It was a pretty good night for the Oilers organization. The big club handily beat Minnesota 5-2 and Springfield skated past Manchester 4-1. The only blemish was Stockton losing 3-1 to Idaho.
With their win, Springfield snaps a 3 game losing skid, and wound up on the right end of the shot clock. You can see some hilites below.
After Oscar Moller opened the scoring for the baby Kings, Chad Wiseman notched his first as a Falcon. Colton Fretter also with his first, Geoff Paukovich(pictured courtesy Springfieldfalcons.com) and Colin McDonald with their 2nd each continued the scoring for Rob Daum's club who improve to 2-3 on the season. Devan Dubnyk wasn't under siege for the first time in a few games and stopped 27 of 28 shots he faced. In the contest, Johan Motin notched his first AHL point, picking up an assist on Geoff Paukovich's tally. Theo Peckham (pictured courtesy Springfieldfalcons.com) was also active, picking up a helper, a plus 2 rating and 9 penalty minutes. In just 3 games, Peckham has taken over 2nd spot for PIM's from Kip Brennan with 19. Peckham is also +3 in 3 games. Jake Taylor's 32 minutes leads Springfield and puts him 4th in the AHL. Since Taylor Chorney has joined the Oilers, he's been overtaken for the team's scoring lead. Charles Linglet, Ryan Potulny and Chris Minard are tied with 6 points each. Chorney has 5 AHL points this season.
Stats sometimes tell different stories. Colin McDonald and Ryan O'Marra have been linemates quite a bit this season and each have 3 points in 5 games, but a combined minus 6.
Liam Reddox sat this one out while serving a suspension he received against Hartford last weekend. I'm not sure what he did, but at one point he was involved in a collision with Hartford goaltender Matt Zaba.
Slava Trukhno didn't have a very good training camp with the Oilers, and things haven't been any better in Springfield. The Russian forward has zero points in 5 games and is -1. This is a contract year for Truhkno who could find himself out of a job even before season's end if he doesn't turn things around. Remember Joseph Hrabl left Springfield during the season last year.
Meanwhile, Cody Wild has yet to play a game for Rob Daum this season, and has been listed as a healthy scratch on most of the game recaps.
Springfield is home to Hartford Saturday, then it's a rematch with the Monarchs in Manchester Sunday.
As for the Stockton Thunder, they opened their season with a loss to Idaho. Bryan Young and Ryley Emmerson, who were both assigned 2 weeks ago played for the Thunder Friday night. Andrew Perugini stopped 41 of the 44 pucks fired his way, including 16 saves in the 3rd period.
The same two teams will hook up 2 more times this weekend in Idaho.
~ Day 2 of rookie camp is in the books for Oilers hopefuls. Line combinations were the same as what Guy reported yesterday so I won't go through them, but will share some thoughts I had on day 2 and some of the hilites I saw.
Before that, I had the chance to speak with 2 players and Assistant G.M. Kevin Prendergast. You can here the conversations with Kevin as well as Olivier Roy and Alex Plante here. During the Prendergast interview he reveals that Kytnar will be returning to Saskatoon along with Burke Galllimore and Derek Hulak who are also at rookie camp. Guy and I had thought he would have a chance to play in Springfield, but Prendergast makes a good argument for why going back to the Blades is the Slovakians best option.
As for today's scrimmage Philippe Cornet opened the scoring taking a pass from the point and dragging the puck across the crease and tucking it past Andrew Perugini.
Perugini was tested shortly after that when Jordan Eberle shifted to his backhand in the slot, but the goalie was equal to the task.
At the other end Saskatoon Blade and Edmonton product Burke Gallimore set up Oil King and fellow Edmonton kid Michael Burns but he fired high over the net occupied by Kurtis Mucha.
Mucha wasn't so lucky when Jamie Bates dropped the puck for Jesse Dudas who beat Mucha through a crowd to tie things at 1.
One of the blueliners who impressed me today was Sweden's Johan Motin. He made a nice spin move and moved the puck up ice with poise. He's just 6.01 and 201 pounds but looks pretty comfortable on the ice. He's played with men for a couple of years, was a defence partner of Victor Hedman's and is hoping to make a smooth transition from the SEL to the AHL.
There are 2 to many goalies at this camp, but Bryan Pitton was able to make a nice stop in his limited time between the pipes. Dudas was set up in the slot but Pitton shot out his blocker to keep it out.
That's pretty much it from day 2. I think everyone is looking forward to the games against the Canucks and Golden Bears where the action can really pick up.
~ 27 NHL hopefuls took to the ice at Rexall Place this morning as the on-ice portion of Oilers rookie camp officially got underway.
It was a fairly quick practice with guys getting on the ice at 9:30 and off again an hour later for a flood. There was a scrimmage to end the day .
The fans care more about the fake game but it's the systems drills that the coaches were keying in on. Coach Tom Renney was on the ice and afterwards he talked about how he was paying more attention to the 5-man units during the breakout drills than any one player in particular.
When asked what he thought of Jordan Eberle's performance, Renney chuckled and admitted that at this point he's still trying to figure out who is who and isn't really aware of the young guys in the system.
Forward Line Combinations
Milan Kytnar played between Jordan Eberle (RW) and Philippe Cornet (LW) on what was, as should be expected, the best line today. There is some nice chemistry between Eberle and Cornet that they first showed last September in Camrose. If the latter makes it to the WJC roster for Canada, someone with Hockey Canada should take note and try them together there as well.
The Saskatoon twosome of Derek Hulak and Burke Gallimore played alongside Oil Kings forward Michael Burns. Hulak played in the middle position there with Gallimore to his right .
Former Oil King captain Jeff Lee was flanked by Saginaw's Jordan Skellett (LW) and 2009 draftee Cameron Abney (RW) of the Everett Silvertips.
Kelowna winger Stepan Novotny and 24-year-old Jamie Bates were the wingers for Brett Breitkruz of the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Defensive pairings featured Alex Plante with Dalton Prout, Jordan Bendfeld played alongside Jesse Dudas (who wore #82 throwing fans for a loop as he was listed as #47), R.J. Anderson was partnered with Adrian Van de Mosselaer leaving Swede Johan Motin to play with Russian Dmitri Kostromitin.
The game saw the teams playing with two full lines each which meant, 15 minutes into it they were bagged and the tempo sagged dramatically. The first goal came off the stick of #73, Burke Gallimore (photo), who snapped a deadly accurate shot just under the crossbar from 20 feet out to the left of netminder Kurtis Mucha.
About 10 seconds after Gallimore's goal Mucha was beaten again. Not his fault though as #66 Dalton Prout coughed up the puck to #59 Brett Breitkreuz in front of the net. The Oil Kings forward quickly spun and jammed it towards the goal and through the Portland Winterhawks netminder.
