Category Archives: Prospects

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10 Burning Questions Going Into 2017/18 For the Edmonton Oilers

I can feel hockey season drawing closer and my thirst to write is growing. Not only that but the BLH Youtube channel is getting more and more subscribers every day and a good way to get that out there is to write some more. Not that we make any money from either the blog or the Youtube channel (we don’t, it actually costs us money) but that’s beside the point. We’re here to offer you something a bit different from what’s out there.

You should head over and subscribe to our channel. It may very well be the 5th best thing you do all day and if you dig Oilers videos or prospects videos with cool tunes, you’ll be moderately happy with the decision.

There are some good convos going on in the comments of our 2018 top ten prospects videos you might like.

Today I want to present to you some questions going into next season for the Oilers that are burning a hole through my head bone.

Be forewarned, this is a bit of a long one.

10. How Many Games Will Cam Talbot Play

Dadbot played in 73 regular season games and 13 playoff games in 2016/17. In total, that’s 86 games of action and a helluva workload for one guy. He gave us a 2.39 GAA and a .919 SV% in the regular season and those are numbers I can accept but I’d like to see improve marginally next year.

We all know that coach McLellan picks a no.1 netminder and rides him till he drops but one has to think that no.2 Laurent Brossoit will get more than 8 games in 2017/18, right?

During last year’s campaign, we saw Brossoit put up a 1.99 GAA and a .928 SV%. Encouraging numbers to say the least. I know one of his weaknesses in the past has been his glove hand but from what I know of Brossoit’s work ethic, that glove won’t be a weakness any longer.

Answer: Cam Talbot will play 65-70 regular season games barring injury in 2017/18. Brossoit will see the rest

9. Which Milan Lucic Will We See in 2017/18?

I think we’re going to see a more svelte Milan Lucic this year. He knows that his foot speed will grow to be more and more of an issue as the years come and go. We also know that he’s a very motivated and hard-working individual and with that, we’ll see the Milan of old. The one whose 5×5 numbers were dominant but with the added feature of having great PP numbers as well (Thanks to 97).

But here’s the one thing I’d personally like to witness, a better D-zone game. He was caught more than once versus the Ducks in the playoffs last year not coming down the boards deep enough to gather the puck and was left witnessing a GWG for the other team.

Now, I’m not concerned with Lucic scoring 40 goals or getting 60 points. I know what he brings to the table and I love that but he’s got to be better in his own zone when it counts.

Answer: Just as it took Talbot, Sekera, Larsson, and others a season or less to acclimate themselves to the team and its systems, Lucic has had his 1 year grace period. He knows the system now, he knows what is expected of him and we’re going to see the Lucic we all know and love because if we don’t, you can be sure as shit he’ll hear it from the fanbase.

8. How Will the Oilers Do Without Andrej Sekera?

Excellent question. I think that the Oilers ARE going to suffer without Andrej Sekera. Even though he hates passing McDavid the puck he’s still one of the team’s best puck-moving dmen. 5×5, I don’t believe that Darnell Nurse or Matt Benning will be able to reproduce the things that Sekera does best.

This could result in the Oilers spending more time in their own zone because they’re unable to move the puck out. Last year we’d see Kris Russell use Sekera as the out when retrieving the puck in the d-zone and if Rej wasn’t available it was off the glass and out.

I suppose it’s at all possible that Russell takes on the Sekera role and is tasked with moving the puck more responsibly. He is, after all, a great skater and can pass the puck.

Answer: The Oilers WILL suffer without Sekera.

7. Which Rookie Could Make the Team?

Well, there are a few vying to do so eh? Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan Mantha, Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear, Joe Gambardella, Joey Laleggia, Ziyat Paigin to name a few.

My thing is, whose spot are they going to steal? The only way a rookie makes it to the opening night roster is if an injury to a regular puts him there.

If I had to say who had the best shot, I’d probably say Laleggia or Gambardella. I like their age and I think they’ve got enough grit to go with their skill that McLellan and Chiarelli would have a tough time saying no if they outplayed Khaira or Puljujarvi.

Keeping in mind that Laleggia has turned into quite the minor league goal scorer and that’s AFTER he lost the Hobey Baker Award to Jack Eichel as a defenseman.

Gambardella put up 3 pts in 6 games for the Oilers farm team after he signed with Edmonton. He’s an older prospect at 24 years old and I’m thinking the time it takes him to get used to the pro game will be much shorter than say a 20-year-old.

Could Gambardella and Laleggia be the next Sheary and Rust? It’s possible.

In my opinion, Yamamoto will be sent back to Junior before the regular season starts. The Oilers will be taking the Mitch Marner route with him and they’ll be better off for it.

Answer: Joey Laleggia or a longshot in Ziyat Paigin

6. Where Will Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Be Traded?

IF he’s traded it’ll be to a team that needs a top 6 centre (duh!), who has the cap room, and the adequate prospects and picks to send to Edmonton to acquire him.

Also, what will the Oilers need? Scoring on the wing? A face-off specialist? PP Cannon?

The rumoursphere has Ron Francis looking for a top 6 centre and they’ve got the cap room and prospects to offer for RNH. Elias Lindholm, Julien Gauthier, and Roland McKeown are a few tasty names I like.

If Detroit could find a way to shed some salary, I think Nuge would be a good replacement for Zetterberg when the Swedish captain decides to step away. I’m sure the Oilers would love a Tyler Bertuzzi or Evgeny Svechnikov.

If Turris and Tavares leave their teams as UFAs next summer, do they become candidates for Nugent-Hopkins? Same goes for the St.Louis Blues, they’re top centre is Paul Stastny and he’s set to be a UFA who’ll make $7M this season.

Is that a deadline trade that interests you? Meaning Nuge to the Blues for Stastny plus picks/prospects? I’d like a kid like Robert Thomas in the Oiler system or maybe even Tage Thompson. Stastny is not too shabby on the dot (55.7% last year) and scores a bit better than Nuge. Maybe the Oilers find a way to re-sign him at a reasonable price or the deal him at the draft after the playoffs.

