday.

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