~ With the WHL trade deadline now officially in the books, the Edmonton Oil Kings look considerably different than they did just a couple of weeks ago. In all, GM Bob Green executed three deals between Christmas and the deadline which has seen 4 assets (all players) on the way out while a potential of 9 pieces are coming back his way.
Is the team better today than they were two weeks ago? Certainly not. Is the organization better off because of the choices Green and his staff have made? Almost definitely. Did the team do enough or were there more deals that should have been completed? Debatable.
~ The WHL trade deadline is now just 5 weeks away and big names have started to move around the league as teams make their final roster alterations for the second half run.
There aren't many teams that can be considered 'out of it' - perhaps only one in fact, but if they don't turn their season around in a hurry, the buzzards will start to circle the Oil Kings looking to pick the meat from their bones.
I recently had a chance to speak with GM Bob Green and tried to take a pulse of the team.
Last week the Oilers signed Torrie Jung to an amateur tryout contract because they didn't have a back up goalie when Nikolai Khabibulin went down in the afternoon.
What the LA Kings did today is even more peculiar, and terrific for one of their prospects. The Kings drafted Brayden Schenn 5th overall last June, and tonight he'll suit up with them in Vancouver after signing a one day contract with LA. The timing is perfect as Schenn was in Victoria last night for the Subway Super Series on Rogers Sportsnet.
Rich Hammond has more on what this could mean down the road for Schenn here, which may ultimately be bad news for his junior team the Brandon Wheat Kings - hosts of The Memorial Cup this year - and Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship this December in Saskatoon/Regina.
The Portland Winterhawks sit 2nd in the WHL's U.S. division and 3rd in the Western Conference overall, and today traded their number one goaltender Kurtis Mucha to the Kamloops Blazers for a 4th round pick. The Hawks are enjoying a rebirth on and off the ice this year, and Mucha was a big reason why as far as I was told, but this deal allows them the ability to add an overage skater. The Hawks only fly through Edmonton once, and when they did I was impressed. Portland Head Coach/G.M. Mike Johnston must have a ton of faith in 19 year old Ian Curtis, who's appeared in 12 games with a 7-3 record, a 3.33 GAA, and a .905 save percentage. Portland also has 17 year old Mac Carruth out of Minnesota to plug in between the pipes, but one has to wonder if either of them are up to the task of carrying the team into the playoffs.
For Kamloops, Mucha gives them a credible last line of defence, which is clearly needed for a team that's given up 122 goals this year, the most of any WHL team. That they only gave up a 4th round pick for the Sherwood Park pipeman doesn't hurt them at all. This trade is interesting for a few other teams as well. Will Seattle send 20 year old Prab Rai who has 13 goals and 25 points in 24 games to their U.S. division rivals? Recently Guy thought out loud about the Oil Kings dealing Torrie Jung. It's a thought I've heard from a few other people as well. If the price is a mid round pick, is it worth trading the most important position on your team for a 4th round pick? The Oil Kings might be able to get away with it because they have Cam Lanigan waiting in the wings to take over from Jung. But it will be very interesting to compare the Blazers and Winterhawks the rest of the way.
~ One person's misfortune is another person's big break as Edmonton Oil Kings netminder Torrie Jung has found out.
With Edmonton Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin unable to dress tonight for the NHL team's tilt against Chicago, the local club has signed Jung to an amateur tryout and so he'll back up Jeff Deslauriers.
It might not be the NHL debut that anyone expected for Jung but he'll take it. He not likely to see a second of action but it will be quite the thrill for him regardless of his relegation to the bench.
Jung was exceptional for the Oil Kings during the 2008-09 campaign and I suggested earlier this year that if he was simply as good as last season, the team would be in great shape. I added that if he took a natural step forward with another year under his belt and his play also reached another level, that he could legitimately challenge for the title of top goalie in the WHL. Unfortunately, he's not the top goalie in the WHL this year and one could argue that, although he has played well, he hasn't reached the same bar that he set so high last year (Stats).
Illness has played a factor on some nights and so has a tougher early schedule but I'm not the only one wondering out loud whether the Oil Kings might entertain thoughts of dealing their marquee player before the trade deadline.
~ So every week we come up with a new list of things that fall into a nice neat category. This week I'm doing something a bit different in just throwing out 5 topics that I've been mulling over as of late. With luck, you'll find them interesting enough to leave some feedback on.
Grab a coffee and get comfortable because this will be a long one... here goes.
5. Top Prospects Game Rotation
The 2010 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects game is being held in Windsor this year. I am not 100% sure of the criteria of how the host site is selected; do teams bid on it like they do the Memorial Cup? If so it's certainly not as public. I think it's probably a bit more behind the doors negotiating for the event. Edmonton hosted it in 2008 a season after their return to the WHL and I get the sense that there was more than a little politics involved. I'm not trying to suggest that the eventual host does anything wrong, I just would prefer to see the site decided a little bit more in the open than it is now.
The fact that the big game is in the OHL for the second consecutive year bugs me a little bit too. Oshawa hosted the 2009 Top Prospects Game so why shouldn't the 2010 edition be in either the QMJHL or the WHL? The Memorial Cup is rotated every year from one CHL league to the other... why can't the Top Prospects Game follow suit?
why not spread the big events around if you possibly can? I think it's unfortunate that there isn't a third national event to go with the Top Prospects Game and the Memorial Cup so that each of the three CHL leagues would be hosting something special each year. Perhaps Hockey Canada could host the December World Junior Camp and play their exhibition games in the territory of the league that isn't involved with either of the other two showcase spectacles.
