Oilers Prospects Currently at U20 Camps

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With the United States hosting Sweden and Finland right now in Lake Placid, NY and Hockey Canada set to begin their camp in Newfoundland on Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers are being well represented. 6 key prospects are taking part in the sessions for the respective Nation right now, one has already been cut while others are still waiting to get on the ice this week.

One on One: Oiler Prospects and Invites

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Last week the Edmonton Oilers held their annual orientation camp for their prospects and a smattering of un-drafted free agent invitees. As you would expect, The Pipeline Show was there and spoke with a number of players taking part in the 4-day sessions.

On Tuesday, defenceman Troy Hesketh and forward Tyler Pitlick came in studio for an extended 1-hour interview during which the two players answered submitted fan questions.

You would have also heard several one on one interviews that I had with players during Sports Night with Corey Graham and Wil Fraser which airs live from 9-Midnight, Mon-Fri on the TEAM 1260.

Here is what you may have missed...

At The NHL Draft Combine With J.P. Barry

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The prospect world has converged on Toronto this week as NHL teams poke, prod and sometimes provoke the top players eligible for this June's draft. Depending on who you ask, this is either a massive event for a player to make an impression or a minor evaluation process when compared to watching the prospects all year long.

Top 5 Tuesday:Mastercard Memorial Cup

I made the drive from Brandon to Edmonton yesterday, and without a lot to look at I had plenty of time to try and narrow down the 5 things I would take from this year's Mastercard Memorial Cup. The organizers did a bang up job, the rink in Brandon looked very sharp, and while it wasn't the most competitive tournament in recent years, the best team won, which sometimes doesn't happen in a one game showdown. Here now is my Top 5 Tuesday, Memorial Cup style.

Moncton Ruled by Wheat Kings

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The two teams that dropped their tournament openers met on Sunday, the winner would still have a terrific chance of making it out of the round robin but the loser would have a huge hill to climb at 0-2. After an embarrassing 9-3 pounding at the hands of Windsor on Friday, Brandon wanted to prove that they belonged and did so with a 4-0 blanking of the Moncton Wildcats.

Interesting Day For Current and Maybe a Future Oilers Prospect

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Wow. That was pretty impressive.

Do you think I'm talking about Jordan Eberle's near record tying outing at the World Hockey Championship or Taylor Hall's huge statement at the Memorial Cup?

Wheat Kings cruising despite ugly ending to game

The Brandon Wheat Kings took the Regina Pats to the woodshed Friday night, in a 10-2 pounding that was filled with fights. 3 broke out in the final minute and a half. Oilers prospect Toni Rajala notched a hattrick and chipped in with 2 assists giving him 55 points in 50 games, and 16 multi point games this season. The win gives Brandon a 2 point cushion on Calgary and Saskatoon and improves the Memorial Cup hosts to 12-0-1 in their past 13.

The game might prove costly though as Wheat King Mark Stone needed help off the ice after a scrap with Regina's Colton Teubert. This from Luber's Lounge on the incident.

It was an ugly end to the game as Stone was goaded into fighting by Teubert, who followed the winger around the ice despite his team being on a 5-on-3 penalty-kill and was going to be assessed slashing and elbowing penalties before the fight happened.

"Very disappointed and just totally unnecessary and certainly wish that it hadn't have happened...it's just a fight we didn't need," said Brandon GM/Coach Kelly McCrimmon, "We were, I thought, doing the right thing. We had a 5-on-3 power-play late in a 10-2 game and we could have put our big boys out and jammed it down their throat and tried to make it 11-2 or 12-2 but we did what we thought was the right thing and the right way to play the game by putting out the guys that don't get that opportunity as much. I think what happened was very, very disappointing...I can't sugar-coat it, I can't say it any simpler than that, I thought it was really unnecessary."

Somehow, Teubert managed to escape an instigator penalty on the play and what would have been an automatic game misconduct.

The incident so irked the Wheat Kings that Brandon co-captain Brayden Schenn, a teammate of Teubert's on the Canadian Junior Team and a prospect with the same NHL organization (Los Angeles) came across the ice while Teubert was being escorted to the Regina dressing room to give the defenceman his opinion of what transpired.

Earlier this week Guy and I spoke with the voice of the Wheat Kings Bruce Luebke to find out what's going right for Brandon and you can hear that conversation here.

(photo courtesy Brandon Wheat Kings)

Disappointing Finn-ish: Country Fine with Players in CHL

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Finland had high hopes of earning a medal at the World Junior Championship after facing relegation and finishing 7th at last year's tournament but those hopes were dashed by the United States Saturday night. Finland will now face Russia for 5th place on Monday.

Finland had 7 returning players on this year's squad including their top line of Teemu Hartikainen (Edm 2008), Toni Rajala (Edm 2009) and Mikael Granlund (eligible 2010). However the trio, along with the entire Finnish offence was underwhelming.

Farm Report Sept 25

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Like we did all last year, TPS will try and update Oilers fans every Friday on the players in the system who are not on the NHL roster. We'll spend this time to check in with the Springfield Falcons, the Stockton Thunder and add some tidbits on the prospects still playing junior, NCAA or in Europe.

Obviously there isn't a whole heck of a lot to talk about just yet but here are some brief things to take note of.

- The Springfield Falcons dropped their first exhibition game by a 3-2 score. The Providence Bruins built up a 3-goal lead and the Falcons nearly completed a comeback but fell short of the finish line. The top line for Springfield in the game featured Adam Henrich, brother of former Oilers 1st round pick Michael Henrich. Riding shotgun on that line is minor league journeyman Bryan Lundbohm and former Alberta Golden Bears star Dylan Stanley.

Back in March I threw out the idea that with Rob Daum behind the bench, maybe a few former UofA players might get a look on the farm and low and behold, there are a couple down there right now. Stanley notched a goal and an assist against Providence.

