EDMONTON - The last time Ales Hemsky turned so many heads so early in an NHL season, he was playing with two good shoulders.

That was two surgeries and three seasons ago. He was also wearing an ‘A’ on his Edmonton Oilers jersey back in those days, a distinction that has been since passed down to the younger guns.

But here’s the kicker. Hemsky may no longer have an ‘A ‘on his jersey, but apparently, he hasn’t lost his ‘A’ game.

In the Oilers’ 2013 season opener against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night, the 29-year-old winger was quick on his feet and adept with his hands, scoring the tying goal in regulation, then adding another in the shootout.

He’ll lineup alongside veteran centre Sam Gagner and rookie Nail Yakupov Tuesday when the Oilers roll out for their home opener against the San Jose Sharks.

“I feel healthier than I have in a couple of years. It was a tough time for me,” the Hemsky of old said after the new season was underway.

“But I feel like I have lots of hockey left. I feel like I can give a lot to the team.”

After putting up 22 points in 22 games at the start of the 2009-10 season, Hemsky left the lineup to have the labrum repaired in his left shoulder, then a year later, he had to have the right side fixed — a procedure that kept him on the sidelines for the start of the 2011-12 campaign.

“He’s been through some tough injuries, then he was one game away from the Stanley Cup (in 2006), only to have to go through the losing here,” Gagner said. “That had to have been tough, (but) he’s come in with a good attitude and obviously playing in the Czech League has given him an extra boost.

“It’s great to see.”

Hemsky, like Ryan Whitney, had the ‘A’ removed from his jersey when Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle were elevated to the leadership group, but said it has no bearing on his approach to the way he conducts himself on the ice or in the room.

“For me, it just doesn’t matter if I have the ‘A’ on my jersey or not. I will try and play the same game and talk the same way I did before,” continued Hemsky, once the offensive catalyst, now a veteran surrounded by a trio of first overall picks. “But maybe I can just focus on myself and relax more in the room, without having to worry about the media and stuff like that.

“I have to take care of my shoulders. That will be my battle forever, but this was a different summer for me. For the first time in three years, I could do pretty much everything I needed to do to get ready for the season.

“I just feel healthy. That’s the most important thing for me right now.”

Head coach Ralph Krueger said he’d seen Hemsky’s game start to evolve at the world championship last spring. The reports from the Czech Republic, where he played during the lockout, were equally as impressive. Hemsky played 27 games in his hometown, putting away 32 points in 27 games with Pardubice.

“We need that world-class speed,” said Krueger, “and it was really exciting to see how that line created about seven chances. They had a little bit of trouble in the first period on some transition plays, but otherwise they stabilized in both directions.

“A lot of people might have thought that line might have been at risk defensively. It wasn’t, and Ales is a big reason for that. He’s very, very good at working back and using his speed defensively. Everyone likes it when he has the puck and playing offence, but what we enjoyed was that he was working in both directions.

“A lot has to do with his health and his physical state and also mentally. He wants to be on a team that competes. He wants to be a part of that.”

jireland@edmontonjournal.com

Twitter.com/jirelandEJ