Tag Archives: Caleb Jones

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Edmonton Oilers Talk: Top Three Breakout Candidates

If the 2020-21 NHL season finally gets the green light, the Edmonton Oilers have a plethora of young stars, bounceback candidates, and under-the-radar players that could break out and assert their position in the league. Here are the three most likely from the Oilers,

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Jesse Puljujarvi

I think it’s probably a bit obvious, maybe too obvious, to predict that Edmonton’s 4th overall pick in 2016, Jesse Puljujarvi, is due for a breakout.

The big Finn who never stops smiling can feel the ultimate sense of relief knowing that he won’t be coming back to Todd McLellan, Ken Hitchcock, or Peter Chiarelli anymore and that he’s in good hands with Coach Tippett and GM Ken Holland. Both veteran NHL men have put over a year into building a rapport with Puljujarvi and attempting to earn his trust so that he would feel comfortable enough to return and give the Oilers one more shot.

After leaving Edmonton and returning to Oulu Karpat, Pulju racked up 65 points in 71 games with nearly half of those being goals (31). This number is still rising as he hasn’t left the Finnish club as of yet.

When he’s inserted into the Oilers lineup, the expectations are that he’ll start on the 3rd line with long-time NHLers Kyle Turris (a former 3rd overall pick in 2007) and Tyler Ennis. He’ll be getting the kind of linemates he should’ve had all along in Edmonton in his first three seasons, skaters who have the skill to play with him, and he’ll be able to provide some muscle on the walls in addition to being able to open up ice for Turris and Ennis.

Maybe most importantly, he’ll be playing with a couple of gentlemen who are willing to be on the same line as him.

I also expect Jesse to get some time on the 2nd unit PP as well as some TOI on the penalty kill. It can’t be said as to how much, but I believe Coach Tippett will at least give it a go.

It’s tough to predict what kind of production he could bring with the season unlikely to be 82-games long, but just to save time, IF there was a full season, a goal of 15 ginos and 15 apples is not a stretch for me. In fact, 20 goals (or the prorated equivalent of) is well within reach for Puljujarvi.

Caleb Jones

When Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear were running the show in Bakersfield, it might shock you to know, but it was Jones who was the better defender at that level (in my opinion). His playing style at that level was similar to that of former Edmonton Oilers Andrej Sekera. The young American was on Bakersfield’s top pair and I’d describe him as a smooth operator who could skate, pass, get the puck on net, lug it down the ice, and play sound defense. In addition to all of that, he played both his strong side and his weak side, and very well I might add.

Now, last year was a bit of a revelation for almost everyone with regards to the former Portland Winterhawk. We were all watching Ethan Bear have this outstanding season and then, as they do in Edmonton, injuries happened and Jones was forced to play 20-minutes a game for a few nights. He tackled that challenge admirably and that is what is leading many to predict that he’s ready for 2nd-pairing TOI, including me.

Ideally, I’d love to see him start on the 3rd pairing and work his way up for one more year but as they say, only the player can tell you if he’s ready. If CJ is good to go, they get that boy up on the 2nd pair and let him work his magic, baby!

Fact check time. We’re five years into this investment and just starting to have some dividends paid out. I have a great feeling that Jones will have a really solid prorated 20-25pt campaign in 2020-21, but I’m not 100% certain he’ll be an Oiler long-term with Broberg and Dmitri Samorukov really coming on and an expansion draft on the horizon.

Evan Bouchard

What more has to be said about Old Man Bouchard?

There seems to be a faction of the Edmonton Oilers scouting staff or management that feel Bouchard lacks a certain “sense of urgency” in his game, or at least that’s the impression I get when I listen to Ryan Rishaug talk about him on the radio.

One question though, have you ever noticed Dougie Hamilton’s “sense of urgency”? What about Larry Murphy’s or Nicklas Lidstrom’s?

Some players play the game in a rocking chair and let the game come to them. Evan Bouchard, I believe, is one of them. We’ve heard Holland and others say that he picked up some bad habits in Junior because he played so much, he had to learn how to conserve energy, and they wanted him to go all-out every shift, right? It sounds similar to when the Oilers tried to make Nail Yakupov a 200ft winger…

The fact of the matter is, Bouchard can play Ryan Suter-like minutes and I reckon he will once he’s a full-time NHLer. Then nobody will be complaining about how he lacks a certain intensity on the ice. When he’s ripping passes to a breaking McDavid or Draisaitl and bombing clappers from the point ala Al MacInnis, you won’t hear about how he should dig in more along the boards or move the puck faster. He was the team’s best passer at age 18… That hasn’t changed.