- The Falcons cut 8 players from their camp and are currently at 30 skaters and 4 goalies. Obviously they'll get a few more bodies once the Oilers make another round of reassignments but the AHL club is trying to get down in their numbers as they prepare for opening night on October 3rd. Springfield takes on Worcester tonight and then hook up with Providence again on Saturday.

- Former Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Tim Kunes was a free agent invite to Falcons camp. The defensive defenceman played the last four years with the Boston College Eagles but was not signed by the 'Canes and is now a UFA. He was a player on the radar for the Oilers during the 2005 draft where he eventually was selected by Carolina in the 5th round. Kunes was one of the players dropped from Springfield's camp yesterday.

- At the junior level, Milan Kytnar is expected to make his 2009-10 WHL debut tonight as the Saskatoon Blades host the Edmonton Oil Kings. Speaking of the Blades, it's interesting to note that the two players Edmonton invited to rookie camp are off to another great start; Burke Gallimore has 3 goals and 5 points while captain Derek Hulak has 4 points, both have +4 ratings. Saskatoon has played two games so far.

- Philippe Cornet told me at rookie camp that he's really trying to have a strong start this season so he'll get that invite to Canada's WJC camp in December. So far so good - he's got 6 points in 3 games with his new club Rouyn-Noranda.

- Netminder Olivier Roy is unbeaten in regulation time so far. It's only 3 games and he has just one win but Roy's dropped a pair of games in overtime/shootout including a marathon 11-shooter session with Moncton. Roy's GAA isn't great at 3.16 but his .914 save percentage is a big jump up from his previous numbers.

- Finnish forward Toni Rajala is now skating in Brandon but is not expected to be game ready for a couple of weeks. Rajala left Edmonton with the Oilers as they flew to Winnipeg for their exhibition game against Tampa Bay on Thursday.

- One college note as it was announced today that Jeff Petry has been chosen by teammates to be one of the co-captains at Michigan State. Petry is entering his junior (and probably final) season at MSU and is clearly a guy looking to rebound from a tough year where he was overused by head coach Rick Comley. During the summer I spoke with Petry about last year and he was quite candid with his thoughts; you can hear that conversation in this segment from TPS.

Top 5 Tuesday: WHL Rookie Imports

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OK... so I started making my list and before long I had gotten way past 5 notable Euros playing in the WHL, this could easily have been a top 10 list. I've decided to narrow the group to only those Euros who are making their WHL debut this year so that's why guys like Milan Kytnar, Stepan Novotny and Tomas Vincour are not going to be mentioned here.

My list is an interesting cross section of nationalities with one obvious exclusion - Russia. In my opinion this lends even more credibility to my idea to change the annual 6-game CHL/Russia series into a CHL/World series but that's an argument I've made before.

Here are my top five WHL import rookies for 2009-10.

5. Alexander Urbom (SWE)

Urbom is a 6'4, 216 lb Blueliner from Sweden that is expected to play for the Brandon Wheat Kings this year. I say expected because I believe that he is still taking part in his NHL training camp with the New Jersey Devils. The Devils selected Urbom in the 3rd round this past June after a season in the SEL with Djurgardens. His profile at eliteprospects.com reads:

A big and strong player. Urbom is more of a stay-at-home defenseman that likes to play physical and usually has good timing in his hits. Positioning is good. Leads the team with his solid play in the defensive zone. Contributed offensively to some extent in the Swedish juniors, but is likely to become more of a shut-down guy. Offensive smarts and technical skills are fairly average.

4. Sergei Drozd (BEL)

I first saw Drozd play last Fall during the World Junior A Challenge in Camrose when he represented Belarus and went under the first name of "Siarhei". He's an average sized forward but in that tournament he showed a lot of skill and passion. He was, in my opinion, the best player on the Belorussian squad. Drozd ended the tournament with 9 points in 5 games, finishing second in overall scoring behind eventual tourney MVP Mike Cichy (MTL).

Drozd went unselected during the 2009 NHL Draft despite playing 11 games in the KHL with Minsk. He has joined the Tri-City Americans this season and picked up two points in his first outing over the weekend.

3. John Persson (SWE)

The Red Deer Rebels were pleasantly surprised during the preseason by their Swedish import as he put up terrific numbers. After Finnish defender Tommi Kivisto started hot but faded last year, I think there is tempered optimism in Red Deer that Persson can be an impact player for the Rebels this season. He's listed at 6'2 and 190 lbs so size isn't going to be an issue for him but as always there will be concern in regards to being able to last for a full North American season.

Red Deer head coach Jesse Wallin described the Swede early in training camp by saying:

"He's a big guy, he skates pretty well, and he's got good hands for a big man. So far, so good. He looked good this afternoon, and got adjusted to the game in North America. He mentioned the size of the ice a couple of times, thats a little different for him. He's looked good so far."

2. Toni Rajala (FIN)

He was one of the real wildcards during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and he's already being considered one of the steals after Edmonton selected him in the 4th round. The tiny Finnish forward will get a late start thanks to a summer knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines during both WHL and NHL camps. A healthy Rajala has the potential to be a dominant junior player as he set a new scoring record at the World U18 tournament last spring in Fargo, ND.

I saw Rajala in attendance at the Oil Kings home opener on the weekend and Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal is reporting that he will finally head to Brandon on Friday. Eliteprospects.com has this to say:

A good skater that accelerates well. Rajala has good puck skills and is a creative player. He has a scorer's touch and puts up points on regular basis. On the downside, he needs to bulk up and become stronger.

1. Nino Niederreiter (SWI)

Switzerland has been slowly growing as a hockey nation and has made NHL inroads wtih goaltenders and blueliners but forwards are still a work in progress. Nino Niederreiter hopes to be somewhat of a pioneer in that regard as he brings his game to North America with the Portland Winterhawks.