The third marker was a laser beam wrist shot from the top of the circle that beat Olivier Roy cleanly. Off the bottom of the crossbar and in. It was the second of the morning for Burke Gallimore who did what a goal scorer needs to do at a camp like this: score goals.
Jordan Eberle got his team's first goal and he scored it from his knees. It's wasn't as mind-blowing as it might sound though. At this point of the scrimmage guys were coasting all over the place and so when he got a lose puck at the hashmarks, turned and fell, he still had time to not only regain control but to also get a shot off with no one within 5 feet of him. Eberle's wrister beat Andrew Perugini 5-hole.
The final goal of the day came off the stick of Milan Kytnar who won a minor side-of-the-goal puck battle and put the puck on the net and saw it go in. Not a fancy goal, just a guy working hard and getting rewarded for it. Kris Lazaruk was in net at the time.
That was it. No really notable collisions and no eye-popping saves by any stretch of the imagination today.
Really quick first impressions: Russian defenceman Dmitri Kostromitin is noticeable. He's 6'3 off the ice and he looks pretty imposing while skating around and bumping into guys. He puts the candy-cane stripes on his stick so he's easy to spot too... Johan Motin needs stickum for his gloves, the Swede kept losing his stick during the drills. I liked that he brought some feisty attitude with him, he was whacking guys as they came across the line towards him... Cam Abney is tall. He's listed as 6'4 which made him the tallest player on the ice. Already one of the more respected pugilists in the WHL, once he fills out his frame he really could be a dangerous tough guy... There are too many goalies here this week. 6 is two, too many. They play two games which means 4 guys can play half a game or 3 guys can play a period each... why bother? Pitton and Perugini should not be here right now, they're not rookies and the team already knows them. (just my opinion)... forward Toni Rajala has yet to arrive in Edmonton as he was scheduled to see his doctor today in Finland before making the trip to North America...
~ If you missed The Pipeline Show last night, well let me be your guide as I lead you through what you missed...
Dean and I started the night off by talking about the free agent crop that still waits to be signed at the American Hockey League level. As the Springfield Falcons hope to ice a stronger team, the free agent list is rapidly thinning out and Edmonton's farm club so far isn't any better than it was a year ago. Why? We talked a bit about that and through out some names of guys we think would fit the bill. (Dean and Guy HERE)
TPS made its on-air debut back on February 13th, 2006 and one of planned guests that night was Kyle Chipchura. For whatever reason, that planned interview fell apart but we finally got around to giving him another call and the Alberta product updated us on his summer. Montreal can be an intimidating market for Habs players and Chipchura described it from the perspective of a young guy trying to crack the roster. (Kyle Chipchura HERE)
Obviously with Oilers prospect camp underway in Sherwood Park we spent much of the evening with that in the spotlight. Earlier in the day we spoke with Johan Motin, William Quist, Olivier Roy and Toni Rajala. (Prospect Camp)
We also had extended interviews with a pair of new Oiler prospects in Kyle Bigos and Troy Hesketh - two defencemen that originally caught Edmonton fans off guard at the draft but are starting to change minds as people get to know more about them. (Kyle Bigos and Troy Hesketh interviews)
NEXT WEEK: Our annual show that examines and compares the NCAA and CHL paths to the NHL. Is one really better than the other? We'll speak with a Canadian who is currently playing for a premier NCAA program, a former WHL player who just wrapped up his CIS career and is ready to turn pro, a local media voice who is very staunch in his stance plus another guest who will offer up his/her thoughts on the subject. It should be another beauty show.
~ The Edmonton Oilers are set to begin their annual off-season Orientation Camp this weekend at Millennium Place in Sherwood Park. The on-ice sessions will run in the mornings from July 6th to 10th and as always, are open to the public.
Many of the onlookers, of which there are very few for these sessions, don't know much about who they will see. Most will assume that since it's a prospect camp, they might get a glimpse of the elusive Rob Schremp. That won't be the case this year as the organization has made some changes to the format.
First, there will only be a small number of pro players in attendance - players with more than one year pro under their belt already will not be here so no Schremp, Ryan O'Marra, Devan Dubnyk or Ryan Potulny.
Second, because the camp has been moved back to June from the previous late May or early June, players who were just drafted have all been invited.. more on that in a minute.
Finally, in years past the Oilers have invited several young free agents or undrafted players to have a closer look. There will be a smaller number of those players here this time including a few names that Oiler fans will recognize from the past.
Here is a look at the 25 players who will be attending the prospect camp: [EDIT: the official release from the Oilers omits two forwards who I was told would actually be there, I've made notes in the write up below.]
Goalies (3)
There will be three netminders at the sessions starting with 2006 draftee Bryan Pitton and his Stockton goalie partner Andrew Perugini (pictured). The duo combined for a 30-32-6 record with 21 of those victories belonging to Perugini. Perugini was a free agent invite to main camp last September and earned a minor league deal with the Oilers which he has made the most of.
The third masked man is Olivier Bellevance-Roy, Edmonton's 5th round pick a week ago in Montreal. The Cape Breton netminder will be making his first appearance in Edmonton. He posted a 35-12-3 record with a 2.84 GAA and .905 save percentage in the QMJHL last season, his second as a starter in the league. The goalie will turn 18 shortly after the camp ends on July 12th.
Defence (9)
There will be much interest paid to the blueliners who are at the event, several of which will be making their Edmonton debut. Familiar names and faces include Alex Plante, formerly of the Calgary Hitmen and collegian Jeff Petry from Michigan State.
Swede Johan Motin will be here after signing on with the Oilers back in May. The 4th round pick from 2008 is expected to play in Springfield this year and after 3 seasons in the Swedish Elite League with Farjestads, Motin should make a fairly quick transition to the AHL.
A couple of pros who will be back are Cody Wild and Jordan Bendfeld. Wild had an interesting year, mostly in Springfield, where he collected 18 points in 59 games. On the other hand, Bendfeld's season was a complete write off thanks to a serious knee injury that limited him to only 17 games. TPS last spotted the former Medicine Hat Tigers captain on the ice with the Edmonton Oil Kings during their prospect camp.
Jesse Dudas is back for another audition. As TPS explained last month, the Oilers promised him another crack at it after he was injured in the main camp last fall. The big blueliner has bounced around the WHL over the last two years dressing for Regina, Prince George and Swift Current in that time. He ended last year with Charlotte of the ECHL.
Another free agent invite this year is a first timer - local boy Sean Connauton. The defenceman is a 6'2, 200 lb junior at Brown who has played very sparingly over his first two years at the ECAC school. He's dressed for only 29 games through two full seasons and has yet to register his first NCAA point.