Maybe the three CHL leagues could do away with their own All-Star games (the WHL doesn't have one anyway) and instead play a small 3-team round robin at some point during the year? I'd watch that for sure! I know at one time there was something similar but that was before my exposure to junior hockey so I'm not well versed in what used to be done. Someone feel free to explain/describe how it went and why it was scrapped.
4. The Pipeline Channel
Recently I was trying to find some NCAA hockey coverage on the NHL Network (the actual reason I even added the channel to my particular subscription package) but came up out of luck. I've been able to track down only one listing for NCAA hockey games being shown in Canada this year... so THANK YOU to the Big Ten Network! (if someone else has, please direct me to a link for the info).
Anyway, it got me thinking: Would there be a TV audience to justify an all-hockey prospects channel? The levels to be covered would be junior, major junior, NCAA, CIS and minor pro.
Between that many leagues there would be at least one live game a night and on the weekends it would be nearly wall-to-wall coverage of live hockey that apparently isn't being shown (at least in Canada) to a wide audience.
Here in Western Canada we get a WHL game of the week on Shaw TV which is great... if you happen to be a subscriber to Shaw Cable, like me. However, I see ZERO games from the OHL or the QMJHL. Nothing of the NCAA (despite the fact that 25% of the players in US college are Canadian), zip for the AHL and only the gold medal games are shown from events like the RBC Cup, World Junior A Challenge or the World U18s.
Are you seriously telling me that there is an audience for "Cosmopolitan TV" and a half dozen cooking/life style/shopping channels but an all-hockey one wouldn't work? If it's an expense thing, I might be able to buy that but there is at least an in-rink feed for games in most markets and all teams (except the PEI Rocket) have radio deals... couldn't something be done there? A ton of NCAA games are shown in the States, would it be that costly to tap into those feeds?
I assume there are much bigger issues here than I am aware of, someone fill me in if I'm missing something. All I know is, I'd like to see a Kitchener/London game, the Beanpot, North Dakota hosting Minnesota, Springfield taking on Manchester... and I CAN'T.
3. Will Edmonton Move Torrie Jung?
A couple of months ago I floated the question as to whether or not the Oil Kings, at some point, might consider dealing their 2008-09 MVP. As far fetched and unlikely as it sounded, I specified that I would only consider it if the team was clearly not a contender and was failing to live up to its top-5 potential. Well guess what? The WHL trade deadline is now 7 weeks away and the Oil Kings currently hold down 10th place in the 12-team Eastern Conference.
There have been several reasons why the Oil Kings have struggled through the first couple of months this year. Injuries hit early, hard and frequently as several starters went down with different hurts including a few concussions. The blueline was especially hit hard and there were nights when 6 healthy bodies were hard to find so 16-year-olds were brought in for temporary relief. Then, like many teams, the flu bug had its way with the locker room. Unfortunately for Steve Pleau, his injury riddled roster meant a bunch of guys had to play sick. Add to injury and illness the fact that the team had played the toughest schedule through September and October... and it's like the perfect storm. Hence 10th place in the standings.
And yet the question is relevant and has to be asked. Might the Oil Kings best serve themselves in the long run by dealing Torrie Jung?
Can they live without him? Well it would obviously be harder without your starter but considering back up Cam Lanigan has played very well in his 10 starts (.901 sv% and 3.16 GAA), perhaps he's shown enough that he can shoulder a heavier workload. It would make sense that a goalie would come back in the deal so it's not like 16-year-old Laurent Brossoit would have to be rushed into service.
Things could change between now and the deadline but if the team simply plays .500 hockey...
If now isn't the time to consider dealing Jung, I wonder when that time will be (if ever)? Have the Oil Kings have already decided not to move the goalie and that simply making the playoffs is good enough this year? Will Portland shop 20-year-old Kurtis Mucha and might that affect the market for Jung? All things to think about.
I had a conversation earlier today with a long time WHL personality who suggested an overage netminder like Jung might only fetch a 4th round pick, maybe a 3rd at best. That said, would it even be worth it for the Oil Kings to trade him? considering the playoffs are much more likely with him that without... I'm thinking "No".
2. CHL Traditions
Sometimes we take flak for talking as much NCAA hockey on the show as we do but Dean and I have always felt that it is our NCAA that helps set us apart from other radio shows. Dean grew up in Brandon so with North Dakota just over the border, he's had exposure to the NCAA version of the sport all his life. I haven't so I'm still enjoying the NCAA game from afar and ever year I get more and more intrigued. I'm to the point now that I'd much rather fly to see a Michigan game at Yost or see the Badgers at home than I would fly to a WHL game in Regina or Kamloops.
Don't get me wrong, I love the WHL but I'm also very eager to take in the NCAA experience. I've spoken with a lot of Canadian players who have chosen the college route and when I ask them why, it almost always comes back to the impression that was made on them when they took in a game. I recently made reference to a fine write up from Ryan Lambert at Puck Daddy where traditions around NCAA hockey is detailed. I did some internet exploring for more examples and came away with some interesting video clips like the simple "c-ya" chant Michigan fans give an opposing player taking a penalty... Wisconsin crowd dancing... Cornell's extensive guide and list of traditions, and in rink fun (example one and two).
I spent an hour watching various You Tube clips of fan chants, songs and rituals and came away with one question: Why are there no traditions at games in the CHL?