Bouchard is so good that they need to work to his strengths and supplement him with the most suitable d-partner in order to facilitate them. If the Oilers do that, they could have themselves the first Calder Trophy winner in franchise history. He’s that good offensively and we know, point production is how you get your name on the ballot.

You’re probably wondering how he’s going to be one of Edmonton’s breakout players with Adam Larsson, Tyson Barrie, and Ethan Bear ahead of him on the depth chart, right? Well, someone is going to get hurt or traded and that’s when Bouchard will get his shot. It’s inevitable and I suspect it’ll be Adam Larsson that is on the move or hurt.

If all the shoes dropped and Bouchard got into 30 games this year, 20 points or more wouldn’t shock me from him. Once Tippett sees how good he is at getting the puck to Edmonton’s stars and how well his shots get to the net, he’ll earn more ice time.

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Edmonton Oilers: 2019 Hlinka/Gretzky Group A Preview + Thoughts on the Oilers Defense Past 2019

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is set to kick off on August 5th and run until the 10th in Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia. For those of you that are new to the competition, it’s basically the world’s best under-18 players going head-to-head. Canada has won 22 of the last 28 contests and are looking to repeat as champions after winning last year’s edition of the tournament that was played in Edmonton and Red Deer.

Today’s Group A preview comes to us from the mind of Max L. (@TPEHockey)

Canada:
The Canadians are an early favorite to run away with this tournament due to their combination of high-end talent and depth. They occupied 5/10 of the top 10 scorers at the U17s last year. The team will be without 2020’s top prospect in Alexis Lafreniére due to him being a late 2001 born player rather than 2002. Nonetheless, the team has plenty of high-end talent, and anything less than a gold medal is a failure for this squad.

In net, the Canadians have various options. The go-to guy will likely be Dylan Garand of the Kamloops Blazers who has a strong 16-year-old season with the team. They also have Tristan Lennox who is a late birthday eligible for the 2021 draft. Their defense is where it gets crazy. Canada has 4 or 5 first-round talents on their blueline including Jamie Drysdale, Jeremie Poirier, Kaiden Guhle, and Lukas Cormier. With the prominence of their blue line, Canada doesn’t lack forwards either. The consensus #2 guy for the 2020 draft, Quinton Byfield, will play for the team. The 6’5” monster dominates with his ridiculous skating ability and high-end skill set. Other potential 1st rounders include Cole Perfetti, Connor McClennon, Hendrix Lapierre, Jack Neighbors, and Theo Rochette.

Finland:
The Finns have been a dominant force in hockey as of late, but this year may be a little different. Their 2002 born and 2020 draft class lacks a ton of talent, but there is hope. They’ll be without consensus top 5 prospect Anton Lundell due to him being a late 01 which is a huge hit to their roster. Finland has a chance at competing for a medal, but they’ll likely be steamrolled by a team like Canada. Although they could be a very exciting team.

The team features a few stars that will come up in later drafts that everyone should have an eye on. Underaged Brad Lambert will likely make this team and he is nothing short of phenomenal. He is one of the best upcoming Finnish players we’ve ever seen, but not eligible until 2022. Lambert has far exceeded the benchmark put up by a player like Kaapo Kakko at the same age. Aatu Räty is also a top player as he’s the #1 prospect for the 2021 draft. Other players to look out for are Veeti Miettinen, Valterri Karnaranta, Roni Hirvonen, and Kasper Puutio.

Czech Republic:
Czech hockey has seemed to be getting weaker as of late and the trend may continue. There isn’t much to be expected from this team, but there are a few good players.

In net Jan Bednar and Jakub Malek will compete for the starting job. Both are top prospects for 2020. On defense, we can expect to see Stanislav Svozil who is a 1st round prospect for the 2021 draft. The only real forward of note is Jan Mysak. Mysak could compete for a top 10 root in the 2020 draft after his time in the Czech pros as a 16-year-old. He had a remarkable playoff run with HC Litvinov where he scored 5 goals and 4 assists in 6 professional hockey games at 16.

Switzerland:
The Swiss team this year won’t be fun to watch. With only one real prospect they don’t stand a chance. They lost dual citizen Theo Rochette to Canada, a huge hit to the program. Their only guy to watch is Noah Delemont who served as an assistant captain for Switzerland at the U18s.

The Group B preview written by Keith Fries (@keithfries) will be posted tomorrow as well as a little rumor on the Oilers search for their third-line center.