Answer: I’m going to say he’ll be heading to the Eastern Conference just like Eberle and Hall before him. Will he reunite with his former Decade of Darkness linemates in the Metro division? Would be interesting if he did. 

5. Will These Players Take the Next Step in Their Development and Which Ones Will be Impact Players?
– Darnell Nurse
– Jesse Puljujarvi
– Matt Benning
– Anton Slepyshev
– Drake Caggiula

If the Oilers are to have the same amount of success as they did last season, I believe that all five of these players will need to take the next step. They’ll all need to contribute to the wins a bit more than the losses but will any of them be “impact” players?

I think that Nurse showed us last season before his injury that he’s right on par with his developmental curve. And this being his 3rd full season, I believe that he’ll be someone that the Oilers can count on and a player whose identity on the team and what he brings to the Oilers will be that much clearer. I don’t think 25-30 pts is out of the question for him IF he playes all 82.

Jesse Puljujarvi, if he’d only played fewer games last year he’d be a Calder candidate this year. Is there some conspiracy with the Oilers and the Calder trophy? It’s maddening the kinds of players that could’ve won the Calder but didn’t for the Oilers. Anyways, I think that Pulju will be a top 6 on Draisaitl’s line with Lucic.

The one thing with Pulju though is that he loves to do the deep swoop and carry through the neutral zone, much like Leon and Connor. So how will that affect things if he’s on either line? Is the 3rd line with Strome or RNH and Jokinen a better place for him? Easing him into the NHL a bit more sounds like the path I like because we’ve got players that can swap with him if needed. Give the Grinnin’ Finn some PP time to boot and we’ll be seeing that magic we’ve been waiting for all this time.

As for Benning, Slepyshev, and Caggiula, I think it’s not far fetched for the two forwards to put up 12-15 goals each with 20 being the high because I think we can solidly say that Caggiula and Slepyshev will get the entire season with the Oilers as oppose to last year where Slepy got half a season and Caggiula only played three-quarters of it.

I’m worried about Benning though. It’s not called the sophomore slump for nothing. Yes, we saw good things out of him last season but let’s just be ready in case he’s not.

Answer: I see a step back for Benning but a step forward for Nurse, Jesse, Caggiula, and Slepy. 

4. Can the Oilers Stay Healthy?

Nobody can really say a team will stay healthy for the entire team but seasons like the one the Oilers just had are pretty rare. Usually a team has at least one decent player go down hurt, right?

What has been noticed and noted by Oilers insider Bob Stauffer is that teams have stopped taking as many liberties (In the regular season? We know what happened in the playoffs…) with the Oilers now that they’ve got the likes of Larsson, Nurse, Gryba, Maroon, Kassian, and Lucic lining up for them. Not only that but the flukey injuries have seemingly slowed down. No more skates on the head, toe-picking into the boards, or bruised egos slowing the team down.

Answer: Yes, they can. At least relatively.

3. Who Will Be Playing Right-Wing on Connor McDavid’s Line?

It’ll be a fluent situation. I think we’ll see nearly everyone that can play there actually play there. That means, Nuge, Strome, Pulju, Caggiula, Draisaitl, Slepyshev, and Kassian will get a shift now and then too.

Scotty Bowman believed in pairs and I subscribe to that belief as well. Trying to get three guys to come together for an extended period of time is nearly impossible. But you can get two guys who really feel it on the ice and interchange a 3rd guy in there depending on the night, the situation, and the opponent.

This shouldn’t be an issue but it will be knowing Oilers “enthusiasts”.

Answer: I believe that the majority of the TOI will go to one of Leon Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

2. Leon Draisaitl: Driver of his own line or Kurri to McDavid’s Gretzky?

I know there are those out there that aren’t sure if Draisaitl can drive his own line because he’s played one year with Hall and another with McDavid and his fancies apart from them weren’t as great as with those two players but let’s be real here. With Hall, that was Leon’s first real season and of

With Hall, that was Leon’s first real season and of course Hall was going to drive the offense. He was that much older and that much more experienced. Bet you he was wishing Draisaitl was his centre in NJ last season…

With McDavid, everybody’s numbers are going to go up, so it’s no surprise that Leon’s did as well. But Draisaitl is part of a very small group of men who can say they CAN play with McDavid. Hall can’t, Eberle can’t, Lucic can’t.

You can come at me with the small sample size and performances don’t matter during the playoffs all you’d like but those games are NOT even close to being the same as regular season games. They’re far more difficuly games to play in and they should be weighted differently.

That is exactly where Leon Draisaitl shines and has shined in the past. WHL MVP, Memorial Cup MVP, featured heavily for Team Europe as they nearly took Canada to three games in the final of the World Cup of Hockey, talisman for the German National team, and was tied for 7th in scoring for the playoffs DESPITE his team being eliminated in the 2nd round!!!

It’s the year of the German and Leon will be the best no.2 centre in the NHL. He’ll be recovered from not having to play hockey all summer and therefore those slumps we saw him go into last season will be shorter if at all this upcoming campaign. He’ll be back stronger, faster, smarter, and richer…

Answer: Leon will be driving lines ALL. NIGHT. LONG. ALL. SEASON. LONG.

1. Will the Oilers:
– Make the Playoffs?
– Win the Pacific Division?
– Win the Western Conference?
– Win the Stanley Cup?

Answer:
Make the playoffs: Yes, the Oilers will make the playoffs and not as a wild card.

Win the Pacific: I don’t think they’ll win the Pacific. I still see the Ducks as the team to beat there. They’ve got the right mix of vets and talented young players as well as a stellar goalie and excellent defense. I see Edmonton coming in 2nd or even 3rd. 

Win the Western Conference: Anything can happen in the playoffs and if they can get out of the 1st round injury-free and in relatively short order, then I do believe they can win the West. Although, my money is on Dallas to go to the finals. 