I made some calls and checked with guys who have followed junior hockey longer than I have and in the WHL, I've witnessed only one ongoing tradition and have been told about 3 others, 2 of which no longer happen.
The one I have seen and heard first hand occurs in Red Deer. As the crowd quiets and awaits for the start of the national anthem, a fan from section N clearly yells out the last name of the visiting team's starting netminder...eg; "Flaaaa-mmminnnggg!" to which the entire crowd responds with a hearty "SUCKS!!!". It's funny but it lasts 5 seconds and then it's done.
I'm told the Spokane Chiefs have used the same goal celebration song for several years and so I checked on You Tube and sure enough...
Not bad but not equal to the standard set by the NCAA crowds.
The Portland Winterhawks used to be welcomed to the ice by P.A. announcer Dan Folwick who would issues a rousing "Here come, the Hawks!". Unfortunately, Mr. Folwick has since retired leaving long-time WHL people like Kelowna voice Regan Bartell to take notice
"It just seemed odd when the Hawks entered the ice surface last night and Dan's big voice saying "Here come the Hawks' was no where to be found."
Regan would also remember when the crowd in Kelowna would shout "Guard!" at the end of O'Canada (..."we stand on GUARD for thee..."). Much like Dallas Stars fans do with "stars" during the Star Spangled Banner, Rockets faithful turned it into a salute for Kelowna goalie Kelly Guard. He's since turned pro and the tradition ended with his junior career.
And that's it. If you have seen or heard of others... please list them in the comments section.
The difference? Obviously the fact that the NCAA game is played in front of a large student body makes a huge difference. The party atmosphere is instantly created by the well lubricated students... but that's a good thing.
The CHL rinks I have visited have crowds comprised of families and people of all ages so you don't get that same party atmosphere. In Edmonton for example, the marketing of tickets sales is largely directed at families and so you end up with half of your 5000 tickets being held by fans who can't get into a PG-13 movie. Some people might find what the NCAA crowds do to be annoying or silly but I'd gladly take organized chants and opposing goalie harassing over the "air guitar cam" for the 10 and under crowd at Oil Kings home games.
Is it possible that Americans just know how to enjoy live hockey more than we do up here in Canada? Are we just stuck in "we know the game and just concentrate on watching what happens" so much that we can't have fun while we do it? Canadians go to hockey games to be entertained, Americans seem to go knowing ahead of time that they are a part of that entertainment. Big difference.
1. Would Taylor Hall be Carolina's Choice?
I know all the 2010 talk for the last several months has been about the Taylor Hall Sweepstakes, his is the name mentioned by message board fans of NHL teams that are struggling in the standings. I'll agree that he'll probably go first overall but I don't know that he would be every team's target if they somehow hit the podium first.
NHL Central Scouting released their rankings today and Hall was not the top OHL player. It's not the first time I've seen another name at the top and in my opinion, should the Carolina Hurricanes end up with that 1st overall pick... I'm not convinced that Hall would be their guy either. I think it would be Tyler Seguin.
Seguin got off to a very hot start, he's cooled off a bit but for a while, he led the OHL in scoring. Hall has since past him by but Seguin's first impression in his draft year will stick with scouts. The Ontario native has 36 points in 18 games, he's missed 4 games due to injury, yet still leads his team in scoring by 9 points.
Seguin was on our show a few weeks ago and he talked about how great the Plymouth Whalers organization is from top to bottom. It might sound a bit like a conspiracy theory but the owner of that OHL franchise happens to also own the Carolina Hurricanes and it wouldn't be the first time that the pipeline between Plymouth and Raleigh was used.
2008 2nd round - Zac Dalpe (C) Penticton Vees (OHL rights... Plymouth) 2008 4th round - Michal Jordan (D) Plymouth 2007 5th round - Chris Terry (LW) Plymouth 2007 6th round - Brett Bellemore (D) Plymouth 2004 8th round - Jonas Fiedler (RW) Plymouth 2001 4th round - Rob Zepp (G) Plymouth 2000 2nd round - Tomas Kurka (LW) Plymouth 2000 4th round - Jared Newman (D) Plymouth 1999 6th round - Damian Surma (LW) Plymouth 1998 3rd round - Kevin Holdridge (D) Plymouth signed UFA - Chad Larose (RW) Plymouth
Call me crazy but as of right now I won't be surprised to see Tyler Seguin taken 1st overall by the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
~ Remember that list of free agent hopefuls the Edmonton Oilers brought in to take part at their rookie camp? I told you that there was a small but exclusive window of opportunity for the NHL club to sign any of those players to prevent their rights from reverting back to free agent status. Well, today is the day.
I've already gone on record with my opinion that Edmonton should make use of the chance to sign Kelowna's Stepan Novotny. For the sake of interest I thought I'd check in with how the rest of that list of invitees has been performing thus far in the junior season.
Goalies
Kris Lazaruk - As far as I know he has yet to find a team to play for this season but he's too old to play junior any longer so it's probably a ECHL gig at best now for him.
Kurtis Mucha - Returned to a much-improved Portland squad, he'll either be a hotly sought after commodity for a WHL contender or a key piece in the Winterhawks return to respectability. Either way, as an overager I think he can be singed at any time by any other team now... but I could be wrong (I'll check but if you know, leave it in the comments section.)
Torrie Jung - In the same boat as Mucha, Jung is back with the Edmonton Oil Kings and is already off to a flying start after 4 games. He has a 2.21 GAA and a fantastic .937 save percentage. He's faced an average of 33 shots a night so it's not like he's been sleep walking his way through so far.