The talented forward put up 34 points in 30 games last year playing for Davos in a U20 league. The scoring success has followed him early this season as the Swiss product collected 3 points in Portland's opener against Seattle on the weekend. Niederreiter should be a lock for that country's entry into the 2010 WJC in Saskatoon and thanks to his WHL choice this year, he should be accustomed to playing here and will be poised for a successful tournament.

The Winterhawks picked Niederreiter 2nd overall in the CHL Import Draft and although that's an event based more on deals with agents than it is a selection of the best players, thus far the Swiss kid appears to be covering the bet.

Rajala on the mend - Novotny impresses:update

I had a chance to speak with Finish forward Toni Rajal today. The 4th round pick from 2009 hasn't been on skates this week at rookie camp, but says he could be back on the blades in 2-3 weeks. Rajala injured his knee 5 weeks ago while playing for the national team in Slovakia. He will leave for Brandon in about 5 days and join the Wheat Kings. You can hear my interview with Rajala tonight on Global Edmonton Sports.

I'll also have a feature story on Stepan Novotny who's impressed Oilers management through 3 days of camp. If he plays well in the 2 games this week he could earn an invite to main camp. Novotny, who is a camp invite after getting passed over in the draft will return to Kelowna for another WHL season. The Oilers have until September 30th to sign him to a contract or he will head back to next year's draft.

Update: Rookie stories will likely air Friday on Global in light of Mike Comrie signing with the Oilers.

Wheat Kings Loading Up??

The Brandon Wheat Kings made a move today they hope pays off before the puck drops on the Mastercard Memorial Cup.

Brandon dealt 18 year old goaltender James Priestner and a 5th round conditional draft pick to the Prince George Cougars for a 3rd round 2011 bantam pick and the rights to 19 year old defenceman Aaron Ness who is currently a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

I say for now, because the Wheat Kings are obviously hoping Ness comes North and join them as they host the Memorial Cup this year.

The 2008 2nd rounder of the New York Islanders has never to my knowledge indicated he's looking to leave the Golden Gophers, so on the surface this seems like a long shot for the Wheat Kings, but Kelly McCrimmon is widely known as one of the smartest and shrewdest GM's in the league so don't be surprised if it does actually happen.

Just like I wouldn't be surprised if the Schwartz boys also at some point end up in the Wheat City. Brandon owns Rylan's rights and could trade for Jaden's from the Tri City Americans. Right now Jaden is planning to play for the Tri City Storm of the USHL. I've heard he will not play for the Americans but would consider the Wheat Kings. TPS spoke to Jaden Tuesday night and ask him about Brandon. His response was expected and you can listen to it here but the rumours of this happening just won't go away. Rylan is slated to attend Colorado College this year, while Jaden is supposed to follow suit next season.

Throw in Swedish defenceman Alex Urbom and the possibility of Oilers draft pick Toni Rajala suiting up in the WHL's most eastern club and Brandon could be a very interesting team this year. However, for all of the above to happen, a lot of things have to fall into place at the same time, which would be about as rare as a Loch Ness Monster sighting. Wheat King fans would settle for an Aaron Ness sighting.

Oiler Prospect Update

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Yesterday I was asked by a fan of the Brandon Wheat Kings if I had an update on the status of Finnish forward Toni Rajala.

The forward was picked up by the Wheaties in the CHL Import Draft and at last report, the club was working on freeing him from Ilves so that he could join them as they begin their season as Memorial Cup host. A knee injury threw a wrench into the works but fans have been left wondering where the talented winger will end up this year.

According to Brandon's website, it looks like it will be with the Wheat Kings... eventually. In a release today that proclaims Brandon's other Euro to be on his way, there is somewhat of an update on Rajala's status.

While Urbom is expected to arrive by the weekend, Brandon’s first pick of the CHL Import Draft will soon be on his way to the Wheat Kings.

18-year old Finnish born right-winger Toni Rajala was originally expected to fly with Urbom to Brandon on Friday but due to a knee injury sustained this summer at an Under 20 Hockey Tournament in Europe, the arrival of the Edmonton Oilers’ fourth round draft choice has been delayed.

Rajala will also attend Oiler camp but is not expected to skate thanks to the knee injury. Officially listed as 4-6 weeks.

Oil Kings Coming to Camp

Yesterday I spoke with Oil Kings head coach Steve Pleau during my 3-hour guest host job on Edmonton Sports Night Live (Corey Graham, TEAM 1260). During our conversation I made reference to the two players who have ties to NHL clubs (Brent Raedeke with Detroit and Tomas Vincour drafted by Dallas). According to Pleau, two Oil Kings have been invited to rookie camp with the Oilers - forward Brett Breitkreuz and netminder Torrie Jung.

Breitkreuz scored 19 goals and had 55 points last year with the Oil Kings. He'll be one of Edmonton's three 20-year-old players this season and will be counted on to play a big role with the team.

Tampa Bay opted not to sign Jung so his rights were up for grabs again and no one has claimed him either through the draft or as a free agent. I am quite surprised by that considering his performance last year and especially down the stretch and in the playoffs. If Jung plays at the same level again this year he'll definitely earn a pro contract from someone.

Both players will report to Oiler rookie camp but that's no guarantee of staying longer for main camp let alone earning a contract from the big club.

Also coming to camp is Saskatoon Blades forward Burke Gallimore. He's an Edmonton native and quite frankly I was surprised that he went undrafted in June after scoring 26 goals and 53 points as a WHL rookie. The Oilers will have a small window of opportunity to claim his rights after he attends their camp by signing him to an entry level deal. Sounds crazy but considering the entry level deal doesn't hit the books until his WHL days are done, it's basically like drafting him in September. Detroit did it with Brent Raedeke last year and the Vancouver Canucks recently did it with Kellan Tochkin after their prospect camp this summer.

