As the National Hockey League prepares for the second phase of its return to play, a small group of Edmonton Oilers players will be gathering.

According to The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, a group of five players are expected.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun also reported that there’s expected to be further discussions in Edmonton today as to when exactly the Oilers will open their facility, but that it could be early next week.

No word yet on who the Oilers will have in town, but I would imagine its a group of players who have stuck around the Edmonton area through the pandemic.

The league move to open up phase two is a sign they are getting closer, and more comfortable, with a full return to play but while it’s an encouraging sign, things could quickly change.

Staff at Rogers Place have been hard at work preparing the facility for players, and have recently flooded the ice at the arena.

On Twitter: @zjlaing