The new guys from the 2009 draft will both be here. Fans will get their first glimpses of Troy Hesketh and Kyle Bigos (pictured) next week as the two future collegians are in town. Hesketh was the surprise 3rd round selection out of Minnesota high school while Bigos "trimmed down" to a mere 230 lbs before leading the BCHL's Vernon Vipers all the way to the RBC Cup this past year.
Forwards (13)
Denver forward Matt Glasser will take part in his first Oiler camp since the fall of 2007 thanks to the later July start time. Glasser played for Ft. McMurray in the AJHL before heading south where he will be entering his final year with the Pioneers as a senior. Glasser has 10 goals and 15 points in 92 career games with Denver. [Interestingly, Glasser is one of two players who the team ommitted from their offical camp roster, however, I was told very recently that he was to be there. Glasser has missed every summer camp since being drafted because he was tied up with exams in Denver, surely that can't be the case in July?]
Cornell's Riley Nash will be back in town as well before heading back to the ECAC for his junior year with the Big Red. Chris Vande Velde is expected to be a leader on and off the ice with North Dakota now that he's a senior. Both collegians are centers with size so it will be interesting to compare the two against each other as potential future 2nd or 3rd line NHL players.
The CHL group is led by Jordan Eberle. The Regina Pats forward is coming off a good year in the WHL that was far overshadowed by his international play at the WJC in Ottawa. He ended the year in Springfield where he picked up 9 points in as many games.
Philippe Cornet (#15) finally hung his skates up for the year in late May after Rimouski hosted the Memorial Cup. The winger enjoyed chemistry with Eberle when the two played together last fall and although the practices this week won't be game simulations, the two might play together at the World Junior Camp in August. [Cornet's name did not appear on the official release from the team which was sent out a couple of hours ago.]
Edmonton Oil Kings forward Jeff Lee gets to return for another camp after filling in for the Springfield Falcons who were in a pinch for healthy bodies. Lee had a strong season for the local team as he posted a team high 62 points in 72 games. The center stands 6'2 and weighs in at just under 210 lbs.
The newcomer from the 'Dub is Everett Silvertips tough guy Cameron Abney. The 3rd round pick up played 48 games with the 'Tips yet still collected just over 100 PIMs. The Oilers want him to work on his skating, and he'll learn plenty of tricks and techniques for that at this event.
Geoff Paukovich and Jamie Bates will be the returning pro players. Edmonton is encouraged by Paukovich's play under Rob Daum who liked what he saw from the former Denver Pioneer. Paukovich is entering his final year of his entry level contract so the 2nd round pick has a lot on the line this season. Bates had 48 points in Stockton last year.
There are two free agent invites up front - Jesse Todd from Merrimack is a guy that has caught the eye of Development Coach Bob Mancini. Todd will be teammates with Bigos next year. The former Camrose Kodiak forward scored 23 points in 34 games for the Warriors as a freshman, tied for the team lead.
The other invite is an interesting one: William Quist from Sweden. The Oilers drafted Quist back in 2007 but after unsuccessful attempts at bringing him to North America to play in the CHL, they chose not to sign him and relinquished his rights. The free agent (pictured) is hoping to get another chance with the team after failing to hook up with anyone overseas.
Speaking of Europeans, two of the headliners for prospect camp will be forwrds from Finland. It will be the first chance for Edmonton fans to see Toni Rajala and Teemu Hartikainen in person. Rajala is considered by many to be a steal of the entire draft - a 4th round pick when many expected he could go as early as the first round. Hartikainen is coming off of a terrific rookie season in Finland where he scored 17 goals for KalPa Kuopio.
And that is everyone who will be in Sherwood Park next week. Wait... you're suggesting that there are a couple of notable players not on the list? You're right.
Both Anton Lander and Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson are unavailable for the prospect camp. I have been told that after traveling between Canada and Sweden several times in the last month for the combine and the draft, another trip would be "a bit much" before the players have to report to Timrå on July 17th.
The 25 players will be on the ice from 10:00-11:30 AM under the guidance of Development Coach Bob Mancini, Springfield coach Rob Daum and skating coach Steve Serdachny.
I am told that the list of participants is not likely to change but I suppose there could always be a late addition before Sunday when the players arrive.
<-> You can add another defenceman to the crowded blueline in Springfield next year as the Oilers have signed Swedish defenceman Johan Motin to a 3 year entry level deal. He played last year in the SEL with Farjestads, picking up 3 assists, 28 penalty minutes and was plus 4 as a 19 year old playing against men. The 6.01, 200 pound rearguard actually started playing in the SEL at 17.
I'm told he will be at training camp in the fall, and assuming he doesn't blow the doors off everyone and make the team, it's going to be pretty packed on Springfield's blueline if all these guys are back:
Theo Peckham Taylor Chorney Cody Wild Sebastien Bissaillon Mathieu Roy Brian Young Josef Hrabl Johan Motin
Chances are though, someone will be moved.
Motin was the Oilers 4th round pick in 2008, they didn't have a 2nd or 3rd round so he was their second selection. This will be a draft year to keep your eye on. Jordan Eberle had a terrific World Junior with Canada and would have likely approached 50 goals in the WHL had he not suited up for Canada. Motin is coming over with a few years of pro experience, and Edmonton's 5th round pick, Phillipe Cornet was healty and led Rimouski in scoring with 77 points in 66 games. He's currently with the Oceanic at the Mastercard Memorial Cup. Don't forget about Teemu Hartikainen, a Finish forward who takes after Detroits Tomas Holmstrom a little bit and scored 17 goals in the Finish men's league, playing on a team with former NHLer Sami Kapanen.
Set to Join Guy and I tonight:
Brent Sutter-Head Coach of the New Jersey Devils and still owner of the Red Deer Rebels. He'll bring us his Memorial Cup memories from winning it in 2001 as well as talk to us about the current young NHL stars he used to coach in Red Deer and for Canada as well as coach against in the NHL.
Peter Loubardias-Voice of Flames and CHL on Rogers Sportsnet. The Memorial Cup will be half over, who's impressed him and what can we expect for the rest of the week.
Mike Oke-Head scout for International Scouting Services. The May report is out, who's up and who's down and how is their final push before the draft coming along.
Mike Cichy-Indiana Ice forward. He's heading to UND next year and was the MVP of both the USHL playoffs and the World Junior A Challenge last November in Camrose. How is he preparing for the NHL draft.
Also various discussion about the world of hockey prospects, BAD ASS TRIVIA and more. Send your questions or comments to pipeup@thepipelineshow.com.
Listen in Edmonton on the TEAM 1260 or online here from 7-9 pm MST. Also follow us and message us at through twitter
~ We were all over the map last night on The Pipeline Show as we checked in on the playoffs in all 3 Major Junior leagues in Canada, the USHL and the AHL as well. We also chatted with an Oiler prospect who is getting ready for the biggest week of his hockey life.