Trukhno Back

Earlier this summer I reported that there was some concern in Oilerville in regards to prospect Slava Trukhno perhaps staying in Europe this year. I have recently learned that Trukhno has now officially committed to returning to North America where he is almost certainly headed for Springfield in the AHL for a third consecutive season.

Trukhno was a 4th round pick in 2005 and appeared to have a lot of offensive potential. after 96 and 102 point seasons in the QMJHL, Trukhno has definitely struggled as a pro; He had a respectable 35 point rookie season thanks to a red-hot 3-week stretch at the end of the year but followed that up with only 25 points last year. He's battled injuries but this will be a crucial year in Trukhno's career. A step ahead will earn him another contract but if there is no progression he may simply go unqualified next summer.

O'Marra to Finland?

A poster at HF claiming to have inside knowledge suggested that forward Ryan O'Marra is considering options to play in Finland this year.

Appearently O'Marra is practising with the Finnish team JYP for a couple of weeks, getting to know the organization and city and of course vice versa the organization sees if he is up to the level they need. After that O'Marra heads to the NHL-camp. So basically it's either NHL or JYP (if he convinces the organization/ is convinced by the org.)

I have little information on the subject at this point but this is what I can say. I can confirm that O'Marra is indeed in Finland right now and has been to both Helsinki and Jyvaskala but whether he's there scoping out a potential team to play with or simply on vacation I do not know. My attempts to reach the player directly have thus far failed.

The "insider" at HF earlier speculated that:

I also saw he's got one year left of his contract with the Oilers. Perhaps the Oilers just release him, but there's a slight chance Oilers and JYP (the team is rumoured to go) are working on a some kind of loan-contract here.

I have checked with a source within the Oiler organization who claims that this is all news to him and that there has certainly NOT been any sort of discussions with JYP (or anyone else) to loan O'Marra to them for the 2009-10 season. At this point, O'Marra is expected by the Oilers to be at camp and play for the Falcons in the AHL if he should not crack the NHL roster (and at this point that seems rather far-fetched).

I will update if/when I learn more on the matter.

Oilers rookie camp opens the week of September 7th and will feature games against the Vancouver Canucks and the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

Rajala Injury 'Doesn't Sound Good'

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The recent news that Oiler prospect Toni Rajala was injured at a U20 event came as a blow to fans of not just the NHL club but of Finland and the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Details on the incident are sketchy at best but I spoke with the Oilers recently and was told that it's a very serious knee injury. How serious won't be known likely until Monday when the player's agent gets the results of the MRI that has been done.

The report from Iltalehti.fi out of Finland was that Rajala was hurt during a game against Switzerland. That is contradicted by what I was told today by the Oilers.

"We're still waiting to hear [details] but I guess he got tackled in practice and hurt his knee. He got a MRI done [Friday] and we haven't been told how bad it is but it didn't sound very good," said the team source.

Perhaps he was hurt in practice, gave it a go in the game and simply couldn't perform? Whatever the case, it's obviously not good news for the young man who was looking forward to beginning his WHL career in a few weeks with Brandon. Not only will this setback affect the start of his season but potentially much longer.

"This might [screw] him up for the whole year, it sure didn't sound good the way they were describing it to us."

That said, it's important to keep in mind that early impressions aren't always accurate. Last year Zack Stortini proved that fact after landing awkwardly on his ankle and simply missed a few games when most thought after the incident that he'd be out long term.

Once the MRI information is released then the Oilers and Wheat Kings will have a much clearer indication of where things sit in regards to Rajala's injury and expected rehabilitation time.

RFA Signings Expected Soon

According to NHL.com, the Oilers have five RFAs left to get under contract. However, one of the five players listed there is Colin McDonald who was signed by the club more than two weeks ago.

I'm told that deals for Gilbert Brule, Ladislav Smid, Rob Schremp and Ryan Stone are progressing nicely and that none of the negotiations are expected to drag on much longer. All players should be at camp.

Rookie Tourney

Last year's 3-team rookie tournament held in Camrose involving Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver has not completely been scrapped this year as originally reported. It will however been altered as the Flames have dropped out and have been replaced by the UofA Golden Bears.

I'm told that the UofA will host the Canucks on Wednesday September 9th at Clare Drake Arena. Edmonton will then square off with Vancouver in Leduc on the 10th followed by the annual Golden Bears vs Oilers rookies game at Clare Drake on Friday the 11th. The UofA website corroborates this information.

This is good news for those who enjoyed the Camrose sessions last year and for guys like Dean and I who are going to be all over it for TPS (and I guess Global Sports too).

Another Springfield Signing and Camp Invites

Last week the Falcons announced the signing of AHL scorer Colton Fretter, a 24-goal man last season with the Portland Pirates (BUF). Fretter is a former Michigan State teammate of Bryan Lerg and was a 8th round draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers back in 2002. In his first pro season he scored 36 goals in 51 ECHL games with Gwinnett.

"We were looking for another top 6 forward because we probably would like to have eight of them to stay away from the injury bug," Kevin Prendergast told me recently. "He's not flashy or anything but he knows how to score."

And with that signing you can expect that the Falcons are basically done with their off season talent hunt. Alex Giroux resigned with Washington/Hershey so he is off the table.

"We're done. The one thing we are missing is a tough guy [up front] but we're going to have two or threes guys come to [Springfield's] camp on tryouts and see if we can get one out of that," said Prendergast.

Matt Nickerson was signed earlier this summer but he's penciled in for a blueline position 9if he even makes the AHL team) so Prendergast would like bolster the beef quotient up front. One of the confirmed invitees to Springfield is Ryan Hand, a 6'1 180 lb knuckle-chucker out of the LNAH. Hand had 252 PIM in 2007-08 with St. Hyacinthe.