Win the Stanley Cup: As said above, anything can happen in the playoffs. If you’ve got a goalie who’s on fire, elite generational forwards, a never die attitude within the supporting cast, it can happen. Pittburgh’s defense looked like something the Oilers would’ve iced in the DoD by the end of the playoffs last year and they still beat Nashville. 

If I’m being honest, I’m thinking one more year before the Oilers are true Cup contenders. 

I hope you stayed all the way to the end and if you did, a stick tap and a hearty slap on the back to you! Extra TOI for yourself next game!

What do you think about the questions I’ve raised here? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects, Rumors

Do You Really Want Iginla on the Oilers?

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Jarome Iginla is a longshot at best to be an Oiler this season. That being said, If one of the younger guys on the right wing shit the bed during training camp or there’s an injury, I’d say that Iginla would be the first phone call.

“Bosco” says that the Oilers and Iginla are talking, Treenas Oil seconds that and they’re not completely wrong but it’s the timing of the conversations that they’ve got wrong.

Of course, the two camps (Iggy’s and the Oilers’) have spoken. Iginla is a free agent that has something to offer to the Oilers. How irresponsible would it be if Peter Chiarelli didn’t touch base with Jarome Iginla’s agent and see what it would take to bring him in?

Now, that being said, is it the right thing to do for the franchise?

PROS:

  • The shot never goes and Iggy can still find the back of the net.
  • Iginla is the right kind of veteran you’d want to bring into a young team like the Oilers.
  • He’s tough as nails and amongst the most respected players in the NHL.

CONS:

  • If you didn’t like Eberle’s 200ft game, you won’t like Iginla’s at this point in his career.
  • He can’t skate at the required level to be effective in the top 6.
  • He may very well be quite an expensive 4th liner.

I’ll just keep that brief. I mean, realistically, is Jarome Iginla going to usurp Zack Kassian, Jesse Puljujarvi, or Anton Slepyshev from a spot on the right side?

Peter Chiarelli has already stated that he’s looking to grow from within and let the kids take the reins this season. I’m with him on that one. I want to see if Slepyshev can flourish on a line with Lucic and Draisaitl. I want to see if Puljujarvi can find some offense playing on McDavid’s wing.

I don’t want to see a perfectly good young player pushed out right when he’s on the cusp of realizing some of his potential.

I like Jarome Iginla and I think there’d be elements of his game that would benefit the Oilers but maybe not in the regular season but the playoffs where his experience and leadership would flourish a bit more.

You do have to ask yourself why Matt Hendricks has a contract and not Iginla though and how much better is Iginla than Hendricks on the 4th line?

Lastly, what kind of Oilers fan would you be if you really wanted an old Calgary Flame who used to terrorize the Oilers for years, on the Oilers?…

Just kidding!!! Or am I?

2018 TOP TEN NHL ENTRY DRAFT PROSPECTS

Here’s the BLH September top ten for the upcoming draft featuring the likes of:

Rasmus Dahlin – Is he the Swedish Bobby Orr?
Andrei Svechnikov – A new Tarasenko?
Joe Veleno – Ripper of the Q!
Filip Zadina – The next elite Czech dangler!
Brady Tkachuk – You thought Matthew and Keith were beasts… Brady might eat your soul.

Hopefully, the Oilers aren’t in a place to be picking any of these players unless through a trade.

Watch the video to see who 6-10 are!

And please subscribe. We don’t make any money off of these videos but getting shares, likes, comments and new subscribers make it worth the effort!

Thanks!!!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

From Reddit: NHL Prospect Pools Ranked

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So, a fella on Reddit posted the ESPN prospect pool rankings and you may or may not be surprised at where the Oilers sit. I’m just going to copy and paste what I found on Reddit, you can find the post right HERE if you want to check out the comments. Some are pretty funny, like the guy who thinks the Pens have a better prospect pool than the Oilers…

Right before we get into it, there’s a “Back to School” Sale going on at the BLH Teepublic shop right now but only for the next 26 hours or so and it should expire on August 16th, 2017. Click HERE to check it out! Here are a few samples:

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Just a preface, I didn’t check out the rankings on ESPN itself, so there could be more to these that what’s printed. I imagine there’d be some sort of guidelines as to what a “prospect” is or isn’t and that’s why some teams are higher/lower.

Bon appetite!

1 Philadelphia Flyers Previous rank: 6

The Flyers don’t have as much game-breaking talent as our No. 2 team does at the top of their system, but 2017 No. 2 overall pick Nolan Patrick is right up there; after Patrick, the Flyers have the cupboards lined with talent at every position. The group includes solid first-round picks, middle-round selections who have trended up, and an undrafted free agent in Philippe Myers who is one of the very best defense prospects in hockey. Not too long ago, the Flyers’ farm system was a laughingstock, with C-grade college free agents making it into their top five. Today, they are in the best position of any NHL team in terms of adding young premium players to their roster.

2 Arizona Coyotes Previous rank: 2

The Coyotes have the most elite talent of any system, with the No. 1 prospect in Clayton Keller, Dylan Strome not being far behind, and Christian Fischer, who established himself as a top prospect this past season. After that, the Coyotes have solid depth, but they aren’t bursting at the seams with talent at each position. With Keller, Strome and Fischer potentially graduating this season, it’s possible the Coyotes will be near the bottom of this list a year from now.

3 Nashville Predators Previous rank: 10

The Predators have assembled a top-five farm system without a top-10 draft pick since 2013, and just made a run to the Stanley Cup Final. While I love the Eeli Tolvanen pick they made in the 2017 draft, their farm is much more than just him. They have two of the best defense prospects in hockey (stop me if you’ve heard this before) in Dante Fabbro and Samuel Girard, and Juuse Saros is an elite goalie prospect. Their talent in the AHL is deep, and recent middle-round picks look promising.

4 New York Islanders Previous rank: 7

The Islanders are regularly high on my farm rankings, but not always high in the NHL standings, with several promising names over the years fizzling out. This year’s crop is headlined by Mathew Barzal, one of the most dynamic playmakers I’ve scouted. Josh Ho-Sang’s solid NHL debut this past spring helped ease some concerns, and he looks like a premium prospect again. Ilya Sorokin is one of the best goalie prospects in hockey, but it remains a mystery when he’ll come over from Russia. The depth here is good as well.