Dean and I began the program by discussing the big news of the day, that being the firing of the entire Regina Pats coaching staff. Dale Derkatch was shown the door after a single year, albeit a very disappointing one, but it caught both of us by surprise. Who would be solid candidates to take over the role? (see Dean's Top 5 Tuesday post from yesterday).
We then shifted focus to the Kelowna/Calgary series and we both offered up our opinions of why the Rockets have been able to get out to a dominating 3-0 lead over the #1 ranked team in the country. The much vaunted Hitmen offence has managed just 3 goals in 3 games which is a testament to how well the Rockets have been playing. Can Kelowna goalie Mark Guggenberger be this year's Mike Murphy... the over-age goalie who finally gets drafted now that he's got a chance in the spotlight and is making the most of it.
The OHL final featuring Brampton and Windsor was next on the agenda and we talked about their epic meeting including what I consider to be the story so far - that goalies Thomas McCollum and Andrew Engelage rank 14th and 15th in save percentage in the OHL postseason... and they're in the finals!?
Dean and I then talked about the interesting case of John Moore, the USHL defenceman who was just drafted by the Kitchener Rangers last weekend despite having a NCAA commitment to Colorado College. Dean asked me what my gut feeling was in regards to where he'll end up and we touched on how we feel about that.
We continued the opening segment by explaining the Johan Motin news that he and the Oilers have verbally reached an agreement and that a contract is expected to be signed any minute now.
Dean also touched on the success that young players are having at the World Hockey Championships like Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty. We also pointed out that Jonas Gustavsson's stats in the tournament are... not so great so far.
In segment #2 we welcomed Rimouski Oceanic forward Philippe Cornet to the program for the first time. Edmonton's 5th round pick outlined what he and his team have been doing since being eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs knowing that they'll be back on the ice in ten days at the Memorial Cup. Cornet talked about several key players on the team, why he feels that Drummondville (the team that beat them) would be a better fit for them than Shawinigan and also his thoughts on Oiler camp and his chemistry with Jordan Eberle.
Segment #3 was dedicated to the USHL playoffs as we talked to Kerry Collins of the Fargo Forum. The Fargo Force are an interesting story this year - an expansion team that has reached the championship series and are two wins away from taking the Clark Cup. Its a team made up largely of league castoffs with a few notable draft eligible players springled in like goalie Mike Lee and forward Josh Birkholz. On the other side is the Indiana Ice led by future North Dakota Fighting Sioux forward Mike Cichy. We got the low-down on the series and a prediction from Kerry as well.
We stayed south of the border for Segment #4 by speaking with NHL.com writer Lindsay Kramer who covers the AHL. The upsets, the players of note, the goalies standing out and what is keeping the star career minor leaguers out of the NHL. Lindsay also gave his opinion on why the Springfield Falcons failed to live up to expectations.
Bad Ass Trivia this week centered on the WHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup and produced a few winners making me think I'm getting too soft with my questions.
Finally, closing out this week's edition of TPS was the GM of the Regina Pats Brent Parker. It was a tough day for Parker who let go his friend Dale Derkatch as well as the rest of the coaching staff in Regina. Parker talked about what went wrong this year, Dean's list of candidates, he touched on Colten Teubert's tough year, the plans for the WHL's Outdoor Game (news Dean broke on last week's show) at Taylor Field and the Bantam Draft last week as well.
It was a big, big show but next week is going to be even bigger. It's our 4th Annual Memorial Cup Coach's Show where we'll speak with the four bench bosses leading their team to the tournament to crown Canada's top CHL club. Rimouski head coach Clement Jodoin will be making his second appearance after his debut in 2007 while behind the bench in Lewiston.
Past CHL coaches who have been a part of our Memorial Cup Coach's Show include 2006'sTed Nolan (Moncton), Patrick Roy (Quebec), Don Hay (Vancouver)... 2007's Mike Vellucci (Plymouth), Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat), Clem Jodoin (Lewiston) and Don Hay again... 2008's Peter DeBoer (Kitchener), Bill Peters (Spokane) and George Burnett (Belleville). Interesting to note that the two coaches who failed to appear on the show (Peterborough's Dick Todd in 2006 and Benoit Groulx of Gatineau in 2008) both finished dead last at the Memorial Cup.
~ A report out of Sweden suggests that the Edmonton Oilers have come to terms with 2008 4th round pick Johan Motin on a 3-year deal. SEE UPDATE BELOW.
The 19-year-old Swede has three years of pro experience playing in the Swedish Elite League with Färjestad where he's collected 9 points in 102 career SEL games.
Excellent Swedish prospects information site, Elite Prospects, has this description of Motin:
"Motin is a stay-at-home defenceman with very good size and strength. He has the potential to become a bruising defenceman if he develops his physical game. At this point, his is inconsistent when it comes to playing the body and should act with more resolution and confidence along the boards and in front of his goalie.
Offensively, there is little to say about Motin. He does not have the fundamental skills to contribute in a big way in terms of points and hockey sense is limited to playing it safe in his own end. Motin’s puck skills are rather average and on the downside, mobility and speed could use some improvement."
A rough translation of the Swedish report has Motin quoted as saying he and the Oilers have verbally agreed to the 3-year deal and that he will play in North America next season regardless of whether he makes the Oilers or not. This should be good news for fans of the Springfield Falcons who wish their team had more defensive depth last season.
Motin is following a similar NHL path as Ladislav Smid who was playing in the AHL as a 19-year-old, although it should be pointed out that Motin will turn 20 in early October. Motin is listed at 6'2 and around 215 lbs.
UPDATE: A source within the Oilers organization has confirmed that a signed contract is expected to be received from Motin and his agent at any time. I would suggest an official announcement would be coming soon but caution readers that the Oilers have not traditionally released prospect signings in an urgent fashion. News that Bryan Pitton, Cody Wild and Taylor Chorney had signed their entry level deals was reported here several days before the team's official site mentioned anything.
Today we'll take a look at 5 players who might leave college or Europe and join the Oilers or the Falcons in Springfield next year.
5. Bjorn Bjurling-Goaltender-Södertälje SK
His numbers aren't as good as last year in the SEL, but the 9th round pick from 2004 is an intriguing prospect, and one the TPS has had it's eye on for a while. Could he be another Niklas Backstrom? Whether or not Bjurling comes over next year or not depends on a few things. One is whether or not the Oilers will resign Dwayne Roloson. It's likely they will, which would make the goalie depth chart look pretty similar to this year.