Mike Sgroi is also expected at Falcons camp. Sgroi is a 6'5 230 behemoth that dressed for 6 different pro teams in 2008-09. The 31-year-old originally hails from Toronto but has been living out of a suitcase playing for 20 different teams in the last 10 years.

Wednesday Re-Set

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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.

Rajala Hoping To Join Wheat Kings

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Just got back from Oilers development camp where I spoke to 2009 4th round pick Toni Rajala. You can watch the story from Global Sports HERE but here's a few tidbits: Rajala wants to play in Brandon this year (the Wheat Kings drafted him in the import draft) as he really wants to play in the Memorial Cup.

It was interesting that he was sitting beside Jordan Eberle in the dressing room as they might be rivals this winter if Rajala does end up in the Wheat City. Obviously at 5'10" and 163 pounds he needs to get bigger, but he's speedy and shoots to score, which as a left handed right winger is good news for the Oilers. Rajala's favorite players are Martin St. Louis and Patrick Kane, and they are guys he tries to play like.

Guy and I will have quite a bit of stuff from Rajala and others tomorrow night on The Pipeline Show, 7-9 PM MST on the TEAM 1260 in Edmonton or online here and here.

Who's Who at Prospect Camp

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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.

Oiler in Memorial Cup for 2nd straight year

The CHL import draft is underway, and while the Edmonton Oil Kings aren't overly concerned without a pick in the first round, their parent club the Oilers were watching closely.

When the number 14 selection rolled around the Red Deer Rebels decided not to use it, but rather wrap it in a paper airplane and sent it across the prairies to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The day began when Brandon general manager and head coach Kelly McCrimmon acquired Medicine Hat’s first round pick (44th overall) in exchange for a sixth round bantam pick in 2011 or a flip of first round Import picks in 2011.

The Wheat Kings then traded that pick as well as 20-year old veteran Nathan Green to the Rebels in exchange for the fourteenth overall selection. With that pick, Brandon took the 5’10” 163 lb. Rajala
So with the 14th pick, the Wheat Kings grabbed Finish scoring sensation Tony Rajala. If that sounds familiar, it's because the Oilers just selected him in the NHL draft over the weekend. To read a complete review of Rajala and others click here. While it would have been nice to see him quite often here with the Rebels or down highway two in Red Deer, it should mean - barring a trade or injury - that he'll get to suit up in The Memorial Cup this May as the Wheat Kings are hosting it. However it will depend on the contract status of Rajala in Finland. To me though getting a chance to get used to North American hockey and play on a big stage should be enough to bring him across the pond. If it happens It will mark the second straight year an Oilers prospect has played in one of The Pipeline Show's four majors, with Phillipe Cornet skating with Rimouski last year.

Edmonton Oilers 2009 Draft Review

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Make no mistake about it, it's a new era in Oilerville. A new GM, a new coaching staff and a draft that saw Edmonton do some things they haven't done in a very long time.

Edmonton entered the draft armed with 7 draft picks including a pair of third round bullets but lacked one in the 5th round. The team made two trades during the event; the first was moving roster player Kyle Brodziak and their 6th round pick to Minnesota for 4th and 5th rounders. The second deal was short and sweet - they gave Ottawa their 7th for the Senators' 6th in 2010.

Here is a review of the draft from an Oiler perspective with comments from Head Scout (Amateur), Stu MacGregor.

Edmonton went into the draft with the same assumption a lot of people did; that the top 8 was pretty much set with John Tavares, Victor Hedman, Matt Duchene making up the 3-man vanguard, Evander Kane and Brayden Schenn the next two forwards to go followed by a combination of Jared Cowen, Pääjärvi-Svensson and Dmitry Kulikov.

After several attempts at putting my glass to the wall, I had a pretty good indication ten days ago that Edmonton had narrowed it down to about 5 players who they felt would reasonably still be available when their turn came around. Forward Nazem Kadri was one but my hunch was that there wasn't a strong consensus from the staff on whether he would be the Best Player Available. There were three defencemen in the mix led by USHL rearguard John Moore with Swedes David Rundblad and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the conversation. I was led to believe that Brandon forward Scott Glennie was considered a "wild card" who might move higher up 'the List' when the organization got back together again in Montreal.

My sense was that by the time the draft was about to get underway, the Oilers had eliminated the two Swedes from serious consideration and that Kadri probably wouldn't be available leaving them with Moore and Glennie sitting neck-and-neck with equal value to them. The only difference between the two players being that the franchise is arguable more in need of a scoring forward than a top-3 defenceman making Glennie their man.

The draft began as expected, aside from Toronto not being able to trade up, but that changed once the top 5 were gone. When Phoenix selected Ekman-Larsson that essentially pushed one of Edmonton's top 8 down to the number 9 position and one spot closer to them. With Toronto taking Kadri, Edmonton's table must have been smiling because now they knew they were definitely going to get a player they really valued highly. Dallas surprised everyone taking Glennie in the 8th slot which guaranteed Edmonton would be looking at 2-3 of their top-8 players. Ottawa's selection of Jared Cowen cinched it; With both a forward and a defenceman who they didn't expect to still be available, Edmonton did as they would have with Glennie VS Moore and chose the forward.

Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson (LW) - Timrå Red Eagles (SEL)
Norrköping, SWE Shoots: Left
Height: 6'1 Weight: 201 lbs

The Oilers had not used a first round pick on a player based in Europe since 2002 (Jesse Niinimaki) but when the picks proceeded and MPS was amazingly available for them, Edmonton had no choice but to take him.

According to the player when he was on The Pipeline Show a couple of weeks ago, his name is pronounced "Pa-Jar-Vee" or even more like "Puh-Jar-Vee" when you hear him say it. In their combine interview the Oilers asked Pääjärvi-Svensson what he'd like his name bar to say on the back of his sweater when they drafted him and he told them "Paajarvi" which is also the way he wore it in Sweden.