The Oilers Defence Past 2019/20

Earlier this week I tweeted out a video of Darnell Nurse fluffing a 10ft pass and it caused a bit of an uproar amongst some of his biggest fans. My point was, and has been for some time, that even though he’s a tough son of a bitch and he can skate like the wind (when there’s an open lane), his decision making, IQ, and passing isn’t up to snuff for a player who is looking at Jacob Trouba’s new $8M per year deal as his own deal is expiring after this season.

Personally, I think his numbers are propped up by playing most of his career TOI with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. At least over the previous three seasons, it looks that way,

  • Connor McDavid – 1583:55 min
  • Leon Draisaitl – 1517:54 min
  • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – 1275:37

Who are the three guys who stand at the blueline during warm-ups each game again?

And don’t ask me why Todd McLellan, for the most part, and Ken Hitchcock, to a lesser degree, decided to do this. It’s obvious that Nurse was a drag on the team’s best forwards. Here are his possession metrics in all strengths With/Without/Player without Nurse during the same three seasons,

  • McDavid: 53.09%/44.25%/58.18%
  • Draisaitl: 52.09%/44.87%/57.85%
  • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 48.31%/47.13%/52.50%

Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.

For a game where the defensemen are evolving every year, it’s just not a good look on a defender who can’t move the puck without having to take it himself, to have such poor metrics. And Look, Nurse isn’t the only one, he just happens to be the one that might be asking for the moon in his next deal. Sam Girard (COL) just signed a 7-yr deal with $5M per year and I think they compare quite well and think that’s the ideal AAV for Nurse to sign that would help not only the team going forward but possibly himself should he make it for 5 years and walk himself into free agency.

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So, when people tell me that you can’t move him because he was the team’s highest-scoring defender last year and he’s only 24 or that he’s the Oilers best blueliner, I think you have to look into those 40+ points he got last year and realize that approximately 25% of them came on the PP, which isn’t a bad thing but he probably wouldn’t have gotten them had Klefbom (or Sekera) stayed healthy. Also, his secondary points (19) nearly match his primary (22) and his SH% almost doubled from the season prior (3.09% to 5.10%).

Getting back to the powerplay for a moment, do you think that Nurse will be playing a lot of minutes with the man advantage with Joel Persson and Caleb Jones most likely making the team next season? And what about that when Evan Bouchard is on the team?

My argument isn’t that Nurse is a bad player even though I’m presenting some pretty damning evidence that doesn’t really speak to the pluses of his game. I’m saying he’s not worth what Trouba makes right now and he’s never been an offensive defender.

I want Darnell Nurse to be the next Chris Pronger, but as weird as it sounds, he’s not as mean as Pronger was. He looks it when it’s time to throw down, but Pronger was as dirty as he was mean. Could Darnell be like that? Absolutely and I’d love to see it.

What I truly desire for Nurse is for him to embrace the shutdown role. Really dig in on being amazing defensively for this team so that they can pair him with a righty who needs a clean-up man in order to be the best player he can be for the Oilers. But in order to do that, he can be doing things like this,

If you think that the Oilers would have a gaping hole in the toughness department without Darnell, you need to watch a bit more of William Lagesson. This guy is as tough as nails plus he can skate and pass the puck and I think if I’m being honest, his progression is part of the reason I think I feel comfortable with the idea of moving Nurse.

Tying all of that in with the title of this portion of the post, IF Anton Thun decides he’s going to be brave with Holland like he was with Chiarelli, I don’t think it’s going to end up well. In addition to that, we’ve heard from pundits covering the team that this group of defensemen could be getting a facelift. Now whether that comes internally or externally, my belief is that the Oilers are looking for better puck-movers and more offense from the blueline.

After this season, I would project the defense to look something like this if Nurse re-signs,

Oscar Klefbom/Adam Larsson
Darnell Nurse/Evan Bouchard
William Lagesson/Caleb Jones

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I do believe that this year will be the last time we see Kris Russell and Matt Benning in Oilers gear. Joel Persson is also a question mark past this upcoming campaign, so I didn’t include him.

If Nurse doesn’t re-sign and is moved, I think the defense would look like this,

Klefbom/Larsson
Lagesson/Bouchard
Jones/Bear

I know. It looks awfully green and it is, at the NHL level, but Lagesson, Jones, and Bear will have had multiple seasons of experience in the AHL and most likely games in the NHL too. Bouchard would have one full year (probably) and if Tyler Benson can get the push after one year, why not Old Man Bouchard? Can’t forget how Bouchard was the team’s best passer as a 19-year-old in his stint last year.