Defence
R.J. Anderson & Jesse Dudas - Both players moved on to AHL training camp with Springfield but failed to crack the roster. I have not heard if they have hooked up with anyone else.
Dmitri Kostromitin - He played with Montreal last year but is with Rouyn-Noranda this season (along with Oiler prospect Philippe Cornet). After 5 QMJHL games the 6'3 Russian has 6 points.
Dalton Prout - One of the guys who actually made it through to main camp, Prout has since returned to Barrie in the OHL. Not surprisingly, the defensive defenceman has yet to register a point after three games.
Adrian Van de Mosselaer - Back with the Oil Kings and has yet to record a point after 4 outings.
Forwards
Oil Kings Michael Burns and Brett Breitkreuz are back with the WHL club. Burns is pointless but Breitkreuz has collected 3 assists in 4 games. Jeff Lee failed to earn a AHL contract in Springfield camp and has moved on to UNB to begin his CIS career.
Derek Hulak and Burke Gallimore got off to a terrific start in Saskatoon; After 4 games, captain Hulak has 5 points while local boy Gallimore has 6 points. Oiler prospect Milan Kytnar is pointless since his return to the WHL.
Stepan Novotny - He scored 5 points on opening night in a 6-5 shootout loss to Vancouver but then failed to hit the score sheet in Kelowna's next outing. He's back on track now though and has 9 points in 4 games, 1 point behind the league's scoring leader.
Jordan Skellett - Another guy off to a hot start is the Saginaw Spirit forward who has notched 8 points in 4 contests. The 5'11, 203 lbs winger has 7 assists.
So a few of the invitees are out of the gates very well. The Oilers made it clear to me that they probably wouldn't be signing any of these players though because of how many contracts they were carrying at the time. Of course since then, Rob Schremp has come off the books and freed up a spot. Liam Reddox is currently on waivers...
I still hold to my belief that the Edmonton Oilers would be wise to try and sign Stepan Novotny. Not doing so won't me they can't draft him next summer but it does mean that they won't be the only team in the running for him. Yes he went un-drafted this year but if he can continue on his current pace, he'll not only get selected but he'll be snapped up before the weekend is half over.
I ask you: what's better asset management... drafting Novotny in the 4th round of the 2010 Draft or signing him now and using that same pick on someone else?
~ The Edmonton Oil Kings did not start off the 2009-10 season the way they had hoped but instead suffered a 4-2 loss to the Calgary Hitmen.
The Oil Kings actually took it to the visitors throughout the first period and certainly looked like a team that was ready to take the league by storm. On the other side of the coin, the Hitmen were awful in the opening 20 minutes; horrible in their own end, virtually no offensive chances and they looked very sluggish.
Edmonton got things started with a goal 4:01 into the game when a pass was redirected behind Martin Jones (LA) and into the Calgary net. Tomas Vincour (DAL) got credit for the goal even though is intended cross-crease pass to Dylan Wruck was tipped in by a sliding Brandon Kozun (LA).
The Oil Kings top line of Vincour (RW), Brent Raedeke (C) and Wruck (LW) was terrific in the opening frame and provided the team with most of their best scoring chances on the night.
Ben Wilson evened the score for Calgary in the second period and that's how it would stay until the final six minutes of the game.
The Hitmen took their first lead of the night when sudden sniper Tyler Fiddler scored his fourth goal in two nights - he only notched three all last year. The lead was short lived though as Brent Raedeke (DET) suprised Jones with a long wrist shot that beat him high on the glove side. However, the tie didn't last long either and was broken by Ian Schultz (STL) who scored a weak one on Torrie Jung.
Schultz's eventual game winner was only followed by an empty netter from Kozun.
The host side held the lead in shots on net for most of the game. The tally was 12-5 in the first period and then 10-8 for Calgary in the second. In the end the two clubs both recorded 25 shots on goal.
It got a little bit scary for the Hitmen in the third period when not one, not two but three players went down to serious looking injury and all within the span of about a minute. forward MacKenzie Royer was beaned in the face by a teammate's clearing shot... from about 5 feet away. The Ian Schultz was helped off the ice after being low-bridged by Adrian Van de Mosselaer. Finally Cody Gross took a point blast in a tender spot while standing in front of the net.
The injuries seemed to have a positive effect on the Hitmen who rallied to take the win, Schultz scoring after returning from his own minor injury.
After the game I spoke with new Hitmen Head Coach Mike Williamson (now 2-0) as well as Ian Schultz. You can hear those post game interviews by clicking on their names in the sentence above.
On the home side, I also chatted with head coach Steve Pleau, netminder Torrie Jung, forward Brent Raedeke and new captainRhett Rachinski. You can hear all of those post game comments by clicking on their respective names as well.
As I told both coach Pleau and Torrie Jung afterwards, I wonder if the goalie is a bit rusty. Jung never played a single pre-season game for the Oil Kings because he was waiting for rookie camp with the Edmonton Oilers. Yet he also didn't dress for a game with the NHL club so the regular season opener was Jung's first game of the year. He played very well but would definitely like that 3rd goal back - a shot that beat him through the 5-hole. Both Coach Pleau and Jung answered that question.
Edmonton's next game is a road game in Kootenay to play the Ice on September 23rd. Calgary returns to action on next Friday in Medicine Hat against the Tigers.