Interestingly enough, "Pääjärvi" comes from his Finnish mother but unlike French-Canadian players such as Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, the Swede opts to drop his father's last name for the back of his jersey. It may or may not mean anything but I like the choice for two reasons: (1) He's the child of separated parents so this may be a nod to his mother and (2) he's playing in Sweden and sporting a Finnish name on his uniform... is that ballsy? I don't know but I like it anyway.

Pääjärvi-Svensson is an electrifying player who has speed, hands and charisma. Given a year or two, and he won't be coming to North America before the 2010-11 season, he could make for a great match with Ales Hemsky. Who Edmonton might squeeze in between them is another story.

Oiler fans will get their next chance to see Pääjärvi-Svensson up close in international action at the 2010 WJC in Saskatoon/Regina. He'll definitely be the headliner for Sweden as that country attempts to stop Canada's quest for 6 straight gold medals.

One of the things the Oilers feel really good about with their Swede compared to the others taken in round one is that, outside of Hedman, he may be the most physically mature. While the other five first round picks all weigh between 175-190 lbs, Pääjärvi-Svensson has cracked the 200 lb plateau.

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As the first round continued and defenceman John Moore continued to be available, Edmonton began kicking tires to see what it would take to move up into an area where they might be able to take him. Moore is a player that Oilers Assistant GM Rick Olczyk knew well from his days spent in the Chicago area where he actually coached the defenceman at a younger age. It's my sense that Moore was very likely 10th on Edmonton's list, just behind Glennie, so if they could have found a way to get back into the first round, they would have. As it turned out, the asking price was a later pick in round 1 and they simply didn't have one so they watched with envy as former Oiler Scott Howson came away with another player Edmonton valued. (Maxim Mayorov in 2007 was another).

There was hope as round two began on Saturday morning that the unpredictable order from Day 1 would continue. Erie Otter Ryan O'Reilly is a player the Oilers would have been excited to select in the 40 spot but he went quickly to the Colorado Avalanche. Carl Klingberg, Alex Chiasson and Chris Brown were also players who I had the impression that Edmonton liked to a certain degree. When their turn came around again, the Oilers went back to Sweden and added another forward.

Anton Lander (C/LW) - Timrå Red Eagles (SEL)
Sundsvall, SWE Shoots: Left
Height: 6' Weight: 194 lbs

The first thing you'll notice is that Lander and Pääjärvi-Svensson are teammates and that quickly had some fans jumping to the conclusion that it played a major role as to why Edmonton chose him. Not so according to Stu MacGregor who chalks that up to simple coincidence.

"That just.. happens to be," said Edmonton's head scout, "It wasn't something that we focused on. Does it hurt anything? No. They played together before and played together growing up and that will obviously help them as they try and make the transition on their way to the NHL."

The more I hear about and read up on Lander, he's reminding me a little bit of a Swedish version of Jarret Stoll who, coming out of junior was considered a heart and soul, glue-in-the-room kind of player. Lander was the captain of Sweden's U18 squad in April and could very well be wearing the same letter at the 2010 WJC this coming winter.

Asked what Lander's current areas of weakness might be, MacGregor offered up the usual response but insisted that there is no concern about them either.

"Like every player at that age he has to improve his skating and strength but that's where his game has continued to evolve in his attempt to become a second line center," said MacGregor, "Anton is the kind of guy that provides skill and that character and drive."

It should be noted that during our ISS Draft Preview this past Tuesday, we asked head scout Mike Oke to suggest a player who might fit the boom/bust category and Lander was the first player that he mentioned. On the flip side of the coin, we asked Pääjärvi-Svensson a few weeks ago to name a couple Swedes he felt were being overlooked as the draft got closer and not surprisingly the first name out of his mouth was that of his buddy and teammate.

The selection of Lander represented the first time in their history that Edmonton's first two picks went to players based outside of North America. The only other year where European born players went 1-2 for Edmonton was 1999 where Jani Rita was followed by Alexei Semenov who was playing in the OHL for Sudbury. Tony Salmelainen was Edmonton's 3rd pick that same year.

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With two forwards in the bank I suspected that Edmonton would begin to look more towards a blueliner for their next pick, the first of two chances in round three. As round two unfolds, big rearguards like Brian Dumoulin and Taylor Doherty are snapped up soon followed by Brayden McNabb in round three. Edmonton's desire to get bigger and look to the blueline leads them to take a player not even among the 210 North American names on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking.

Troy Hesketh (D) - Minnetonka Skippers (MN-USHS)
Minnetonka, Minnesota USA Shoots: Left
Height: 6'2 Weight: 178 lbs

The reaction from fans online was instant and venomous as their team dared select players they, as fans, had no familiarity with:

"What an absolutely atrocious pick with guys like Rajala and Roy still on the board. Massive fail." suggested a Hockey's Future Message Board member calling himself "doulos".

"Who the [heck] is Hesketh??" was the basic sentiment from several other fans.

Despite the non-ranking by Central Scouting, Edmonton's Stu MacGregor insists that his team wasn't the only one on the hunt for Hesketh in this draft.

"He was a player that after the draft was done, other guys were coming up to us and saying 'you guys snuck one here!'" said MacGregor. "New Jersey runs their own scouting combine and we knew that they'd had him in there and a number of other teams were on the radar for him right around that area so we knew we had to step in there and get him if we wanted him."

Hesketh has good size, put up 21 points from the back end in 25 games with the Skippers but is definitely considered a long term project because he's only just wrapped up his grade 11. He's still got another year of high school hockey ahead of him but is expected to then attend Wisconsin, one of the more respected NCAA hockey programs in the United States.

"Wisconsin has been recruiting some of the finest defencemen in college hockey over the last number of years now and they are extremely excited about him as a player," said MacGregor, "His brother and father are both much taller than he is so we think there is still some physical development to come."