5 New Jersey Devils Previous rank: 19

The Devils’ system was kind of awful prior to the 2017 draft. But after getting Nico Hischier with the No. 1 pick and drafting well in the later rounds, their future looks substantially brighter. Mike McLeod, Joey Anderson, Blake Speers and John Quenneville supplement Hischier, and the depth behind them is decent.

6 Minnesota Wild Previous rank: 17

Despite not having first-round picks in two of past five drafts, losing their other first-rounder in the expansion draft, and never picking in the top 10 in that time frame, the Wild have built a very good farm system, with star-level prospects at the top. It’s not a deep system, but few other teams can match a top four of Joel Eriksson Ek, Jordan Greenway, Kirill Kaprizov and Luke Kunin.

7 Tampa Bay Lightning Previous rank: 14

Tampa’s system got a big boost after getting blueliner Mikhail Sergachev in the Jonathan Drouin trade. Their 2016 draft class is also a big part of this ranking, as Brett Howden and Taylor Raddysh had fantastic post-draft seasons. Anthony Cirelli also turned heads everywhere he went, and he played everywhere this past season. The system isn’t as deep as it used to be, with the Bolts graduating a lot of youngsters the past few seasons, but they should get solid value on their recent picks.

8 St. Louis Blues Previous rank: 23

Similar to some other teams in the top 10, the Blues’ system is top-heavy, with a lot of high-end talent — and good representation throughout my top 100 prospects list — but after their top tier, it drops off a cliff. They’ve shot for the stars with a lot of their picks in recent drafts, and the end product of their strategy has landed them players like Klim Kostin, Jordan Kyrou, Vince Dunn and Jake Walman — high-upside prospects they’ve acquired later in the draft than their skills dictated.

9 Vancouver Canucks Previous rank: 13

I’m sure Vancouver fans may argue their slot should be a little higher after using back-to-back No. 5 overall picks, with those picks being Olli Juolevi and Elias Pettersson. Although both are good prospects, they don’t move the needle at an elite level. However, Brock Boeser provides a lot of value, and looked outstanding in his brief NHL time this past season. Getting Jonathan Dahlen from Ottawa was also a boost to this system.

10 Boston Bruins Previous rank: 12

Charlie McAvoy’s emergence as one of the best prospects in hockey this past season is a prime reason for Boston’s high ranking. The Bruins also have a deep pipeline, with talent at every position. However, despite many first-round picks in recent drafts, they are lacking in true game-breaking talent outside of McAvoy, who will graduate this season.

11 Buffalo Sabres Previous rank: 11

The Sabres have picked in the top 10 for two straight drafts, bringing in a pair of quality prospects in Alexander Nylander and Casey Mittelstadt. Later picks like Cliff Pu, Rasmus Asplund and Brendan Guhle also had strong 2016-17 seasons. The system is a little thin after the top names, with their AHL affiliate lacking in potential contributors.

12 Ottawa Senators Previous rank: 16

Thomas Chabot had a fantastic 2016-17 season, heading a top-heavy Sens system that has done well in recent first-round picks like Chabot, Colin White and Logan Brown. However, the team has struggled to find talent in the middle rounds, other than Jonathan Dahlen, who was dealt for Alex Burrows. The result is that Ottawa’s future rests in the hands of a handful of highly gifted prospects.

13 Toronto Maple Leafs Previous rank: 1

The Leafs’ system is much different from a year ago, with star talents like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander having graduated. The system remains good, with high-end talents on forward and defense, but the Leafs don’t have a premium prospect anymore, just a lot of good ones.

14 Vegas Golden Knights Previous rank: N/A

Probably the hardest farm system to rank is Vegas’ due to how thin it is, the obvious byproduct of just starting a franchise. However, a very strong 2017 draft class helps carry it into the teens, given that the Knights used first-round picks on premium center prospects Cody Glass and Nick Suzuki, and a topflight defense prospect in Erik Brannstrom. They have some other nice pieces, such as Nikita Gusev and Alex Tuch, whom they acquired in trades prior to the expansion draft, but almost all the value of their system is in their three first-round picks.

15 Carolina Hurricanes Previous rank: 5

Carolina has done a good job building quality young assets the past few seasons, including 2016-17 graduate Sebastian Aho. The bulk of their strength is from the many first-round picks that remain in their system, but later picks like Nicolas Roy are also a reason for their high ranking. They will have a number of options from their AHL team ready to help at the NHL level in 2017-18.

16 Columbus Blue Jackets Previous rank: 4

A year later, Columbus’ 2016 draft class looks like a mixed bag. I’m all-in on third-rounder Vitaly Abramov, who was MVP of the QMJHL and looks like a real game-changer. I like No. 3 overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois a lot, but he took a step back this past season. I don’t see a ton of upside in second-rounder Andrew Peeke. They did fine with what they had in 2017, and I still believe in Sonny Milano to an extent. However, after graduating Zach Werenski in 2016-17, there are enough question marks in their system to make me wary.

17 Los Angeles Kings Previous rank: 29

Prior to the 2017 draft, the Kings’ system looked like it’d stay near the bottom of the league. But a great class, headlined by first-rounder Gabriel Vilardi, salvages this system’s previously thin ranks. Defenseman Kale Clague has also rebounded to top prospect form, giving the Kings some top-end talent for the future.

18 Winnipeg Jets Previous rank: 3

Despite not having a lottery pick in recent drafts, the Jets have quite a few top prospects in their system, between Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic and Kristian Vesalainen. Not every pick they’ve made has looked like a winner, and the depth is just OK, but they could supplement an already good young NHL core with their top prospects.