Royal Tidbits: 20-year-old Garret Thiessen has found work with the Prince George Cougars and not with the BCHL club in the same town. In exchange for the veteran blueliner, the Oil Kings will get a very late draft pick - like a 12th or 13th. Last draft Edmonton stopped making picks in the 10th round so this is basically a deal just so that a good kid can join a club that needs him, at least for a while...
Rhett Rachinski was named the team captain on Friday. #22 Tomas Vincour, #9 Brent Raedeke and #29 Brett Breitkreuz were all given Alternate Captain 'A's...
Not a real surprise but Keegan Lowe has opted to wear the same number 4 that his father wore as an Edmonton Oiler defenceman during his NHL career...
during the TEAM 1260 pregame show with A.J. Jakubec and Kent Simpson, I went on record prediciting a 5th place Eastern Conference finish for Edmonton (a bit pie-in-the-sky), Torrie Jung as team MVP and that T.J. Foster was my breakout player of the year with 20 goals...
(Photos Courtesy: Edmonton Oil Kings, Andy Devlin, WHL)
~ The Edmonton Oil Kings have quietly made some more cuts as they prepare for the start of the 2009-10 season this Saturday against the Calgary Hitmen. There has been no official release from the team but The Pipeline Show has learned that the team has gotten down to the three 20-year-olds that they will begin the year with and have also sent a couple other players out of camp.
I'm told that defenceman Drew Nichol has won the final overage roster spot and that the team has sent fellow blueliner Garret Thiesen back to the BCHL where he will play with the Prince George Spruce Kings.
Netminder Laurent Brossoit has also been cut from camp but I was not able to ascertain where he will actually end up yet - the team maybe looking for a new home for him as we speak. The 16-year-old had a good camp but his WHL career will really begin next season after 20-year-old Torrie Jung has played out his eligibility.
With Jesse Pearson still a scratch due to concussion symptoms carried over from last season, the Oil Kings are down to 7 defencemen. Mark Pysyk, Tyler Hlookoff, , Adrian Van de Mosselaer, Henrik Tervonen, Braeden Laroque, Drew Nichol and 16-year-old rookie Keegan Lowe.
With Colton Stephenson also sidelined with concussion symptoms and 15-year-old Mitchell Moroz too young to stick, the Oil Kings are also down to 14 forwards to start the season with.
Here now are my own personal Top 5 Oil Kings of interest in 2009-10:
5. Keegan Lowe - Defence
Yes... he is the son of the Oilers president, the same NHL team that falls under the ownership umbrella of Darryl Katz. However, throw your preconceived notions of nepotism aside - this Lowe is here because he's earned his place on the roster all on his own. It's kind of fitting that during the exhibition schedule the team wore jerseys without name bars because no one I have spoken with (WHL scouts, team sources, etc) has even slightly suggested that Keegan Lowe is getting any sort of preferential treatment because of his last name.
Personally, he makes my list of interesting layers to watch simply because I haven't gotten to see him play yet. Aside from 10 minutes or so in St. Albert against Medicine Hat before he bruised a shoulder, Lowe has been scratched whenever I've been in attendance.
Will be be an impact player at 16? Probably not. There is no reason to expect right now that he'll be anything more than a 6-7th guy for the Oil Kings this year unless injuries come into play. But that fact that he bumped some guys with WHL experience off the roster has definitely peaked my interest.
4. Brett Breitkreuz - Forward
A few moments before the first Oil Kings game I saw this pre-season, I had a conversation with GM Bob Green where I asked the inevitable question: "Who has impressed you so far in camp?" He told me that Brett Breitkreuz had clearly dedicated himself over the summer because he had reported to camp looking like a completely different player.
To some degree I took his comment with a bit of salt - of course the GM is going to pump up one of his key guys this year. Give credit where its due, Breitkreuz has delivered.
He earned an invite to Oilers rookie camp and opened some eyes with the NHL club and is now really and honestly on their radar as a player to follow this year. What may have begun as a token gesture to the Oil Kings, and I think it was actually more than that but you never know, Breitkreuz has taken and capitalized on. A strong season this year as an overage player could lead to another audition with the Oilers, or another NHL club, down the road.
3. Michael St. Croix - Forward
Obviously this is one of the key guys who will help determine the amount of success the Oil Kings enjoy this year. He's only 16 but Michael St. Croix could very well be one of the top rookie scorers in the league. Top line? Second line? Maybe the latter to start with but it will be up to him to see if he can carve out a bigger role for himself as the year goes on.
I don't know who his linemates will be (I'll tell you if I get the expected call/email/text from A.J. Jakubec) but you know he's going to put up some points this year. He's not NHL Draft eligible until 2011 but there will be scouts watching him this year in order to get an early feel for him. He'll have the World U17s like he did last year so the team will have to live without him for a couple of weeks.
2. Dylan Wruck - Forward
Another new face to the team but coming in as a 17-year-old should be a bit of an advantage for the diminutive forward. Wruck is an offensive dynamo that always seems to be on the score sheet every time I hear the summary from an exhibition game this fall.
He's playing with a lot of confidence, which is exactly why Green, Randy Hansch and Steve Pleau sent him back to the Beardy's Blackhawks last year. He dominated the league and now joins the 'Dub club knowing nothing but how to win and produce a ton of points.