Roloson Deslauriers Dubnyk Pitton Perugini
Where does Bjurling fit in? Probably as a partner with Dubnyk in the AHL. Does he want to split time in the AHL making 5 figures, when he could stay at home and make 6 figures?
4. Milan Kytner-Centre-Saskatoon Blades A depth and defensive guy in Kelowna, has turned into an almost point per game player with the #6 ranked Saskatoon Blades. Kytnar's 60 points in 62 games puts him 3rd in team scoring for the Blades and he has 24 goals on the season. He should get a chance to go deep into the playoffs, but if the 5th round pick from 2007 wants to turn pro next year, he'll have to bulk up in the off season, as he's only 6.0 and 180 pounds.
3. Chris Vande Velde-Centre-University of North Dakota
The stocky middle man's numbers are down from last year, but then again he doesn't have T.J. Oshie on his line either. Vande Velde is a great face off man, and is a really good complimentary player, but not a guy who can be the focal point on a line. He'll have completed 3 years at UND at seasons end, and is physically ready for the pro game.
2. Riley Nash-Centre-Cornell University Heading back to school will be a complete waste for Riley Nash. He can't play in the CHL next year, as NCAA players can't jump ship in their overage years, otherwise known as the Mike Comrie rule when he ditched Michigan for Kootenay, then eventually Edmonton in 2000. An NHL source told me Nash was way behind at Canada's WJC camp, as were most of the college players outside of Cody Goloubef. Nash should have been in the WHL with Swift Current this year instead of going to Cornell. I know there is the argument that he can get stronger in the weight room with less games to play. But after the school day, practice, and homework, how much time is there to work out anyway? He'd be better off getting used to playing a long schedule, and the fact that Cornell started the season so late derailed Nash at Canada's camp. He wanted to play with his brother, and he's done that. Hell, I'm sure the Oilers would sign his brother in Springfield if it meant him coming out early. He needs to turn pro next year, before he starts getting passed by on the depth chart and the Oilers start forgetting about him.
1. Linus Omark-Left Wing-Lulea HF Before I start in about Omark, check out his goal from earlier this year, the video also features Guy's favorite song. [Guy Edit: Not my favorite song but this will now haunt me in my sleep]
Kevin Prendergast saw Omark earlier this year and was very excited about him. Prendergast told me he's a more skilled Patrick Thoreson, meaning he plays bigger than the 5.09 168 pounds he's listed as. The Oilers assistant G.M. also told me he thinks Omark is smart enough to play with Ales Hemsky as well. The best part is that Omark wants to come over, and even play in the AHL if he doesn't make the team. He's obviously creative enough, the question will be whether or not he can take the North American pounding.
Just a few other notes, I asked Kevin Prendergast recently about 2 othe Euros the Oilers have. He said when he saw Teemu Hartikainen recently he looked pretty good, and that the 6th round pick from 2008, might get some time with the Finish national team this year. The Fin has been compared by some to Thomas Holmstrom in that he's not afraid of taking a hack to create a goal in front of the net. Johan Motin was reportedly steady as well this year. He was a 4th round pick from 2008. Also expect Jeff Petry to return to Michigan State this year. He does pretty much everything with the Spartans, who had a horrible year this season, but Petry was the lone bright spot. The Oilers are still trying to develop Taylor Chorney, Cody Wild, Theo Peckham, and hopefully next year Joseph Hrabal again next year on the blueline and there might not be enough ice for Petry to develop properly. He'll get that back in College.
It's been a while since I did some checking into the overseas situation so I recently made a couple calls, surfed a bunch of foreign team websites and put my translations skills to work. All in an effort to get an update on Europe... and I don't mean these gals... er, guys.
The Edmonton Oilers own the rights to 8 players who are currently skating in various European leagues. Four are barely a blip on the radar these days but the other half are very much on the minds of the organization’s hierarchy and could be factors in North America as soon as next year.
Linus Omarkwas a 4th round pick in 2007 as an overage player – the pint-sized forward was passed over in 2006 but had a terrific World Junior tournament and wouldn't get overlooked again. The season after Edmonton grabbed him 97th overall, Omark recorded 11 goals and 32 points in 55 Swedish Elite League games with Luleå. Those were considered very encouraging numbers and made him a player of note for Edmonton’s prospect camp held last June.
The camp took place in Sherwood Park and it was there that I had my first chance to watch Omark practice and to chat with him. I asked him about his North American interest level and in no uncertain terms he told me that it was his desire to play on this side of the Atlantic Ocean for the 2009-2010 season.
I asked him if he would feel that way if it meant playing in the American Hockey League and again he made it clear that his end goal is to play in the NHL even if it meant a season on the farm. Unlike former Oiler property Dragan Umicevic, Omark verbally confirmed that he would be willing to play in North America without a guarantee of a NHL job.
Considering the season he is currently having, it will be interesting to see if Omark feels the same way this summer as he did last June. Omark currently has 15 goals and 41 points in 43 games with Luleå and ranks second in the SEL’s scoring race. The Overtornea product will turn 22-years-old on February 5th but is clearly unaffected by his limited inexperience or his lack of size as he racks up the numbers in arguably the World’s best pro league outside of the NHL.
Oilers Assistant GM Kevin Prendergast, who oversees player development and scouting, will be overseas in February and has Luleå games high on his to-do list. I spoke with Prendergast yesterday from Shawinigan, PQ where he was set to watch the Cataractes in action on Friday.
“I’m actually heading over to Sweden in the first week of February to watch [Omark] play a couple of games and then hopefully he’s going to be on the Swedish National team for the 4-Nations tournament at home there,” he told me, “He’s taken himself from nowhere on the radar screen to being a pretty good hockey player.”
Prendergast admits that Omark’s productivity this year is a pleasant surprise and extremely impressive considering his age but he's also quick to point out that there is one major drawback to the player as well.
“The negative is that he’s 5’9 and we have a lot of small players as it is right now,” he said, “but when you’re able to score at that level… we have to do our darndest to get a deal done to get him over here and have a look at him in September.”
I’m not the only one who asked Omark last June about his North American plans.
“We never really got into [contract negotiations] but when I explained it to him [last June] I said to him ‘you might have to start in the AHL until you get used to the situation over here but that’s not for sure. If you win a job and the coaches like you then you obviously could start with the big team’ and he didn’t balk at that.” Said Prendergast.
With his offensive prowess going through the roof right now, you can bet Omark will be considering lucrative offers for next season but will that preclude a 2-way deal here?
“The AHL contract, once you throw in the signing bonus, it’s a pretty good contract anyways,” argued Prendergast, “He might be in the minors for a month or two months, if at all, we won’t know until he gets here and see how he adapts to the North American style.”