19 Dallas Stars Previous rank: 25

A solid 2017 draft class inserted some optimism into a somewhat mediocre Dallas system, the highlight of which was two recent first-round picks in Julius Honka and Denis Guryanov. Miro Heiskanen, the system’s top prospect and No. 3 overall pick this past June, is a true front-line defense prospect. The Stars also show moderate depth at every position except center, although the progression of 2016 third-round pick Fredrik Karlstrom provides a little depth at that area.

20 Colorado Avalanche Previous rank: 21

Colorado usually tends to target players that aren’t high-skill or upside types of talent, but they landed a 2017 draft class that seems to deviate from that trend. High-quality talents Tyson Jost and Cale Makar — the club’s first-rounders from the past two drafts — salvage what has otherwise been a near disastrous past five years at the draft for the organization.

21 Anaheim Ducks Previous rank: 22

Anaheim’s system got a big boost from 30th overall pick Sam Steel turning into a world destroyer in the WHL this past season. Unfortunately, the pipeline doesn’t stretch too far after the top six or seven prospects. After Steel, there isn’t a ton in high-end talent, with Jacob Larsson stagnating a bit and Max Jones having question marks on his projection despite some occasional dynamic moments.

22 Florida Panthers Previous rank: 30

By drafting Owen Tippett and Henrik Borgstrom the past two years, the Panthers have added a lot of upside into their system, with some other intriguing high-skill forwards picked later. The ranks are thin at the AHL level though, and some of their drafts prior to 2016 have failed to add depth into the pipeline.

23 Montreal Canadiens Previous rank: 15

Montreal was one of the hardest systems to evaluate. From middle-round picks like Victor Mete looking fantastic, first-rounders like Nikita Scherbak and Noah Juulsen not dominating like you’d hope, to top prospect Martin Reway having to miss a season with a heart condition, there’s a lot of uncertainty with this group.

24 Detroit Red Wings Previous rank: 18

On the bright side, the Wings have used more high draft picks the past few years than they usually have, providing a lot of depth to their ranks and building in the proper fashion. On the negative side, I haven’t loved what they’ve done with some of those high picks the past two years, leaving them in a position of being more average than they should be.

25 Calgary Flames Previous rank: 9

The Flames don’t have an elite player in their system after Matthew Tkachuk graduated in 2016-17, but solid drafting has resulted in reasonable talent at every position, particularly on defense with Juuso Valimaki, Adam Fox and Oliver Kylington. Their AHL team was entertaining this past season, with talent to see throughout the lineup. Their system could provide a lot of help to the big club during the next two seasons.

26 Washington Capitals Previous rank: 26

Washington didn’t get much value from the 2017 draft — not surprising, given that its first pick was in the fourth round — top prospect Jakub Vrana didn’t have a great 2016-17 season, and 2016 first-rounder Lucas Johansen didn’t have a great campaign, either. What prevents this system from being a complete disaster was the progression of several middle- and late-round picks into real NHL prospects, including Connor Hobbs and Damien Riat.

27 Chicago Blackhawks Previous rank: 20

Chicago’s recent drafting has been a mixed bag. Alex DeBrincat was the top player in the CHL this past season, but some other recent high picks have stagnated or struggled. There is decent depth in the system, but there is a lack of top talent outside of DeBrincat and 2017 first-round pick Henri Jokiharju.

28 Edmonton Oilers Previous rank: 8

A rare sight during the past decade: The Oilers don’t have much coming in terms of prospects! This year’s first-round pick Kailer Yamamoto is promising, and the Oilers have some decent depth at defense, but overall, the system is thin and light on impact. More than any other fan base, I imagine long-suffering Oilers fans aren’t incredibly concerned with this at the moment, given that their youthful team made it to the Western Conference finals this past spring.

29 New York Rangers Previous rank: 28

The good news: The Rangers brought in a decent amount of talent at the 2017 draft. The bad news: There was so little in the system prior to the 2017 class — thanks to dealing away early-round picks in previous seasons — that it brings the system just a notch above awful. The Rangers have tried to plug the holes with free-agent signings and the depth isn’t horrible, but there isn’t a lot here.

30 San Jose Sharks Previous rank: 24

With Timo Meier graduated, there isn’t a ton left to supplement the Sharks. Of course, I’ve said that for years, and they always seem to find a way to make an NHL player out of a depth prospect. Michigan-bound Josh Norris is a solid center, and Jeremy Roy is intriguing, but there isn’t a ton of upside here overall.

31 Pittsburgh Penguins Previous rank: 27

The Penguins have been at the bottom of my farm rankings two of the past three years — and of course, they have won the Stanley Cup two straight seasons. I think the Penguins and their fans will take it. Daniel Sprong remains the sole shining light in the pipeline, but the system is shot after a heavy push to move picks for NHL-ready assets in recent seasons.

What do you think? Do the Edmonton Oilers have the 4th worst prospect pool in the entire league? I mean with the likes of Puljujarvi, Yamamoto, Bear, Jones, Wells, Benson, etc… I’m thinking that Puljujarvi isn’t considered a prospect for some reason but even then you’d think ESPN would rank them a tad higher but maybe it’s not a bad thing at all because the teams that are near the bottom are pretty bloody good, no?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects

Domo Arigato Mr.Yamamoto! *NEW* BLH 2017 Oilers Draft Picks Video ft. Linkin Park

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As I said earlier this week, I made a little Youtube clip for the Oilers new prospects from this year’s draft. But before we get into said video, I should probably say a few things about the draft the prospects themselves. If you want to skip the commentary on the draft picks, scroll down to the bottom or click here.

We’ll start from the Oilers last pick in the 7th round and move forward to their first pick in the 1st round.

PHIL KEMP (USNTDP) – RHD – 7th Round #208
6’3″ 202lb
55gp 5g 7a 12pts

The Skinny on Kemp is that he’s a stay at home defender who played for the US National Development Program and he’s committed to play in the NCAA for Yale for the upcoming season.

About the only thing he’s got going for him is that he’s right-handed. That said, the Oilers under Chiarelli don’t mind taking gambles in the latter rounds at large dmen. Vincent Desharnais was the Oilers final pick in the 2016 draft and Zayat Paigin was the final pick in the 2015 draft. All three defenders come in at 6’3″ or taller but out of the trio, I’d have to say that MAYBE Paigin makes the biggest impact.

