Roslovic was drafted as a right-shot centre by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round (25th overall) at the 2015 NHL Draft, but has played more wing as his career has progressed through Columbus, Carolina, and now Edmonton. Last season, Roslovic won 54.1 percent of his faceoffs, and it remains to be seen how Head Coach Kris Knoblauch will deploy the newly-arrived winger when he gets into the lineup.
Over 526 regular-season games in the NHL, the Columbus, OH native has registered 260 points (102 goals, 158 assists) and a further 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 45 playoff games.
“I think I’m pretty versatile,” he said. “I had a good face-off performance last year. I figured out that I can play centre, but playing on the wing is very comfortable for me. I did the majority of it last year with two good players for a little bit, so whatever needs to be done, I can do it.”
Having not participated in any NHL training camp this year, Roslovic affirmed that he’s been doing plenty of work in the meantime to be ready when he eventually signs a contract, but his Oilers’ debut is expected to arrive not on Saturday, but on their first road trip of the season in New York next week.
“We’ll figure that out,” he said. “I find myself in pretty good condition most training camps, so people might think I was sitting around, but I wasn’t sitting around. I was working. It’s been a whole process this summer, so everyone around the league does it now. It’s common to be ready for an NHL season.”
Continuing with the theme of ‘opportunity’, Roslovic is excited for the chance to play in Canada again, and a long offseason of uncertainty has him excited to really dive into everything that’s to come in Edmonton.
“I’m very happy. I’m familiar with Canada, familiar with the market, and familiar with you guys (the media),” he said. “Like I said, opportunity is kind of the theme. The ability to come here and have a good chance to put our names on a trophy is huge, and we gotta obviously take it day by day. It’s my first day, so I’m still trying to get to know the people, but the opportunity is something I’m looking forward to.”