Oilers Rookie Camp Day 2-Kytnar update

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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.

The Great Perugini!

OK so maybe he's got the name of a magician but Andrew Perugini's greatest trick has come on the ice with his solid play which has in turn earned him a pro contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

Maybe. Depends on who you ask I guess.

News today from Sarnia where the head coach of the local OHL club has been quoted talkng about how his goaltender has signed with the Oilers. You can read that article here. Coach Dave MacQueen is quoted saying all the right things; about how the Sting are happy for Perugini and how they had a hand in helping him realize his lifelong dream of playing pro hockey.

There's no reason for coach MacQueen to say anything different because he's right. Although Perugini spent the vast majority of his career with the Barrie Colts, he ended it in Sarnia playing behind Steve Stamkos and company. And, like in the picture above, has apparently done just enough to make a great save... but instead of a puck, this time he's snagged a contract.

Or has he? Noticing a lack of announcement from the Oilers I placed a call and was told that while there has been discussion about doing so, no formal announcement can be made yet about signing Perugini. (pronounced with a soft 'g' like a the genie in a bottle).

So what's going on here? Sarnia's coach is talking openly aboutlosing his starter, someone he would have welcomed back as an overage tender this year, but the Oilers can't confirm that they've signed him yet?


Seems odd to me but hardly unprecedented is it? Remember Cody Wild and Bryan Pitton? We told you about those signings several days before the Oilers made it official, in fact I think we even had Wild on the show talking about joining the Falcons before the NHL club confirmed it.

Suffice to say, I'm more than confident that it's a done deal but the fact that the official word from the team is silence... isn't that big of a surprise to me.

Speaking with Dean Millard earlier today we were debating on where Perugini fits into the big picture. Where will he play assuming he doesn't go back to Sarnia as an overage goalie?

My first thought was that they'd rotate he and Bryan Pitton between the starting job in Stockton and the back up spot in Springfield behind Devan Dubnyk. That way one would always be playing while the other was at least practicing at the AHL level with AHL shooters. You could switch them out on a regular basis so that they could both get ample playing time, but the negative to that is all about the travel. It's not like Stockton and Springfield are close to each other, it is a cross continent trip.

Dean came up with the idea of keeping Glenn Fisher in Springfield as Dubnyk's saftey net and having both Perugini and Pitton in Stockton playing exactly half the games each. The downside being that should Dubnyk struggle, you're relieving him with a goalie most have come to think of as the lowest guy on the depth chart (Fisher).


It will be interesting to see how the team handles it, especially considering some think they will test the waiver wire with Jeff Deslauriers (not my opinion but one other media guys have mentioned).

Can the organization just sever ties with Fisher now that he's on a 100% minor league contract? I don't know for certain but that would be another way to clear the log-jam.

Interesting times ahead.

Workin' For A Livin' Part 2

A couple of weeks ago I updated everybody on the list of prospects who were traiing in California with Oilers fitness coach Chad Moreau. I've had a chance to talk with a couple of the players just to get a sense of what it was like, how long they were there, who may have come and gone and which vets were down there too.

Most of the prospects from the list (Dubnyk, Schremp, Paukovich and Rohlfs) arrived around the 12th of May. Two players went down earlier than that; Alex Plante was the first to arrive and may have been the last to leave and Ryan O'Marra opted to go 10 days earlier as well because of a planned family vacation after the 14th.

Plante, who missed most of last season due to injury, has really dedicated his off season to building strength and improving his skating. With Karl Alzner now signed by Washington and overage players like Ryan Gillan and Dan Mercer leaving the team, Plante will be counted on to return to his top pairing role with the Calgary Hitmen. It's also a season where at its conclusion, the Oilers will have to decide to either sign or release his rights so clearly there is a lot at stake for the Brandon native. One source told me that Plante spent a full 3 weeks in California which should give him a great leg up come prospect camp next week.

A knee injury hampered O'Marra's training schedule last year and he had an admittedly below average training camp in September as a result. The forward completed his 8-day session and then left for his vacation with the full approval of the organization. O'Marra will be in Edmonton next week for prospect camp.

Goaltender Bryan Pitton also joined the group in California arriving sometime after the 14th.

Veterans who were taking part in the training sessions included Ethan Moreau, Shawn Horcoff, Raffi Torres and New York Islander farmhand Kip Brennan.

Training typically last 2-2.5 hours a day with only Tuesdays and Sundays off.

Pitton' Ink to Paper

The Pipeline Show has learned that a contract between the Edmonton Oilers and goaltender Bryan Pitton is as good as done.

One source told me today that the paperwork is all done and that it's just a simple matter of the player scratching his name on the bottom line to salt the agreement away.

That said, expect a formal annoucement from the Oilers in the next week or so. A bit tongue in cheek there but TPS did publicize both the Cody Wild and Pitton ATO signings several days before the organization was heard from.

Pitton was Edmonton's 5th round selection back in 2006. This past season he was an OHL All-Star while a member of the Brampton Battalion where he put together a 22-13-2 record in 39 games (sidelined with a high ankle sprain to start the year). He had a 2.54 GAA and .911 SV% during the regular season and improved both of those in the playoffs where he posted 1.80 GAA and .938 SV% in Brampton's first round loss.

It would seem most logical to slot Pitton into the Stockton Thunder line up for 2008-09 but it remains to be seen what will be done with netminder Glenn Fisher who played there this past season for the Oilers. Fisher's entry level contract expires at the end of June but there are those in the organization who would like to bring him back, perhaps on a 100% minor league deal.

Pitton will be in Edmonton in June for the Oilers summer prospect camp.

Pitton Goes Farming

It's come to the attention of The Pipeline Show that netminder Bryan Pitton will join the Springfield Falcons in the middle of this week.

Pitton's club team, the OHL's Brampton Battalion, were upset in their opening round playoff series against the Barrie Colts. The Colts beat Brampton by scores of 3-1, 3-2(ot), 2-1(ot) and 2-0 while only dropping the third game in the series by a lopsided 5-1 score.

Pitton, despite only getting one win, had the 5th best goalie stats (amongst starters) through the opening round ahead of the goalies from Belleville, Sault Ste. Marie and Sarnia who combined for a 12-1-1 record. The Brampton keeper went 1-2-2 but had a stellar 1.80 goals against average and .938 save percentage through the first round.

The Pipeline Show has learned that Pitton will join the Springfield Falcons on Tuesday but it is unclear at this time if he will see any action or even dress. Currently, Springfield co-starter Jeff Deslauriers is in Edmonton leaving Devan Dubnyk to carry the load. Stockton Thunder goalie Glenn Fisher has been recalled but may return to California to rejoin his club in the midst of their own playoff drive.

This will be an interesting summer for Pitton who must be signed by the Oilers before June 1st or he will return to the draft pool and be up for grabs again. Pitton was an OHL All-Star this season after helping lead Brampton to a second place finish in the league's Eastern Conference.

Recently on The Pipeline Show Oilers GM Kevin Lowe admitted that post season performance would factor into Pitton;s future with the team.

"We're monitoring his play in the playoffs quite closely to see if he's a player that we're going to be interested in signing," said Lowe.

Clearly if there is competition for what, at this point, liely be the Stockton Thunder job next season it would come down to Fisher or Pitton. Fisher is nearing the end of his contract and it would seem probable that if he is back with the organization next year it may be on a strictly minor league deal so as not to overload the 50-contracts rule with goalies. It is conceivable that Pitton would be asked to do the same but in my opinion, that is less likely.

For more on this story, Bryan Pitton will be a guest on The Pipeline Show this coming Tuesday night.