Was there anything wrong with Artyuom Manulin out of Swift Current? He’s a 6’3″ 196lb RHD who amassed 50 pts this past season in the WHL. Sure he’s Russian but that hasn’t stopped this Chiarelli regime from drafting Russians before.

SKYLER BRIND’AMOUR (Selects Academy U-18 (USMAAAE)) – C – 6TH ROUND #177TH
6’2″ 170lbs
6gp 3g 6a 9pts

Brind’Amour son played for four teams last year, the US Selects Academy, USNTDP u18, USNTDP u17, and the US NTDP Juniors. So if you’re wondering why his stats above seem a bit lacking, he was up and down with the US National Development Program.

This current generation of Brind’Amour plays much like the previous one in that he’s got the grit, he’s got the hockey sense, and he’s got the physical tools to play the game. One area that Skyler did not pick up through the genes, an ability to put up offense. He’s simply a two-way checking forward.

I was a little surprised that the Oilers would take Brind’Amour but there’s a thing to be said about drafting the sons of good NHL players and it’s not unprecedented. They took the son of Vegas GM George Mcphee in the 2016 draft, Graham McPhee. Bloodlines aren’t ignored within the Chiarelli regime. Caleb Jones comes to mind as well. His brother Seth is doing quite well in Columbus these days.

I’d probably have taken big Finnish right-winger Sebastian Repo. He’s 6’3″ 189lbs and he racked up 32 points in 46 games playing for Tappara in the SM-Liiga. He’s an overager, originally eligible in 2014, he hadn’t done much up until this past season to warrant a draft pick. But this past season he led all players under 21 years of age in scoring.

If the odds are that you’ll get a bottom 6/pairing player in the later rounds of the draft hold true, then picking up a player like Repo, who could contribute right away at the minor league level, seems like a no-brainer for Edmonton, especially with the growing Finnish contingent.

KIRILL MAKSIMOV (Niagara Ice Dogs, OHL) – RW – 5TH ROUND #146
6’2″ 192lbs
66gp 21g 38a 59pts

I’ll be honest, I hadn’t read much on Maxsimov going into the draft but a few of the gents who follow me on Twitter were jacked about this pick. They said he’s a whiz in front of the net which immediately made me think of Ryan Smyth but he doesn’t come close to Smytty in that regard.

Maksimov didn’t have a great year to start with Saginaw and was later dealt to Niagara where he started to realize his offensive potential. 22 points in 29 games during the regular season and 4 goals in 4 games during the playoffs were his stats after the trade from Saginaw.

What’s the deal with Saginaw by the way, another Oilers pick, Markus Niemelainen, has left to go back to Finland to play…

I’ll say I was happy with the pick here. The Oilers’ wing depth needs coming up needs some more skill and scoring and if Maksimov can go back to Niagara in 2017 and put up 40 goals, he’ll be a steal for them.

OSTAP SAFIN (Sparta Prague, CZE Jr) – RW – 4TH ROUND #115
6’5″ 191lbs
24gp 6g 12a 18pts

Originally projected to be picked at the end of the 1st round but no later than early 3rd, the big Czech fell to the Oilers in the 4th. When this happens, it makes me ask why? I’ve read that Safin has some consistency issues, so perhaps that’s why he dropped. But for a man his size with the skills, strength, and who plays with a physical edge, the Oilers may have stolen two players in this draft.

Between him, Maksimov, and Yamamoto, the Oilers shouldn’t have to worry about skill coming up through the system.

Depending on your preferences, perhaps you’d have preferred undersized pivot Tyler Steenbergen, hard-nosed blueliner Tyler Inamoto, or smooth skater dman Markus Phillips.

I like Safin.

Future Consideration’s Justin Froese says:

Ostap Safin, F, HC Sparta Praha – Massive power forward… Moves well for size and has that extra gear to get to his spot where he uses his offensive tools to finish a play… Sweet hands with smooth transitions between forehand and back hand… Well poised and heads up, seeing ice before making choices…Finds soft spots and thinks the play with or without the puck… Absolutely rips the puck and has a snap release that he can control… Hard on the body and competes to maintain body position on opponents… Smart play management, knowing when to push pace and when to relent… Strong 3 zone player.

DMITRI SAMORUKOV (Guelph Storm, OHL) – LHD – 3RD ROUND #84
6’2″ 185lbs
67gp 4g 16a 20pts

With players like Nikita Popugaev, Scott Reedy, David Farrance, Keith Petruzzelli, Cale Fleury, and Ivan Lodnia still on the board, the selection of Samorukov shook me a bit and it shouldn’t have.

In Samorukov we’ve got an NHL-sized dman whose shot could accurately be described as something similar to what current Oiler Oscar Klefbom had at that age. Samorukov hits to destroy if a player tries to come through the middle on him and one-on-one, he’s a handful as not too many get by him unscathed.

I’d say he fits right in with the Caleb Jones’, Ethan Bears, Markus Niemelainens of the system. Not spectacular but solid. A nice 4-6 year project dman in my opinion given the depth on the left side in Edmonton.

STUART SKINNER (Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL) – G – 3RD ROUND #78
6’3″ 205lbs
60gp 3.26GAA .905SV%

There are a few things that stand out for me with Skinner:

  • The Oilers traded up to draft him using the picks from the Yakupov and Larsen trades. So basically the Oilers traded Nail Yakupov and Philip Larsen for Stuart Skinner. Makes me chuckle sometimes when you connect the dots on some trades.
  • He’s scored a goal in the WHL.
  • He’s been on the radar since he was 15 years old.

I can’t think of any goalies who took a major junior league by storm at the age of 15. I mean 16 and 17 is hard enough but 15 is mad and with the Hurricanes no less. It’s my understanding that around the time that Skinner broke into the WHL the Lethbridge franchise was in a bit of turmoil. I believe things have turned around now for the Hurricanes and one might say that Skinner has had a hand in that.

