Kids take over Saturday’s Oilers vs. Flyers match in Edmonton

Thirteen kids were chosen to fill the jobs of public address announcer, anthem singer and even the mascot for the Oilers game on Saturday.

Kids took over Rogers Place on Saturday afternoon for the game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Oilers Next Gen is an annual new year occurrence where a group of talented kids across Oil Country are tagged to step into roles like announcer, in-arena host, team reporter, mascot and more.

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This year, Oilers Entertainment Group director Kevin Rapanos said they sifted through more than 100 video submissions to hand-pick the roster of 13 who would appear throughout the afternoon game.

Those kids, ages 8-13, were excitedly preparing for their roles Saturday morning.

“I had like, a heart attack,” Lea, the 11-year-old in-game host from Edmonton, told CTV News about hearing she had made it through auditions.

OEG lined up a myriad of festivities for her to oversee in between periods including a t-shirt toss and other promotional elements. Niat, a 13-year-old Edmontonian, will take on the role of social media manager.

“I’m going to be capturing videos, recording the players as they warm up and play. (On Friday) I also came in and interviewed the players coming out of their practice,” she said.

Theo, an eight-year-old PA from Fort Saskatchewan, said he’s got the players’ names memorized to announce starting lineups and intermission updates.

Otis, also eight and hailing from Grande Prairie, is the designated youth DJ for the match. He had some classics lined up – Thunderstruck and Hand Clap, for example.

He added that he was interested in a music career, so having an Oilers game on his resume was not a bad look at all.

“I mean, I did my school dance, but this should be way bigger,” he said.

Sage, a 12-year-old from Edmonton, took on the role of a mini Hunter the Lynx mascot named Kit.

“I kind of didn’t believe it. I was in shock,” she said of being selected.

Damon, 12, from Sturgeon County, was set to sing the national anthem. Ben, an 11-year-old from Edmonton, was the drummer.

“I’ve been singing for a while … I’ve done plays and stuff, but I’ve never been on TV, so it’s a big opportunity for me,” Damon said.

“I practiced a lot for this. I’m still nervous, but I’m just going to try my best.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall