Leon Draisaitl got an immediate taste of Mike Babcock's standard when the Oilers' first camp drill was stopped and reset.
Bob Stauffer told The FAN 590 that Draisaitl “cheated” on that opening drill. Babcock stopped practice right away and made the entire group start the sequence again.
This wasn't a league-rule issue or an off-ice controversy. The point was execution: a shortcut in a drill drew an immediate response from the new head coach.
That matters because Babcock didn't isolate Draisaitl. By resetting everyone, he turned one player's detail into a team-wide standard before camp had found any rhythm.
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Stauffer also said there was no whiteboard work for the first 27 minutes. Edmonton went straight into five-on-five work, forechecking and transitional breakouts.
"Babcock is not wasting time getting in the face of the best players. McDavid and Draisaitl getting instructions. At the same time, Babs was hugging Leon after the flood during the first group's skate this morning. This might work..."
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The opening message was hard to miss. Reputation didn't buy extra room, and even one of Edmonton's biggest names had to run the drill exactly as Babcock wanted.
Mike Babcock sets the tone immediately
The Oilers hired Babcock on June 23, 2026, and this was an early glimpse of how quickly his fingerprints could show up in practice habits.
Stauffer contrasted the session with a quieter coaching environment last season. Day 1 under Babcock sounded louder, faster and far less willing to let a missed detail slide.
For Draisaitl, the moment carries extra weight because teammates watch how standards are applied to stars. If the reset comes for him, everyone on the sheet knows the bar.
There's also a conditioning element to restarting a full-group drill. One lapse doesn't just cost the player a rep; it costs every skater another rep.
Babcock's choice also kept the correction on the ice instead of turning it into a long meeting. The response was immediate, visible and tied directly to the work.
That can shape camp quickly. Players learn what gets stopped, what gets repeated and which details the bench staff refuses to wave through once the pace rises.
Edmonton's first practice under Babcock didn't need a dramatic speech to create a story. Draisaitl's opening-drill reset did it, and the standard was established before camp could settle in.
Did Mike Babcock send the right message by restarting the drill?
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