He's a big 6'2 right now but could conceivable sprout up two or three more inches and get into that behemoth range.

"Mike Peluso, our scout in the Minnesota area, has an extreme passion for him," MacGregor said, "He's a projection player and we're really excited that a little over a year from now he'll be playing at Wisconsin and developing under their fine coaching staff there."

I have also seen reports that suggest Hesketh isn't due to arrive at Wisconsin until the 2011-12 season which would mean an extra year at a lower level.

Some fans will wonder about the fact that Central Scouting didn't have him ranked if in fact he's such a hotly sought after prospect. According to MacGregor, there have been "many" players over the years who have been drafted without being rated by CSS and it's not something the Oilers are worried about.

The last year that Edmonton drafted anyone directly out of the ranks of US high school was 2005 when they selected Robby Dee and Chris Vande Velde from Brock and Moorhead respectively. Taylor Chorney came out of prep school Shattuck St. Mary's that same year.

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As their second pick of the 3rd round approached the Oilers wondered if players like Ryan Howse or Ryan Bourque might still be available. Neither were but the latter may very well have been the name called had New York not swooped in two picks ahead of them. Instead of Ray Bourque's son Edmonton latched onto a player who they believe might one day fill a role on the team that they don't currently have many prospect lined up to do.

Cameron Abney (RW) - Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Aldergrove, BC Canada Shoots: Right
Height: 6'4 Weight: 192 lbs

The online reaction didn't get any better for the Oilers when they selected the tough guy from the Silvertips. I'm sure even Everett was pretty surprised that Abney was drafted ahead of Canadian U18 forward Byron Froese and WHL rookie scoring champ Kellen Tochkin (who somehow went completely undrafted).

"This isn't even funny." typed 'ThePerfectStorm' at HFboards.

"Wow, just an epic fail on the draft today. I am so pissed." echoed 's7zark'.

"I wanna kick a baby. In the 3rd round man? 4 points? Really? I am not a happy man right now." seethed 'Sethis'.

There was a 70-point gap between Kellen Tochkin and Cameron Abney in the Everett scoring race and 66 minutes n penalties between them too. The big winger only appeared in 48 games for the 'Tips in 2008-09 but recorded 103 PIM during that limited time. His fight highlights are already making their rounds through the Oiler fan blogs but still many supporters of the club are unhappy with the use of a third round pick on someone many would categorize as a "goon".

"Right now he's a specific role player but he's a player with the potential to be more than that," suggested MacGregor. "He's a big kid that has grown a lot in the last two years so he's still getting his feet under him. Bob Brown really believes in him and thinks he's got some potential and again, he's another player where guys from a lot of other teams came up to us afterward to say 'hey he's someone that we were looking at'."

Obviously his skating hasn't yet caught up with his growth spurt but that's not to say that it won't provided Abney puts in the work.

In order to try and gauge exactly where they rate Abney right now, I asked MacGregor if the Everett forward reminds him of Zack Stortini (a 3rd round pick in 2003) and where he may have been during his draft year with Sudbury.

"I think Zack was a bit ahead of him at that point," said MacGregor, "[Abney] was hurt at the beginning of the year and didn't get a lot of playing time so maybe a year from now he'll be closer to moving in the same lines as Zack [in junior]."

Cameron Abney, who some have already tabbed as 'Bam-Bam Cam', is the first Everett Player that Edmonton has owned the rights to.

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Edmonton made their first trade of the day sending Kyle Brodziak and their 6th rounder to Minnesota in exchange for 4th and 5th picks. The impact of that deal wasn't lost on Oiler fans who quickly realized that moving Brodziak left Edmonton with only one player on the roster who appears to have the ability to win a faceoff. Clearly a need which will have to be addressed via free agency or trade in the very near future.

An interesting and somewhat prophetic comment over at HF from 'Soli' read "Redeem yourselves with 101... Roy... Rajala... Someone I've heard of..."

However, first Edmonton announced their player with the 99th selection and I'll admit, this is a player that I am finding more and more intriguing as I unearth more information about him.

Kyle Bigos (D) - Vernon Vipers (BCHL)
Upland, California USA Shoots: Right
Height: 6'5 Weight: 230 lbs

This is a player that did actually come up in a pre-draft conversation that I had with an Oiler source but it was masterfully downplayed as just another interesting player as opposed to someone on the radar.

Bigos has come a long way in a very short period of time. I had a conversation early today with Vernon GM and head coach Mark Ferner and he helped shed some light on the gigantic blueliner. According to the coach, last summer Bigos was denting the scale at 250 lbs but dedicated himself to dropping some excess weight and getting into better playing shape so that he could potentially attract a NCAA scholarship. Like Dustin Byfuglien in the NHL, once he shed some pounds he became a much more effective player. He committed to Merrimack of Hockey East and is set to join the Warriors in 2009-10.

Coach Ferner spoke very highly in regards to the development in Bigos' on-ice performance over the last couple of years and told me that two years ago he was getting grilled for even having him on the team. Now though, Ferner and the Vipers are laughing all the way to the bank... or at least to the RBC Cup.

Vernon captured the RBC Cup this year and in the process Bigos was named both the Top Defensive Player and the MVP of the event as well. Bigos only scored 8 times during 58 regular season games but he struck for an absolute beauty in the RBC Cup title game against Humboldt. The game story from Hockey Canada says:

Bigos capped off an MVP tournament with an MVP-style goal late in the third, undressing three Broncos and tucking the puck around LaRochelle for the insurance marker.

"He's an extremely big guy but he skates pretty well for such a big guy," said MacGregor, "Shoots the puck well. His play really rose up as the playoffs went along for Vernon and was a huge factor for them winning the Royal Bank Cup."

Thanks to a terrific season Bigos started getting a lot more NCAA interest with programs trying to get him to jump ship from Merrimack but apparently he's stayed loyal to the Warriors.