I think that it will be very interesting to see who actually finishes the season with more points - Wruck or St. Croix. At this point I might throw my money behind Wruck
1. Mark Pysyk - Defence
This one really should have been obvious. He'll be the first Edmonton Oil King chosen in the 1st round of the NHL Entry Draft, the only question right now is how high he'll go. Recently I've been told that after the way he played in the Ivan Hlinka tournament, Hockey Canada might invite him to the December WJC camp if he gets off to the start they think he will. I'll believe it when I see it but hearing that rumor from someone in the know but with no vested interest in the Oil Kings was very interesting.
I first met Pysyk in the TEAM 1260 golf tournament back in 2007. He was in my foursome and, no word of a lie, was our designated ringer - the kid could spank the golf ball a mile and straight as an arrow. He comes across as a bt of an introvert although maybe that's just around media types. On the ice he's a workhorse that never seems to tire. Green once told me that Pysyk doesn't come off the ice because he's tired, he only comes off because his 45 or 55 seconds are up.
Pysyk is an exceptional talent but like a lot of high caliber blueliners, he doesn't always standout because he's so efficient that he doesn't have to make a lot of flashy, highlight real plays. Positionally strong, a terrific skater, crisp and accurate passer, unquestionably high hockey IQ and a quality individual. He's the real deal.
Honorable Mentions: I got done my list and laughed out loud wen I noticed that two of the team's bigger names aren't even in my top 5 right now. Torrie Jung and Tomas Vincour are probably MVP candidates for the team this year but I left them off of this particular list simply because we know so much about them already.
If Jung is only as good as he was last year then the Oil Kings are going to be in great shape. If, as a goalie with another year under his belt, Jung is somehow better than last season then Edmonton could legitimately be a team that strikes fear into other clubs in the Eastern Conference.
As for Vincour, reports out of Dallas have included a quote from GM Joe Nieuwendyk who called the Czech forward one of the most pleasant surprises from their prospect tournament in Traverse City. Health will be a question mark. He's battled shoulder problems on both sides but if he can stay in the line up this year, he could set new franchise records for points.
Season #3 gets underway on Saturday when the Calgary Hitmen visit Rexall Place.
Photos courtesy: Edmonton Oil Kings and Andy Devlin
The battle for the Edmonton Oil Kings 3rd 20 year old is now down to a couple of defenceman after Edmonton dealt overage forward Craig McCallum (pictured courtesy www.oilkings.ca) to the Prince Albert Raiders for a conditional bantam draft pick in 2010. From the official team release, here are comments from G.M. Bob Green.
"It is very difficult to make these decisions for our 20 year old roster spots, with the number of talented players we have in camp," says General Manager Bob Green. "Craig is a good kid and a good hockey player. This move will make it possible for him to continue his career in the WHL."
McCallum netted 31 goals in 2 seasons for the Oil Kings. He was absent from the team for 2 games in last year's first round playoff loss to Calgary because of personal reasons, but that wasn't the reason for making this deal. Credit Bob Green for finding a place for McCallum to continue his WHL career, as it was fairly clear to most he wasn't going to stick with the Kings this year.
With Torrie Jung and Brett Breitkreuz pretty much locking up 2 overage spots, it now comes down to Drew Nichol and Garrett Thiessen for the final spot.
Edmonton wraps up the pre season this Friday in Barrhead taking on Calgary.
~ The 3rd Annual Edmonton Oil Kings Invitational Pre-season tournament was held this past weekend in St. Albert. There were 6 teams involved although Red Deer only played one game and Moose Jaw played twice. Swift Current, Regina, Medicine Hat and the host side were the other four clubs in attendance.
As always, with so many teams in one place there were a number of scouts around and the conversations that go on in the stands or between periods and games is quite interesting. I had an interesting conversation with some scouts, including one from a NHL club, about the NHL combine interviews from last year - specifically about the "gay" questioning of Tomas Tatar and the Islanders alcohol inquisition of Zack Kassian. The latter seemed to be OK with everyone I asked but the former, everyone agreed that whoever asked Tatar if he was gay was crossing the line.
I missed most of the tournament because of a wedding but being able to take in the event on Sunday still provided me with enough for a Top 5 things I saw and heard about from the weekend.
5. Keegan Lowe
The Oil Kings are going to have some really tough decisions to make over the next few weeks. It's a good problem to have obviously but now, three years into their existence, they genuinely have young players who are skilled and talented enough to give some veterans a real challenge at making the team. Keegan Lowe is one of them.
He's 16-years-old and when he was taken in the 6th round of the 2008 draft, you could hear the skeptics with their calls of nepotism. (Lowe is the son of Oilers president Kevin Lowe). well no one is claiming anymore that Keegan wasn't worthy of being drafted because everyone that I have spoken with over the last week or so is telling me that not only is he vastly improved from a year ago but that they expect him to make the final Oil Kings roster.
For a team that has 9 blueliners still in camp with WHL experience plus two other guys who could factor in somehow, scouts suggesting Lowe is probably going to make the team definitely took me by surprise. (Lowe is wearing the cage in the photo above).
Lowe was injured in Sunday's game so we didn't get much of a read on him in that one but we did speak with him afterwards, a conversation you can hear tonight on TPS, and liked what we heard. He's soft spoken but intelligent and the fact that he has played in WHL exhibition games means that any possible chance of going the NCAA route is now a thing of the past. Normally a 16-year-old doesn't make that choice unless he knows he's got a future in major junior and evidently, Keegan Lowe's could start much sooner than most expected.
4. Tyler Ennis
Another guy that Dean and I spoke with on Sunday was Tyler Ennis who was in attendance as a spectator and not as a player. He still has a year of eligibility left but even Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins told us that his club is moving on as though their star forward won't be back. Ennis hasn't yet signed on with Buffalo but everyone seems to think that will happen sometime this month.
