Jordan Oesterle made a good first impression for the Edmonton Oilers in his NHL debut.

The 22-year-old defenceman did not look out of place alongside veteran Andrew Ference in a 2-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at Rexall Place on Saturday.

In fact, Oesterle’s skating ability and his willingness to join the rush in the contest made him stand out. He may have done enough to stay in the lineup when the Oilers travel to face the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, depending on the health of Jeff Petry.

“He was really, really good,” Ference said. “He had great composure, fantastic skating ability, he was so calm. I remember my first game, I didn’t want to touch the puck and he’s handling and skating up the ice really well and making great plays. It was very impressive.”

Oesterle was a glimmer of hope in what has otherwise been a lost season.

The Dearborn Heights, Michigan, product signed with the Oilers as an undrafted college free agent and earned the call-up with a strong showing this season in Oklahoma City.

In 49 games with the Oklahoma City Barons, Oesterle has six goals and 15 assists. He was being used in all situations on the farm and has the makings of a very solid prospect.

“He was excellent, for a guy that came in for his first hockey game in the National Hockey League, he was really good,” said Oilers coach Todd Nelson. “He moved his feet, made good decisions with the puck. He handled himself fine in the corners. For the first game for a young defenceman, it was a nice game for him.

“I just told him to play his game, not to change a thing and do what he’s been doing in OKC. Don’t change a thing, move your feet, pass the puck, join the rush and he did that. He played a very strong game.”

Oesterle finished Saturday’s game with 16:34 minutes of ice time, registering two shots with an even rating. He was called up Friday following an injury to Petry, who has missed two games with sore ribs after taking a shot in the chest.

Oesterle arrived in time to take the warm-up Friday, but was not inserted into the line-up until Saturday.​

“I was really nervous at the beginning, but I took a short shift and got the nerves out of there and Ference really helped me by communicating a lot to me and made things pretty easy,” Oesterle said. “I really pride myself in my puck-moving ability and if I didn’t want the puck on my stick, I don’t think I would be successful up here. I kind of took the first the shift to get the wind under my sails and I kind of got my confidence with a short shift and then went from there.”

After a year of junior hockey in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Oesterle went on to play for former NHL head coach Andy Murray at the Western Michigan University. Oesterle spent three seasons at Western Michigan, then signed with the Oilers last summer.

“Andy Murray helped me a lot, he kind of molded me to be the certain defenceman I needed to be to play in the National Hockey League,” Oesterle said. “It’s worked so far, and hopefully, it’ll continue.

“He just really stressed being tough to play against, and making sure I’m strong on the puck all the time and just making easy passes to make the game simple for myself.

“I never really had plans to get drafted, I never really expected to get drafted, so those days really weren’t nerve-wracking or anything. I just kind of took it as a chip on my shoulder and kept working.

“I know there were a bunch of late bloomers and I was hoping I could be one of them.”

Growing up in Michigan, Oesterle sites former Detroit Red Wings great, Nicklas Lidstrom as one of his influences. Oesterle is hoping to follow recent Western Michigan alumni, Kevin Connauton of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Danny DeKeyser of the Red Wings into the NHL.

Saturday proved to be a good first step, which provided an interesting eye-opening moment.

“It was on a face-off, I kind of looked over and there was Corey Perry standing next to me and I was like, ‘Wow’,” Oesterle said. “When I got called up, I was in disbelief. I called my dad up first, I remember after that phone call, I was wondering if I actually got the call or if I was dreaming. It was definitely surreal and I was really happy.

“I think I was more nervous for the warm-ups (Friday). I was more nervous than I probably looked, but Andrew really helped me, he talked a lot and he made it simple for me.

“I liked the situation better (Saturday) than just getting off a plane and playing (Friday) night.”