Koekkoek absent from camp for mental health reasons

Forward Slater Koekkoek will be away from the Edmonton Oilers for an indefinite period of time to work on and prioritize his mental health, general manager Ken Holland told reporters Wednesday.

Holland added Koekkoek hopes to join the team in the near future. 

Slater Koekkoek will not be in camp. He is working on his mental well being and hopes to join the team in the future. #Oilers

The 28-year-old appeared in 19 games with the Oilers last season, recording four assists. He also appeared in two AHL games and had one assist. 

He is in the final year of a two-year, $1.85 million deal that carries a cap hit of $925,000. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The No. 10 overall pick in the 2012 draft, Koekkoek has played in a total of 186 games at the NHL level with the Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning, tallying eight goals and 26 assists for 34 points.  

Holland announced defenceman Cody Ceci will miss the first three days of training camp due to a hamstring strain.

He had five goals and 23 assists for 28 points in 78 games last season, his first with Edmonton.

Additionally, goaltender Mike Smith failed his physical and will be placed on the long-term injured reserve list. 

The 40-year-old is dealing with a string of injuries and is likely to spent most, if not all, of the final season of his contract on LTIR.