Bob Green had his hands all over this pick though, eh? Hopefully, Skinner turns out a bit better than Griffin Reinhart.

Skinner’s season wasn’t amazing as a SV% of .905 would suggest but Dylan Wells had a .871 SV% in his draft year and he turned that right around this season finishing the year with a .915 SV%. The Hurricanes appear to be a team on the ups, so with that, we hope Skinner’s numbers improve as well.

I’m pretty happy with the selection of the Edmonton product. Maybe only Lane Zablocki or Reilly Walsh would’ve been tempting and with Luukonen, Dipietro, and Oettinger off the board I reckon the Oilers did well to trade up and get the next best keeper. To add to that, there’s a slight possibility that the Oilers might have two goalies on Team Canada for the World Juniors this Christmas as Dylan Wells is also slated to be a consideration for the u20 national team.

KAILER YAMAMOTO (Spokane Chiefs, WHL) – RW – 1ST ROUND #22
5’7″ 150lbs
65gp 42g 57a 99pts

There were quite a few players I was looking at for the Oilers to pick here but the overwhelming chatter was that the Oilers would be taking Yamamoto. Edmonton passed on two exceptional Finns in Kristian Vesalainen and Eeli Tolvanen (What happened to him eh?) to take the shortest 1st rounder in the history of the draft.

I love Yamamoto’s drive. His motor never stops. I love his creativity with and without the puck. I also love that he’s fearless and that he plays hockey the right way. I’m enamored by the idea of Yamamoto coming across the ice and flattening Johnny Gaudreau. Of course, that’s not Yamamoto’s game at all but the idea of seeing two of the shortest men in the league go at it is entertaining, to say the least.

Can Kailer Yamamoto be as good as or better than Johnny Gaudreau? ‘Tis possible in time. Gaudreau played a year of USHL and 3 seasons of NCAA hockey before starting his career with the Flames. So if the Oilers are smart they’ll take the long route with Kailer and let him develop mentally and physically into a more mature man before setting him loose on the NHL.

One thing that will separate the two players is Yamamoto’s shot. It’s a laser! The puck comes off his blade with incredible velocity and that’ll definitely help the transition to pro. He won’t have to rely on puck handling all of the time, he’ll have that blisterous wrister to back the defenders off.

The Spokane native put up some of the best results at the draft combine (1st in VO2 Max, tied for 2nd in consecutive pull-ups,  2nd in left/right pro agility, and 3rd in peak power output) and he was one of the older players in the WHL this year. He’s only eligible to play one more year for the Chiefs and then he can turn pro but if you listen to Oilers Now! host Bob Stauffer, you might be more inclined to believe that he’ll start his pro career sooner than later.

I’m against this completely and hope the Oilers do the right thing for Yamamoto and give him that last season in Spokane where he can dominate the WHL and perhaps take over 1st place in the Chiefs all-time scoring. He trails Ray Whitney by a “mere” 121 points but he had 99 points last season in 65 games. Who’s to say that a player like Yamamoto couldn’t put up another 120 points if he’s healthy?

Future Consideration’s Justin Froese says:

The most underrated part of his game is his ability to get back and read the opposition attack, positioning himself accordingly to make a play. Although he struggles with the strength of the physical game, he has the quick flick of his stick that is capable of causing enough disruption of opponent possession to rob opponents blind.

I was left tickled pink by his evolution of the team game. His elite vision and ability to process the play before anyone else while moving at break neck speed made him the most dangerous player on the ice on most shifts. His cornering, agility and acceleration has the ability to snap opponent’s skates clean off their bodies with a dizzying flurry of moves. His straight line speed is reached in sub 2-3 seconds and he can get anywhere on the ice in no time to lead an attack or return to defend his own zone. Has high end creativity with the puck on his stick and plays a lot of yoyo games with defenders who dare try to enclose him. Has a great passing game and the touch to thread the needle through what seems impossible lanes. Not just the set up guy as he as a bullet of a shot for his size and a hair trigger release that is a weapon from inside the dots. Goes all over the ice to make plays and doesn’t let the physical disadvantages he faces discourage him from doing otherwise.

I think he needs time to play against pros in the AHL to create an identity, but if he plays like he has in his 3 years, he will find a way to make himself an asset in the offensive field as a top 6 player.

I hope you enjoy the video below. To the guys who make the Hockey Prospects videos, I ripped some of their footage and noticed that I’d placed my BLH logo over their watermark, if you’re part of that team, I apologize for covering your logo.

I had a helluva time finding the right music but there was a catchy Linkin Park tune I eventually found. I’m not a Linkin Park fan to be honest but with the passing of their lead singer, I thought that using one of their songs called “The Catalyst” in a prospects video would be fitting as sort of tribute to not only the band but the players who might find themselves as a catalyst to the Oilers’ success.

It’s truly unfortunate that such a talented human found himself trapped in life and the only release would be death. I could never understand the pressures that Chester Bennington found himself under but from all accounts, he was a great man and a great family man. I hope he found the release he was looking for on the other side.

If you’re feeling trapped, talk to someone. You’re not alone in this journey we call life. And if you know someone who’s troubled, take the time to sit down with him or her and see how they’re doing. You’ll never know until you ask.

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects

Oilers 2017 Draft Coverage: Speed And Skill

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The NHL Draft Combine is going on in Buffalo, NY, this weekend and the Oilers media team is all over it covering every angle possible. If you didn’t get a chance to watch the video above, do so, and pay special attention to which players they feature in those cut-away clips and also what Oilers Assistant GM Keith Gretzky says about what kind of players they’ll be looking for.

1. “You wanna know how hard they work. That’s the biggest thing.”
2. “We have size, we can add something, we need some skill and we’ll take the best player.”

Those two quotes don’t surprise me in the least. Ever since Peter Chiarelli has taken over there’s been an emphasis on adding players with the right moral fiber. Players who are more inclined to go to work day in and day out with a team first attitude. Players that “buy in” to what the coach is pitching them.