Edmonton has to have Omark under contract this off-season or else they will lose their exclusive rights to the talented Swede. Here’s a sample of Omark’s recent work for Lulea and when you're done that one look for the other clip called "Zorro vs Brynas" to get another glimpse at his offensive creativity:
Edmonton’s other Swedish pick from 2007 isn’t faring near as well as William Quistis quickly falling off the map for the Oilers.
“Yeah very quickly, unfortunately.” Prendergast stated. “He had a great camp a couple years ago but hasn’t taken one step forward since then so I think it’s fair to say that at this point he’s not longer of interest to us.”
Quist basically wrote himself out of the picture by shunning the CHL twice, an avenue that the Oilers really wanted the project prospect to have taken.
“Absolutely and I went over that again with him when I was over there last year and he turned me down again,” said Prendergast, “That was basically the final straw on whether he had any interest in wanting to play.”
Like with Omark, Quist will become a free agent this summer if not signed by Edmonton but there appears to be little to no chance of that happening.
If you’re part of The Pipeline Show’s listening audience or you’ve been by the blog in the past you may recall that we’ve brought up the name of Bjorn Bjurlinga few times (like here or here). Last year it was hinted to me that the 9th round pick from 2004 might be playing his way into consideration for the 2008-09 season but that obviously didn’t come to fruition. With the recent trade of Mathieu Garon and the impending UFA status of starter Dwayne Rolson it is at least conceivable that the Oilers will either be hitting the free agent market this summer or gutting it out with a pair of rookies in net next year.
But that got me thinking about Bjurling again so I posed the question to Prendergast to make sure the team still owned his rights.
“We do, yes, and he’s another player I have to go and look at because every time we think he’s done and we put him in a grave he keeps crawling out again!” laughed the team exec. “He’s found ways to put his name on the map over there and I watched him play a couple of games last year for Södertälje and I was impressed with him; he was really good. They brought a high profile guy last year into Sodertalje (Buffalo’s Jhonas Enroth) and Bjurling just took the job away from him.”
Sodertalje is the worst team in the SEL this year but some how Bjurling has been able to keep his stats looking pretty respectable. He's playing 3 of every 4 games and has managed a .916 sv% and a 2.76 GAA despite his club’s poor record.
“The down side is that he’s a little older but at the same time a lot of goalies don’t mature until later anyway,” Prendergast said as he weighed the pros and cons, “He’s one of the guys we’re going to look at while we’re over there and we’ll have a talk with him and see what his thought process is too at the same time.”
It would be anything but unprecedented if Bjurling were to make his North American debut next season. Minnesota’s Niklas Backstrom arrived 3 years ago as a 28-year-old and has enjoyed huge success with the Wild. Bjurling is 29-years-old now and seems to be getting better as he nears 30 as opposed to slowing down.
“It’s obviously a scenario that we’re going to have to look at; he’s done nothing to warrant us not talking to him to see if he wants to come over,” Prendergast confirmed. “We have two blue-chippers in Deslauriers and Dubnyk and whether we resign ‘Roli’ at the end of the year or whatever happens, certainly [Bjurling’s] a guy that might come into play for us.”
If Edmonton fails to resign the almost 40-year-old Dwayne Roloson, or simply chooses not to, the team could potential replace him with someone who has been playing pro hockey for the last decade. At the start of the current season, most fans expected the 2009-2010 combination of Deslauriers and a veteran netminder although everyone assumed that would be 31-year-old Mathieu Garon. Would a Deslauriers/Bjurling tandem be that outrageous to consider?
John Motinwas chosen by Edmonton in the 4th round of the 2008 draft in large part because of his strong résumé. He’s played parts of two seasons in the SEL and had made two appearances at the World Junior Championships for Sweden as well. However, Motin was a surprise omission from his country’s U20 entry at the 2009 tournament in Ottawa.
“A very big surprise to all of us to be honest with you because I thought he was in for sure,” admitted Prendergast. “I guess it came down to [Motin] and a player who plays for the coach’s club team and that’s who they took. Johan was pretty upset; he’s playing in the SEL and there was really no reason given to us why they didn’t take him, and now it’s just one of those things where he’ll have to take it as motivation for himself.”
“It doesn’t reflect the way we feel about him because we think he’s a hell of a prospect.”
Motin doesn't have an offensive bone in his body, one point in 40 games this year for Färjestad, and that may have played a role in why he was left off the U20 squad. It’s still somewhat surprising though as it would be almost unthinkable for Canada not to take a player who had 2 WJC tournaments under his belt simply for the leadership he could provide.
Perhaps the snub will be motivation for Motin to come to North America but with another year before their hand is forced, the Oilers might be content leaving him to develop in the SEL until the 2010-11 campaign.
Switching countries, the only Finn in the group is Teemu Hartikainenwho was Edmonton’s 6th round pick at the 2008 draft. Hartikainen has overcome a slow start and is currently enjoying an extended streak of 7 games where he’s registered 8 points in that time span. The 18-year-old now has 13 goals and 3 helpers for a total of 16 points in his rookie pro season with KalPa of the Finnish Elite League.
Hartikainen, who wears the typical goalie sweater #35, is a power forward that led Finland’s U20 team in scoring during the 2009 WJC in Ottawa earlier this month. It was a disappointing tournament for the Finns in general but the Oilers were pleased as punch to see Hartikainen leading the pack with 9 points in 6 games. Overall, the Kuopio native placed 8th in tournament scoring yet was somehow forgotten by his coach when he was asked to name his team’s top 3 players. Oddly enough, Hartikainen also didn't get a single Player of the Game award during the event either.
“It was a surprise but he’s got excellent hands and that’s what I liked about him last year,” explained Prendergast, “His skating has to improve but he works like hell and can finish. Some of the goals that he scored at the WJC were goal scorer’s goals; they weren’t fluke goals. He knows what to do when he’s in close, he knows how to use his body to protect the puck really well and he’s big and he’s strong. The only thing he needs to get better at is his skating but he’s got the perfect mentality to be a NHL player.”
Asked about the slow start Hartikainen has overcome, Prendergast said he was getting the same reports including one from a former Oiler great. “I talked to Jari Kurri about [Hartikainen] when he was here and Jari said the same thing – slow start but with more ice time he’s getting the more he’s producing,” Prendergast said. “[Kurri] says he’s got pretty good hands for a big guy so it all comes down to his skating.”
Other Oiler players have overcome average to below average skating in their youth like Jarret Stoll and Kyle Brodziak so the organization knows that it can be done. To do it though they want to get started ASAP.
“We hope to get him over here this June and get him working with Steve Serdachny,” Prendergast said in reference to the club’s power skating specialist, “I talked to Teemu over the summer and he was all for coming over as early as we wanted him to. I think we have a player there Guy, I really do, but there’s just a ways to go from the skating end.”