Ennis, or K-Billy as he's known around the TPS studio, hopes to follow in the footsteps of past Sabres who have overcome apparent size issues to have NHL success. Guys like Daniel Briere and prospect Nate Gerbe immediately come to mind. OH, and why K-Billy? Because Ennis sounds exactly like this:
3. Mike Brown
Honestly, one of the guys from the Swift Current Broncos who catches my every year at this tournament is Mike Brown, an undrafted 6'2 200 lb winger. He skates well, uses his body, looks strong and aggressive and in my mind is a guy I would like to see more of. His stats over the last year and a half suggest he might be playing with a ringuette stick, he's only got 16 points in 105 WHL games, but I think this could be a big year for him. Just a guy I'll be interested to watch this year.
2. Torrie Jung to Brandon?
I was talking with a NHL scout recently and was asking him if he was surprised that Tampa Bay didn't sign him. We chatted a bit and then out of the blue he said to me "He probably ends up in Brandon wouldn't you think?". To be honest, the thought had never even occurred to me.
My response was that if the Oil Kings traded Jung, their MVP last year, they'd be screwed. The scout basically agreed with me. However, that conversation was before this past weekend and with the way both Cam Lanigan and Laurent Brossoit played, perhaps Edmonton wouldn't be as bad off as I first imagined. I still would be shocked if Bob Green pulled a trigger though unless we get closer to the deadline and the Oil Kings are clearly not a league contender... getting something for Jung in that situation would be smart asset management but at the same time, this team should be in the top half of the Eastern Conference.
Brandon could definitely use a stud netminder this year as they host the Memorial Cup. They traded away James Priestner last week and are left with Andrew Hayes, former Oil King castaway Dalyn Flette and a pair of would-be rookies. Jung would be a massive step up from what they currently have.
By the way, I floated the idea to GM Bob Green... "Would you even consider trading Torrie Jung to Brandon" and his quick response: "For who... Brayden Schenn?"
1. Drew Nichol vs Geordie Wudrick
This was what everybody was talking about on Sunday - the licking that Oil Kings defencemen Drew Nichol gave Swift Current forward Geordie Wudrick (LA) on Saturday night. As the story goes, Nichol hammered another Broncos player and Wudrick, a tough hombre himself, stepped in to challenge the Edmonton defenceman.
As its been described to me, and I wasn't there so I'm going on second hand information but from about 20 different people, Wudrick was clocked by Nichol above the left eye (see photo above) and immediately started leaking crimson. Nichol, 6'2 and 200ish lb, is on the bubble as one of five 20-year-olds in camp but may have helped his cause with this fight that will undoubtedly make it's way through the league's grapevine.
The damage: Wudrick was taken for sewing and I've heard various reports as to how many stitches it took to close the wound. I've been told somewhere between 28-34 stitches but I asked the trainer from Medicine Hat (always good sources for that sort of stuff, they all talk to each other) and he said that Swift's trainer told him that there were 12 stitches inside and 18 more on the outside to close the cut. Another person told me that the gash went bone-deep which above the eye isn't all that shocking I guess. You can tell from the second photo though that the damage was extensive and the quick fight was certainly on eveyone's hot topic list a day later.
By the way, clicking on the photo gives you a bigger version... you can really get an idea of how that first punch opened up Wudrick's forehead.
(Photos Courtesy: Andy Devlin of the Edmonton Oil Kings and oilkings.ca)
The Oil Kings went undefeated in their pre season tournament thanks to a 5-3 win over Medicine Hat Sunday night. Edmonton watched Cam Lanigan and Laurent Brossoit give up just 4 goals in 3 games, while youngsters like Griffin Reinhart, Michael St. Croix and Dylan Wruck scored in the victories. Reinhart the team's first round bantam pick in 2009 is on his way back to midget, but St. Croix and Wruck will stick around and along with veterans like Brett Breitkreuz, Torrie Jung and 2nd year Dman Mark Pysyk will hope to improve on the Kings 8th place finish last season.
You can catch conversations that Guy and I had with Brietkreuz, Wruck, Keegan Lowe as well as Medicine Hat Tigers head coach Willy Desjardins and Buffalo 2008 first round pick Tyler Ennis, this Tuesday on the show. Details on that and the rest of the show here.
Edmonton with face Red Deer next weekend in a pair of road games.
~ 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.
~ Following my wishlist of forwards and blueliners, here are the goalies that interest me enough that I hope to see get consideration for an invite to summer camp here in Edmonton. Some of these guys are still eligible to get drafted at the end of June but all of them have been passed over at least once already.
Dean and I were talking a while back about save percentage and trying to compare it to goal scoring. What number would be equal in value to a team as say a 50-goal scorer? There were only 5 goalies in the NHL this year with a save percentage of .920 or greater. There was only one 50-goal scorer but there were eight who had 40 or more. So just for arguments sake... can we make a case for saying a goalie with a .920 save percentage is relatively as valuable as a 45-goal scorer?
Maybe, maybe not. Worth talking about.
Ben Scrivens - Cornell University Big Red Born Sep 11, 1986 Spruce Grove, ALTA Height 6.02 Weight 180 Shoots L
The jury is very much mixed on exactly how good Scrivens is; is he a product of an uber-defensive system of a team that plays in a relatively weak conference or is he as good as his numbers suggest? And really, that's the point of the invite. I spoke with a scout a couple months back and asked him that exact question and his answer was
"Without a doubt, he's a product of... maybe I'm wrong but I don't think so. He has made improvements in his game since last year, especially in his movement in the crease."
