Edmonton defenseman Theo Peckham is in the best shape of his career heading into training camp. Peckham is in a battle to be a top-six defenseman on the Oilers as Ryan Whitney, Andy Sutton, Jeff Petry, Corey Potter, Nick Schultz, Ladislav Smid, rookie Justin Schultz and Colten Teubert are either guaranteed spots on the blueline or are banging on the door looking for a spot. He played at 239 pounds last season and has lost eight pounds thus far and still wants to lose another four. "When I cheat, it shows a little bit more on me than it does on some other people," he said. "I have to stay a lot cleaner with my diet and make sure I stay on top of it. I can't go four weeks, then have that off-week. And I'm always going to be strong, but the lighter I can get, the faster I can get ... and for me, it was best to be up and down the stairs more than once or twice a week. This is the best shape I've ever been in." Peckham played only 54 games last season due to a concussion injury and being a healthy scratch.