It's like he's been a part of the Edmonton lineup for years. He made an immediate impact with a great pass on Leon Draisaitl's goal, the second one mentioned in the introduction.
Tomasek has been a world champion since last year and is still the reigning Swedish league's most productive player. But the NHL has eluded him for a long time.
Yes, he's only played one game, and it's too early to say whether he'll make the roster permanently. Now he's been helped into it by the injury to Zach Hyman, who has been recovering from wrist surgery since the playoffs and the club has placed him on the long-term sick list with the understanding that he'll be out until at least November.
In his place, Edmonton called up Tomasek from the farm just hours before the start of the new season.
Of course, hand on heart, would anyone recognize that? The Czech forward was going on the power play with the Oilers biggest stars Draisaitl and McDavid (a year younger than him, by the way), and you can't say he was ruining it for them, quite the opposite.
The backhand backhand that he presented the puck to the former in front of an empty net showed insight, wit, and coordination with the others in that action. "You can see he's played a lot of hockey. He's a great shooter, he's hit every shot in training. Not everyone has that kind of talent," praised McDavid himself, considered the best hockey player of our time.
And that's something! Tommy was not sure if he would make it overseas.
In his debut against Calgary, he started on the right wing of the third line, went on the power play, and the Oilers used the first two they had.
He was trusted in the shootout (he failed), and could have decided the game before that in overtime, when the coach even sent him on the ice in a four-on-three situation instead of the star of the game, three-point Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
However, he failed on a big chance when he turned in front of the goalie and tried to surprise him with his backhand.
Only legends Wayne Gretzky (583), Jari Kurri (474), and Glenn Anderson (417) have more goals in the Oilers' jersey in the regular season.
Before the game, he took a lap of honour, a habit that all rookies undergo as a symbolic baptism. "It's unbelievable that he played his first NHL game at the age of twenty-nine," said Tomasek's third-line centre Adam Henrique, who will soon celebrate his 1,000th start.
On the other wing, he had another rookie, twenty-one-year-old Isaac Howard, fresh out of college. "I wish I was in the NHL at this age, too, but I just wasn't good enough. I'll be proud of this moment when I look back on my career," Tommy smiled.
That's why he doesn't have rookie status under NHL rules, as the league doesn't consider players over 26.
Tommy went through the Czech, Swedish, and Finnish leagues before reaching his dream league. He has been overseas since he was an older kid, going to Michigan at the age of 15.
"My mom did something similar when she was younger. When I left, she wasn't happy..." the Czech phenom, who played against current NHL players Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski, told overseas reporters. He then spent two more years in the OHL in Belleville.
And after 10 years, he took a big detour back overseas. "It took a lot of work, a lot of faith and a little bit of luck," he recalled.
And now he's where he wanted to be, what he wanted to tell his children and grandchildren about someday. "As a kid, I devoured books and magazines about Edmonton stars like Gretzky, Messier, Kurri..." said Tommy with a smile. "Who's to say they're going up against the best players in the world? People in the Czech Republic ask me about them all the time."
He went on the ice with the resolution to play, not to complicate anything, not to invent anything. In short, he didn't want to mess anything up.
He succeeded and much more.