Scrivens posted the .931 save percentage in 36 games, 4th highest in the entire NCAA. This after a .930 in 2007-08 and a .911 in 2006-07. His 1.81 goals against average was another career best and ranked 3rd best in the NCAA. At 6'2 and 180 lbs his size is an asset and the fact that he's a local kid might have some intangible positive spin possibilities as well. He's headed back for his senior year so will be a UFA this time next season.
Zane Kalemba - Princeton Tigers Born Dec 19, 1985 Saddle Brook, NJ Height 5.11 Weight 185 Shoots L
The New Jersey product has bounced around in his amateur career with stops in Tri-City and Green Bay of the USHL followed by a year in the SJHL's Flin Flon Bombers. He's had two strong years at Princeton under head coach Guy Gadowsky. Kalemba's 1.82 GAA was right behind Scrivens but his .932 sv% was a hair better. Like Scrivens, Kalemba's team is also located in the ECAC Conference where there is a distinct difference between the strong and weak hockey programs.
I have only seen Kalemba play once and it was on TV so not the best way to get a scouting read. At 5'11 and 185 lbs he doesn't have the natural size advantage that are becoming the norm in the NHL but he appears to be athletic enough, like Dustin Tokarski, that he should be given an extra look.
Kieran Millan - Boston University Born Aug 31, 1989 Edmonton, ALTA Height 6.00 Weight 190 Shoots L
Near the top of my list would be the freshman sensation of the NCAA Champion B.U. Terriers. We've had Millan on the show before and he struck us as a mature and realistic young man. His play on the ice this past year, his first at the NCAA level, was obviously terrific as he helped the Terriers capture the national title. Coach Jack Parker told us during our Memorial Cup Coach's Show about how key a player he was on and off of the ice.
Millan's numbers are solid and considering the fact that Hockey East was arguably the best of the 6 NCAA conferences last year, the stats should mean even more. Millan posted a 1.93 GAA in 35 games and had a .925 save percentage to go with it. He held the opposition to 1 or fewer goals in 15 of those games including a shutout over UMass-Lowell in the Hockey East title game.
His AJHL days with Spruce Grove were less impressive but after working with ORSports later in the year he turned his game around and hasn't looked back since.
Aaron Sorochan - Alberta Golden Bears Born Apr 17, 1984 Edmonton, ALTA Height 6.00 Weight 180 Shoots L
Back in March I mentioned a bunch of Golden Bears past and present that I'd like the Oilers to look at next year, especially if former UofA coach Rob Daum is back at the helm of the Springfield Falcons and goalie Aaron Sorochan was obviously one of them. (I neglected to mention Ben Kilgour and Ian MacDonald again for the forwards wishlist but they'd still be on it).
Robin Brownlee typed up a nice outline of Sorochan recently for Oilers Nation so rather than me re-hashing what he said there or what we've written in the past about him here, suffice to say that I think he's deserving of another look.
One NHL scout told me after one of the Golden Bears' National Title wins that it was going to be an off-season priority for him to get his NHL team to invite both Sorochan and Ben Thomson to their next camp. Unfortunately that scout was not retained by that NHL club. Regardless, the interest from NHL teams has been there in the past and should be even more now that Sorochan in done his CIS career. Torrie Jung - Edmonton Oil Kings Born Jan 21, 1989 Nanaimo, BC Height 6.01 Weight 170 Shoots L
At the moment Jung's NHL rights are held by the Tampa Bay Lightning but if they don't sign him by June 1st, he'll go back into the draft. If that happens, I will be very surprised if another team doesn't take him but... if that also happens then he will become a UFA and therefore up for grabs.
Jung had the 7th best GAA and the 5th best SV% on a team that finished just well enough to make the playoffs (thanks to him) and still bad enough to have a top-10 pick in the Bantam Draft. Jung was the biggest reason for the turn around the Oil Kings had this year and if that club actually gets him back for an overage year... well just making the playoffs won't be enough.
He's a quick and agile goalie but is pretty good positionally as well. His personality is terrific and his attitude is first class. He'd be a great addition to any organization and if he can duplicate last year's success as a 20-year-old then he'll definitely be worth signing.
Nicola Riopel - Moncton Wildcats Born Feb 20, 1989 St-Pie-de-Bagot, PQ Height 6.00 Weight 167 Shoots L
I honestly know nothing about Riopel except that his numbers this year were very strong, he's undrafted and yet he was the QMJHL's nominee for CHL Player of the Year. He backstopped Moncton to the third best record in the regular season but individually he was on top of the league for both GAA (2.01) and SV% (.931).
He's of average if not slight below average size but in a league that often sees ridiculous scores, giving up just a pair is pretty respectable. The next best GAA in the league was 2.37 so there was quite a bit of separation for him from the field.
He also represented the QMJHL in the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge in 2007-08, was an all-star in 2009 and picked up several Player-of-the-Week awards over his 3-year Q career in with the Wildcats.
(Photo credits: USCHO.com, QMJHL, WHL, Edmonton Oil Kings, University of Alberta)
With the WHL trade deadline now officially in the books, the Edmonton Oil Kings look considerably different than they did just a couple of weeks ago. In all, GM Bob Green executed three deals between Christmas and the deadline which has seen 4 assets (all players) on the way out while a potential of 9 pieces are coming back his way.
