A talk with Hall: Taylor’s take

LOS ANGELES — Edmonton reporters pulled Taylor Hall aside at the Staples Center this morning to get his take on being drafted by the Oilers, among other things, now that he’s had a night to sleep on it. Here’s some quick hits:

"It’s pretty surreal, just looking back and talking with people," Hall said about being picked first overall. "It’s pretty special that I went No. 1 overall. I was a goal from the start of the season. I’m pretty proud of myself. I pushed myself to do so."

"Me and my family, all 40 of us, we went to the Edmonton Oilers draft party in Beverly Hills and just kind of hung out," he said. "I didn’t want to do anything too crazy. I did the right thing spending time with my family. That’s the best thing. They’re so important to what I’ve done and it’s nice to spend time with them."

"There’s not going to be a Stanley Cup next year, but I want to be a part of a team that’s a tough team to play against, a hard-working team," he said. "I want to win a Stanley Cup pretty soon. I think everyone involved wants to do that. We have a really good nucleus of young guys who are excited to play in the NHL and I think that’s huge."

"It’s been fun. Like I said, there’s been so much hype and so much pressure on myself leading up, it’s almost surreal that it’s here," Hall said. "I’m kind of sad that the year is over now. It’s been everything I expected and more. It’s such a great feeling."

"No, I just walked eight blocks down to the arena and nobody knew who I was," he said. "That was a good change."

"I think it’s a great thing," Hall said, asked about pulling on the jersey of a 30th-place team. "Any young player wants to go to a team with young players on it. It’ll help me fit in very well. For myself, I’m just so excited for next year. I’ve been a part of a rebuild before. It’s exciting for the city and for the players involved."