"All the big schools were trying to get him to default but he stuck to his guns and said 'they were the ones who believed in me when I wasn't a highly regarded guy and I'm sticking with them' said MacGregor. "He's going to play against all those top teams in Hockey East and Merrimack's program is doing nothing but going on the rise."

Coach Ferner informed me that he'd been contacted by about 15 NHL teams in regards to the big blueliner so the Oilers certainly were not the only interested party.

Bigos is the first native Californian that Edmonton has drafted since former Edmonton Road Runner defenceman Jason Platt in 2000.

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A lot of Oiler fans had been screaming two different names at their TVs and computer monitors since the third round and finally, with the 101st overall selection their unconventional prayers were answered.

Toni Rajala (RW) - Ilves Jr. (FIN-Jr.)
Parkano, Finland Shoots: Left
Height: 5'10 Weight: 163 lbs

If you wanted the Oilers to forget everything else and simply draft a guy for his skill and offensive potential, then you were happy when they chose the leading scorer from the World U18 tournament. The diminutive Finn broke Alex Ovechkin's U18 scoring record by collecting 19 points in Fargo, a total that was 4 points beter than anyone else in the same event.

Rajala fell in the draft simply because of his stature; his talent stuffed into an averaged size body would have been picked in round 1. Every team in the league looked past him but eventually the potential outweighs the risk of a blown pick and for Edmonton that was with the 101st selection.

"That's it exactly," agreed MacGregor, "You can't keep passing up players that have the hockey instincts and [abilities] to create the offence that he has. A lot of smaller players are playing and guys like Nate Gerbe are finding a place and with his high skill level and intelligence I think he's got a really good opportunity."

If you're small in the NHL then you'd better be a good skater and MacGregor confirms that speed isn't a major concern for their new Finn.

"He's quick, he's not going to race you and beat you up and down the ice but he's quick in small space and gets in and out of dangerous areas quickly because he's so agile," he explained.

So he's small like Tony Salmelainen but doesn't have that same breakaway speed. So is there another Oiler property that he might have a similar skating style too?

"He's like [Jordan] Eberle in a 20 foot space where he darts in and out."

Rajala would have to be considered as close to automatic as it gets in regards to the 2010 WJC. After his U18 performance where he outgunned top 2010 prospects Mikael Granlund and Teemu Pulkkinen, Rajala will likely join fellow Oiler prospect Teemu Hartikainen in Saskatoon/Regina.

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With the disgruntled section of the fanbase slowly coming back on board the bandwagon thanks to the Rajala pick, Edmonton sets its sights on adding a netminder to the organization. Edmonton doesn't currently have a goalie under the age of 21 so picking one up this year is considered, to some degree, a priority.

In all of the conversations I had leading up to the draft I could not determine if there was one goalie that had set himself a part from the pack in any way. By the start of the 5th round most of the well known keepers were gone but Edmonton product Kieran Millan may have been in Oiler sights until Colorado intervened and took the BU freshman. In the end, Edmonton got a keeper with big potential and also further satiated the bloodlust of any disappointed fans.

Olivier Bellevance-Roy (G) - Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
Amqui, PQ Canada Catches: Left
Height: 6' Weight: 165 lbs

At one point early on in the year there were people who suggested the Cape Breton goalie was easily the #1 netminder for 2009. He and the Eagles got off to a screaming start before coming back down to Earth but he ended the year much like it began - on fire.

"He's not the biggest of goaltenders but he's a very competitive guy," MacGregor started, "We did some follow up on him and to us he was a guy who seems to have some real potential."

He's average height at 6' but coming in at only 165 lbs does sound extremely small considering Rajala is 163 lbs and described by many as 'tiny'. Roy went 35-12-3 this season and sported a 2.89 GAA and .905 save percentage. That's the 5th best GAA and SV% in the QMJHL amongst starters.

Roy is one of four goalies that have been invited to Hockey Canada's Summer Development camp, the first step in an attempt to play in the 2010 WJC for Canada. He is the youngest and smallest of the four invited netminders but will be channeling Dustin Tokarski's aura as a recent Canadian starter who was sub-6'.

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Edmonton didn't have a 6th rounder as they moved it to Minnesota along with Brodziak. The Wild used that option to select Red Deer goalie Darcy Kuemper.

The Oilers were holding onto their final pick, a 7th rounder, and considered using it should a local product like Levko Koper still be available. Although Edmonton native Burke Gallimore ended up going un-drafted, Edmonton decided to flip their 2009 7th to Ottawa for their 2010 6th which is just a simple case of proper asset management.

With the draft officially in the books it was time to check in on the cyber-fanbase at HF:

"Sweet. Was the scouting staff drunk for the third round only? Maybe they were reading their list upside down or something. The guys we got in the 4th/5th should've been the ones we got in the 3rd. But who cares, we got 'em!" said 'ThePerfectStorm'.

"Man, EDM is putting on a clinic this draft!! MPS, Rajala, and Roy were all huge steals..." praised 'T-Cage;

Perhaps the best post as the draft wound up was this one by the always witty 'Mowzie':

"So if we just re-arrange the numbers, are we all happy with the draft at this point?

1st- Svensson
2nd- Lander
3rd- Rajala
4th- Roy
5th- Bigos
6th- Hesketh
7th- Abney"

I think he's got a point, that would have pleased many of those who were grumbling along the way.

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The Oilers entered the draft with 7 picks, they chose 7 players, added a pick for the 2010 draft but also parted ways with capable utility forward Kyle Brodziak. Two defencemen, both big to very big, an intriguing netminder and four forwards - 2 skill, one 2-way/character and one ruffian.

A little bit of everything including plenty of ups and downs for the fanbase.

(Photos Courtesy: ESPN, Vernon Vipers and Edge Photo, NHL, Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson, Everett Silvertips, Sportsline.com, and Getty Images)