That just leaves the three Russians who most fans believe to be as good as done with the organization and nothing I’ve heard recently would counter that opinion. I asked Prendergast directly if any of the three were worthy of consideration anymore.
“Very low consideration,” He began, “We wanted Bumagin to come over last year but he hummed and hawed and then it got a little crazy as far as contract demands so we put him on the back burner. We’ll wait to hear from him, we’re not going to approach the subject again.”
Alexander Bumaginwas a 6th round pick in 2006 after a sensational rookie season in the Russia Superleague with Lada Togliatti. However, his play dropped off significantly the following year for what was described to me as “extracurricular reasons”. I never got the specifics but someone else told me that Bumagin "liked to live the life of a rock star" so take from that what you will. This year Bumagin has all of 11 points after 37 games with Atlant in the KHL.
Of course there is always Alexei Mikhnovwho had a thimble of coffee in the NHL a couple seasons ago before returning to Yaroslavl Lokomotiv where he still plays. Mikhnov has a tradition of hot starts preceding injury and/or prolonged slumps. This year he has 23 points in 41 games.
“Obviously Mikhnov is… he’s been a player that’s been on the radar since the day that we drafted him,” Prendergast offered, “I’ll hopefully get a chance to see him play in a couple of weeks at the Swedish Games and run it by him again and see what his interests are and then at the end of the day we’ll see where we stand as far as contracts are for the big team.”
Finally, in case you were the one person in the world looking for an update on Mikhail Zhukov(Misha Joukov when in Sweden)… you can forget about him.
“Zhukov is not [a consideration] at this point,” Prendergast confirmed. “I saw him in Kazan last year and he seemed pretty content playing in the Russian league. We don’t have any aspiration in chasing him at this point.”
Some fans have emailed me asking about two former Oiler properties in FreddiePettersson and Dragan Umicevic. Pettersson was always a guy I personally liked because he came to Canada to play in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen and he was about as honest a player as you could find. He had a stellar game against the UofA Golden Bears the one fall and impressed Kevin Lowe so much that the former GM approached me about him at a practice one day .
“Keep an eye on #48,” Lowe advised with a wink, “he’s fun to watch.”
Of course I was watching him anyway but it was interesting to see Lowe so openly admiring a prospect like that. In my time around the team, admittedly shorter than most in town (2003), the organization doesn’t really show much excitement over unsung prospects. Patrick Thoresen was another exception the following year.
Anyway, Pettersson left the organization two years after he was drafted. The Oilers were against the 50-contract cap and after an internal debate, Pettersson was deemed expendable as a smaller energy player in a franchise loaded with smaller forwards. He was offered a minor league contract but knowing he could make more money in Sweden he returned home and turned pro.
Pettersson currently has 22 points for Frölunda in the SEL. Although he admitted to having a soft spot for Pettersson and his high tempo, all out style of game, Prendergast conceded that Edmonton was no longer in the Swede's future.
“At this point I would have to say no from an organizational standpoint because of how many players [contracts] we have in the organization right now,” he said. “Freddie’s always been interesting to [the organization] but he’s probably making too much money now for us to put him into the American League.”
Dragan Umicevic, A.K.A "Trogdor" to many in the Oiler-section of cyberspace, has 24 points this year with Södertälje (Bjurling’s team) but his departure from the NHL club seems to have been a little less amicable than Pettersson’s.
“Umicevic’s attitude… I just don’t think he really cares and that’s one of the things that’s always scared me about him,” Prendergast said. “He’s loaded with talent but he doesn’t have that instinct where it was important for him to come over so he shrugged it off every time I talked to him. I would be worried that he’d be one of those guys that would shut it down if he was in the AHL because it wasn’t the NHL.”
If you’re wondering why the Oilers have to sign guys like Omark 2 years after he was drafted and yet the Russians and Bjorn Bjurling are immune to the same rules, I asked Prendergast for the simple explanation.
“Bjurling was drafted in the old system [old CBA] so he’s been on ‘defected status’ but with the new system when Omark was drafted, we only have 2 years to get him signed,” the Assistant GM said.
Outside of Jussi Markkanen, it's been a while since the Oilers drafted a European who made a significant impact for the team at the NHL level. You could go back to 1993 and point out that the team did draft David Vyborny and Miro Satan but even those two blossomed elsewhere. Perhaps one of the four promising players listed above can change all that.
Now that the rosters or camp lists for several of the international WJC teams have been released we can see that Edmonton will be well represented in Ottawa.
Canada's 38-name camp includes Oiler prospects Riley Nash(1st round, 2007) and Jordan Eberle(1st round, 2008). Eberle leads the Regina Pats in scoring with 20 goals and 39 points in 31 games while Nash's season is only 8 games he has managed 5 points. Both have realistic chances to make the squad considering Eberle's previous successes with Hockey Canada and his past chemistry with players like Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchene. Nash had a solid summer camp once he was moved from the wing to his more familiar centerman role and could make for a strong 2-way pivot. Beyond those two players are a couple of WHL stars that originate from around here in Tyler Ennis(BUF 1st round, 2008) and defenceman Jared Spurgeon(NYI 6th round, 2008). Ennis is the top scorer with the Medicine Hat Tigers and despite his tiny frame, doesn't have any trouble producing at the junior level. Spurgeon, the younger brother of Oilers prospect Tyler Spurgeon, is a small two-way defenceman who might be considered a longshot to make this year's Canadian entry.
The U.S. team has no direct ties to Edmonton although one name on the roster might ring a bell with local fans. Danny Kristo(MTL 2nd round, 2008) was a standout for the Americans at the recent 2008 World Junior A Challenge held in Camrose in early November. He was to the U.S. squad in that tournament what Ales Hemsky is to the Oilers - the playmaker who will do laps in the offensive zone, sifting through defenders with the puck on a string until he can either make a dazzling assist or snipe a goal himself. He's young and might not get much playing time in 2009 but he'll be one to watch for all the same.
Although the Oilers were expecting to see their eligible Swedish prospect Johan Motinat the WJC, he didn't make the final roster. However, Slovakia has included Milan Kytnar(5th round, 2007) on their camp roster which will be held in Ottawa in mid December. Kytnar (pictured left) was red-hot to start the year, cooled down significantly for a stretch but currently has 24 points in 30 games with the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL. He managed only 22 points in Kelowna last year in 62 games.
Even the Czech Republic will have a familiar name to Edmonton hockey fans as Tomas Vincour has been invited to the week-long camp that country is having in Brampton, Ontario later this month. Vincour started the year slowly but the 2009 eligible winger has been a force for the Oil Kings over the last month or so and should be a lock to make the Czech squad. Vincour will join Dean Millard and myself on this coming Tuesday's edition of The Pipeline Show to talk about the opportunnity to play for his homeland at the WJC.