That group of defenders CAN move the puck extremely well and I’d be willing to bet that we’d soon forget about the toughness and puck-rushing that Nurse brings today not to mention the return on a trade for him would most likely net Edmonton a pretty good forward…

Let me reiterate this one more time, I don’t want Nurse traded. I want him to sign a team-friendly contract that pays him what he is worth long-term. But in the event that his camp is asking for too much money, I do believe the organization depth would give the Oilers the ability to field offers on the defenseman and allow them to upgrade the roster.

FYI: Almost 14 years to the day, Chris Pronger was traded to the Oilers for Eric Brewer, Jeff Wowitka, and Doug Lynch. The anniversary of that trade is very soon and I asked my followers on Twitter what the equivalent of that deal would look like today if we were using this roster? Would it be Nurse, Lagesson, and Bear for Victor Hedman? Let me know your idea in the comments below!

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: If Holland Is In, Who’s He Shipping Out?

As the days pass on, the likelihood of Ken Holland leaving the Detroit Red Wings and joining the Edmonton Oilers as their new GM (autonomy included) becomes greater and greater. The weekend is still young and so there is still time for the two sides to walk away, but from what I have gathered over the last couple of days, I’d be getting used to the idea of Holland as Edmonton’s new general manager.

I’d like to begin by talking about this prospective hire and then talk about some of the moves the team might make if it indeed does come to fruition.

WHY YOU HAVE TO BE ANGRY?

The unhappy portion of the fanbase point to lost trades and poor contracts as to why they wouldn’t support this hiring. I think they are being short-sighted and the reason for that, I feel, is that this is a team that believes in drafting and developing. That mantra has been a pillar of the Red Wing franchise for decades and what better way to live by that than to make it very difficult for the team’s prospects to break into the 1st team by re-signing veterans to extensions?

Can you show me the last trade made by Holland that could be considered a Brandon Manning-esque loss? You’d probably have to go way back to 2015 to the Erik Cole trade (Dallas ended up with Janmark and Hintz in the end there) or perhaps the Datsyuk salary dump where Holland had to sacrifice Jakub Chychrun to move their star Russian’s salary. But even then they managed to get two fine prospects in Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski in that trade…

Frans Nielsen has been a bit of a disaster, but Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou, and Tyler Bertuzzi are on some very team-friendly deals. When Justin Abdelkader was 28 years old and coming off a second consecutive 40+ point season, Holland signed him to a seven-year extension worth $4.25M per season. A deal that was only 250k more than the one Benoit Pouliot signed in Edmonton that so many were up in arms about when he was bought out.

So you’ve got these vets holding spots warm for the likes of Givani Smith, Filip Zadina, Axel Holmstrom, Jonathan Berggren, and Joe Veleno.

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But maybe we can look to how Holland has shaped his defense as a weakness but you can’t deny that he rewards loyalty. Now whether you see that as a pro or a con, that’s for you to decide. Danny Dekeyser was a highly sought after college free agent but he’s never lived up to his salary. Niklas Kronwall, on the other hand, had two of his most productive seasons at the ages of 33 and 34. Mike Green had two really good years in Washington and has been riding those seasons every since then. He is still good for 30+ points a year but they’re unhealthy years.

Detroit’s AHL team has Ville Saarijarvi, Filip Hronek, and Joe Hicketts developing there. As for the prospects that have yet to make it to Grand Rapids, Jared McIsaac, Alex Regula, and Gustav Lindstrom well on their way. And I shouldn’t forget about Dennis Cholowski, the 19-year-old who appeared in 52 games for the Red Wings and 25 for the Griffins this past season.

In net, the trust factor comes into play again. Holland should’ve moved on from Jimmy Howard sooner than later but he’s has been in Detroit his whole career. He signed Jonathan Bernier to a 3-yr deal worth $3M per year in what I’m thinking was a move aimed at having the former Maple Leafs goalie replace Howard.

Filip Larsson is a Swedish netminder who signed with Holland’s team after a very nice NCAA career (if you want to call one season a career). Just this last season he played 22 games for the University of Denver and posted a 1.95 GAA and a .925 save percentage. The season before that he played for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL and in 30 games accrued a 1.65 GAA and a .941 save percentage… He’s only 20 years old right now and will start his pro career next season. It shouldn’t be long before he’s netminding for the Red Wings.

The mess that the new general manager is walking into isn’t one for a rookie GM, in my opinion. And this isn’t the Oilers potentially bringing in Peter Chiarelli. Ken Holland is a person who actually talks to people and brings others in to help with decision making.

When Scotty Bowman stepped down in 2002, Holland went around to everyone, including the players, and got all the intel he could to make that hire and what was decided was that their assistant coach Dave Lewis would be that guy.