So far so good.

Now, the more you read on about potential players that the Oilers might draft and what the Oilers system lacks, the more you’ll read that the team needs forwards with speed and skill. I can’t disagree with that sentiment at all. At times during the regular season the Oilers were getting outmatched by smaller quicker opponents and it was also evident in the playoffs versus Anaheim where their highly mobile dmen were very effective against the Oilers’ bigger wingers.

Below are some reports on those players I told you to keep an eye out for in that Youtube clip above. I don’t think that these players were included in that video for nothing. I believe that these players are on the Oilers radar and we should pay special attention to them.

The NHLe I calculated here.

Kailer Yamamoto (RW) – Spokane (WHL) – 5’9″ 160lbs – 65gp 42g 57a 99pts (NHLe = 36pts)

  • Small in stature but a giant when it comes to creating plays, he has an extremely high IQ with vision already at an elite level. Yamamoto is a fluid and graceful skater who skates with his head up at all times, and his ability to snipe off the rush or make precision passes makes him next to impossible to defend. He isn’t big, but he plays with bite and on occasion will duke it out with bigger opponents. – Steve Kournianos, thedraftanalyst.com

Kole Lind (RW) – Kelowna (WHL) – 6’1″ 178lbs – 70gp 30g 57a 87ots (NHLe = 30pts)

  • Fundamentally, Lind is a smart player. He moves around the ice very well and has a good sense of where to be and where his teammates will be. He’s a very effective puck distributor and has an effective, though not amazing, shot – his 30 goals this season are as much a product of his positioning as his shooting. He’s not a huge guy, though he’s got the frame to add some muscle, but that hasn’t mattered; he plays a very effective physical game and often buzzes around the ice hitting everything in sight on the forecheck. Sometimes this gets him into some trouble away from the puck, with the physical side pulling him out of position, but he’s improved in that respect over the last couple of seasons. – Ryan Pike, The Hockey Writers
    (I just want to add an interesting tidbit, Lind has an early birthday and it would make him eligible to play AHL hockey starting in 2018/19.)

Isaac Ratcliffe (LW) – Guelph (OHL) – 6’5″ 203lbs – 67gp 28g 26a 54pts (NHLe = 20pts) 

  • The power forward who can skate and possesses very soft hands has been coming on lately. I think he’s underrated offensively in some circles. He’s a physical beast who can play a very mean game. Almost impossible to knock off the puck and uses his size and strength to maintain possession. Right now, he’s probably the best prospect in front of the goal, battling for space and loose pucks and banging in rebounds. We caught a glimpse of that in the Top Prospects game. The scary thought is he’s still going to grow and get stronger. – Dominic Tiano, OHLwriters.blogspot.com

Eeli Tolvanen (RW) – Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) – 5’10” 170lbs – 52gp 24g 30a 54pts (NHLe = 23pts)

  • Tolvanen is an expert sharpshooter with a quick release, and his ability to pick corners off the pass is reminiscent of countryman Patrik Laine. He’s strong on the puck and escapes from the tough battles right into shooting position. He’s a strong skater who likes to speed down the wing before unloading a labeled shot. His ability to elude opponents and finish off the rush is unmatched by any draft peer. – Steve Kournianos, thedraftanalyst.com

Robert Thomas (RHC) – London (OHL) – 6’0″ 187lbs – 66gp 16g 50a 66pts (NHLe = 25pts)

  • There are few players that think the game better and he can process things at an elite level. Thomas is an exceptional skater with high-end acceleration and top end speed, not only going north-south but can swing east-west, maintain possession while surveying the ice and set teammates up for scoring opportunities. He has an ability to slow the game down as well, buying time for his teammates to move into prime scoring position and then feeding them with slick, tape-to-tape passes. he is one of the Knights hardest workers – if not the hardest. He puts the effort required to be successful game to game, shift to shift. He puts that same effort in the defensive zone as he does in the o-zone. He has become a key member of the league’s sixth best penalty kill for Coach Hunter. – Dominic Tiano, OHLwriters.blogspot.com

Pierre-Olivier Joseph (LD) – Charlottetown (QMJHL) – 6’0″ 160lbs – 62gp 6g 33a 39pts (NHLe = 13pts) 

  • A qualitative jump in his all around play has hurtled him upward into the first round discussions. A player who always looked solid as an improving defender but who this season has gained scads of confidence in his ability to be a key component in the attack. Displays mobility and excellent hockey sense, and has that feel for where a play is going before it does. Breaks up rushes and plays in his end with a good stick and strong recognition. A power play quarterback whose frame will allow him to get bigger and as he gets stronger he will add more mustard to the heat he can bring from the point. – Bill Placzek, draftsite.com

Nic Hague (LD) – Mississauga (OHL) – 6’6″ 212lbs – 65gp 18g 28a 46pts (NHLe = 17pts)

  • Potential big defender in more ways than one. NHL teams continue to have their love affair with huge men at the defensive position who have upside to be top four defenders, since in general, the dmen are getting smaller. For a fellow his size, he has excellent mobility and overall strength He puts his long stick in the passing lanes and covers ground pretty quickly. Uses his size along the wall and can throw devastating bodychecks. When on the back pedal, he doesn’t pivot as quickly as smaller men, but attackers trying to go wide find out how strong he is and long his stick is. Enjoys playing with an edge. He is growing more of his offensive game, by activated on the rush, and attempting to handle the puck more and more. Still needs work and must hone his carries and be more frugal in the time he holds onto it. Not the finished product, but there will not be a shortage of NHL teams considering him before the bottom third of the first round. – Bill Plazcek, draftsite.com

Just before I let you go, I’ve got a new Jesse Puljujarvi shift-by-shift up at the Beer League Heroes Facebook page. You should head over and give us a follow, a like, a share, a comment and anything else you have in your wallet! (Kidding!) Click HERE!

What do you think? Which one of these players would you like to see the Oilers draft in the first round of this year’s draft? Let us know in the comments below!

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