Lastly, I haven't yet seen an official list released from Finland but all indications I've gotten on the subject suggest that Oilers prospect Teemu Hartikainen (6th round, 2008) will be in Ottawa as well. The power forward has been playing in the top Finnish men's league all season and has managed to collect 5 goals and 6 points in 26 games for KalPa Kuopio. An Oiler source suggested to TPS after the draft that Hartikainen was a Tomas Holmstrom type of player; a big body who likes to battle in front of the net, get tip in goals are collected rebounds. Going by the photo below taken in August at Lake Placid, I'd say the desciption seems to fit.
Compared to some years when the tournament has been void of either Oiler prospects or players from this area, the 2009 event should be much more interesting for fans to watch. The addition of the Edmonton Oil Kings will only add to that from now on and perhaps there will be some benefit to tickets sales post-WJC for the local WHL club too. Once Tomas Vincour gets on the world stage, it will be interesting to see if local fans take more interest in the second year franchise realizing exactly what has been available to them for the past 18 months.
It's the second year in a row that the Oil Kings will be represented after forward Robin Figren (NYI) turned heads in Prague last year.
Plus one can only speculate but perhaps an 2009 draft eligible player in the tournament will hear his name called out be the Oilers this June in Montreal.
(photo credits: the WHL, the Saskatoon Blades, the Edmonton Journal, Getty Images)
Yesterday, my compadre Dean Millard had an interesting post about how the Edmonton Oilers are calling up the wrong players to cure what ails them in the NHL. I do NOT disagree with him, let's get that clear right up front. However, today I'm going to play Devils Advocate and take the other side of the issue just for poops and chuckles.
You might call Dean the Chewie to my Han Solo, he'd obviously prefer that I use the 'ABBA blonde and redhead' analogy, but suffice to say that when it comes to prospect related stuff, most of the time we agree.
But if I'm going to try and shoot down his 'time to call up Schremp, Brule, Potulny' theory I'll do so by saying this: They might be hot in Springfield but even by AHL standards the top Oiler prospects are extremely... average.
Let me explain.
I've been looking into some stuff, what Dean likes to call 'research', and have discovered that if you took the top scorer from each of the 29 AHL clubs, Springfield's Rob Schrempwould rank 14th for points per game (1.12) and 18th for overall points (18). I don't really like going simply by points because not all teams have played the same amount of games... so can we agree to just go with Pt/G.?
Notable names atop their team list who are scoring at a higher rate than Schremp thus far in the AHL season include Bobby Ryan(ANH) (1.36, 19 points in 14 games) and... well, not anyone else that jumps off the sheet at you. Matt D'Agostino (MTL) is cruising along at a 1.25 Pt/G pace, Cal O'Reily(MIN) is at 1.35 Pt/G, Chris Minard(PGH) 1.42 and league leader Keith Aucoin(WSH) is at 1.48 Pt.G.
Portland is an intersting team to look at. Scoring leader Mark Mancariwas recently recalled by the Buffalo Sabres thanks to his 25 points in 14 games (1.79 Pt/G) yet behind him are two rookies who really do look like something a NHL team can be excited about: Nate Gerbeand Tim Kennedywho have 22 and 21 points respectively or 1.29 and 1.24 Pt/G scoring rates. But they are leading the division so perhaps that's not exactly a fair comparison for the Falcons.
In second place in the Atlantic Division is Providence who Springfield trails by a single point and recently thrashed 5-1. The Bruins have 3 players with more points than Schremp including Johnny Boychuk, a long forgotten bust pick originally belonging to Colorado. But Providence has played one game more than Springfield and three more than Schremp.
Remember Danny Syvret? He's still outscoring everybody in Springfield these days too.
My point is, no one outside of an Oiler fan is likely to look at the AHL stats and come away thinking 'wow, the Falcons have a few guys who really should be in the NHL right now'.
To their credit, the Falcons' best players are hot right now and none more so than Schremp who has 8 points in the last 4 games. Ryan Potulnyhas 7 in that same span while Gilbert Brulehas 5 and Slava Trukhnohas 3.
It's a good thing they have stepped up their production recently; I did this little exercise a few days ago and there were only 2 or 3 teams in the league with a top scorer who had less points than Schremp, meaning instead of 18th he would have been 26th or so.
Bryan Lerg(pictured) has been watching former MSU teammates like Kennedy in Portland and Justin Abdelkader in Grand Rapids get lots of opportunity and have produced as a result. Lerg must have been wondering if he signed with the right organization considering he was right alongside those two players last year at Michigan State scoring at a near identical pace. Lerg has been back and forth to Stockton a couple of times but has managed 5 points in 7 games with the Falcons (5th best Pt/G on the team).
To make a long story short, or at least a little shorter, I do agree with Dean that the time has come for the Oilers to look to the farm for some offensive help. Tim Sestito has been sent back to Springfield, Liam Reddox can follow suit. Schremp and Potulny have been a formidable pairing so far and neither (according to EDM cap expert Rick Olczyk) have to clear waivers to come up so there is nothing standing in the way.
Something has to change. Craig MacTavish has tried just about every line combination mathematically possible but has still not found the spark his team needs. Schremp is hungry, Potulny isn't going to hurt.
It's time to try something new but the Devils Advocate in me can understand why it hasn't been a slam dunk decision before now.
Prospect Notes: 2008 1st round pick Jordan Eberlehad 2 goals and 2 assists in the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge earning Player of the Game honors in Swift Current... Tim Sestitowas the third Stockton Thunder alum to play in the NHL when he suited up against Los Angeles on Wednesday. The first was defenceman Bryan Youngtwo years ago while Liam Reddoxjoined the group last season... Andrew Peruginiis impressing with his play in California for the Thunder. He currently has a .925 save percentage and 2.64 goals against average which rank 15th and 10th best in the ECHL... Swede Linus Omarkis just shy of a point per game having 24 points in 26 SEL games with Luleå. The 21-year-old leads his team in scoring and is tied for 9th in the entire SEL... When Sweden released their 2009 WJC roster earlier this week one noticeable omission was 2007 and 2008 veteran Johan Motin. Motin was chosen by Edmonton in 2008 in part because of his impressive record at international events... Schremp's 17 assists in 4th best in the AHL while Potulny's 10 goals ranks 11th...
“Umicevic’s attitude… I just don’t think he really cares and that’s one of the things that’s always scared me about him,” Prendergast said. “He’s loaded with talent but he doesn’t have that instinct where it was important for him to come over so he shrugged it off every time I talked to him. I would be worried that he’d be one of those guys that would shut it down if he was in the AHL because it wasn’t the NHL.”