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The point I’m trying to make here is that if the Oilers want a guy who’s top attributes are communication, patience, being steady-handed, and experienced; then who better?

Another thing that is very important about hiring the Vernon, BC native is that he’s learned from some of the very best in the business (Jimmy Devellano, who learned from a legend in Bill Torrey) on how to manage a hockey team and he’s passed that knowledge on to such executives as Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill and now current Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman.

The Oilers wanted to hire Keith Gretzky as their GM but the air around the team is toxic right now and instead, I believe the plan is to give Kretzky the assistant general manager’s position but with heightened responsibilities and then have him mentored by Holland.

WHO’S COMING AND GOING?

  • This week there was quite a bit of chatter about Sean Burke joining the Oilers but not as GM. If I had to take a guess, I think that this is still on the cards and that if he did sign with the Oilers, he’d be hired to replace Duane Sutter as director of pro scouting.
  • Bob Green is the director of free agent scouting for the team and my guess is that the team will probably move on from him too. The Tobias Rieder signing was horrid and anybody that would’ve done their homework would’ve seen that from his play in LA prior to joining Edmonton.
  • Craig MacTavish has done a fine job building Bakersfield into what it is today, so there’s a slight possibility that he could stay on.
  • I can’t see Scott Howson continuing in his current role. I think he spends most of his time at his home in Columbus anyhow.
  • If Gretzky gets more responsibility that’ll mean someone will need to take over the amateur scouting, I’d assume that to be Tyler Wright who’d be coming with Holland from Detroit.

So those are my guesses as to the front-office changes. As for the roster changes, there are a few.

  • As per my source, Milan Lucic f*cked up with that interview in Vancouver. Belief is that Gretzky is working on a deal with Jim Benning to send Lucic to the Canucks and possibly have Loui Eriksson come back. Brandon Sutter is also an option.(I suggested they send Lucic, Russell, and a pick/prospect to Vancouver for Eriksson and Sutter. That way it would improve the Oilers PK (in theory) and it’d open up a spot on the 2nd pairing. An area that I believe needs a major upgrade. The Oilers could also stick RNH on the 2nd line and have Leon/Connor run wild on the NHL again.)
  • Looks like Tyler Benson, William Lagesson, and Caleb Jones will be getting the push next season.(I asked about Bear and was told that he had a bit of an injury-plagued year, so perhaps one more year in Bako.)
  • The team has been scouting Europe for the last couple of weeks. I heard a major emphasis was placed on defenders.
  • The Oilers will be listening on offers for Kris Russell, Andrej Sekera, and Jesse Puljujarvi this summer.
  • Edmonton is desperate to improve the defense with puck-moving defenders and Jake Gardiner’s name came up as a free agent target this summer.
  • Matt Benning is in tough to stay with the club given the emergences of Jones, Lagesson, and Bear. Wouldn’t be surprised if the rumored Connor Brown for Benning deal gets completed this summer.
  • I feel like there’s an appetite to re-sign defenseman Kevin Gravel.
  • Nugent-Hopkins is at the end of his rope with the organization. They need to show improvement or he’s gone.
  • Todd Nelson is a name to consider as a head coach candidate.

Now that’s a lot of movement, right? And the new GM hasn’t even been named. So take all of that for what you will.

My personal feeling is that if Ken Holland is the new boss, a guy like Jesse Puljujarvi will get another chance to show what he’s capable of. Maybe the Oilers hire Todd Nelson and he works some of that magic with Pulju as he did with Yakupov?

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

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A New-ish Oilers Rumor + 6 Sleepers for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft

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The Oilers are getting into the news more and more these days and I’m loving it! That means we’re getting closer to the season and that I can look forward to the temperatures cooling off…

So today we’ve got a trade rumor that simply won’t die as well as six sleepers for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft from the new guy, Max!

After you…

A NEW-ISH TRADE RUMOR

Bob Stauffer, Lowetide, Kurt Leavins, and David Staples have talked about it recently.  We’ve briefly written about it here as well in the past week as well…

With the Oilers loading up on no.6/7 dmen and no.13/14 forwards, are they getting ready to trade a forward for a defender to replace the injured Andrej Sekera?

https://twitter.com/oilersfan1991/status/1032494649619898368

https://twitter.com/oilersfan1991/status/1032495766361669632

Justin Faulk has a modified no-movement clause that kicks in this year and with that comes a 15-team list. So basically he has told Carolina which teams he’s not interested in going to and which ones he is IF they decide to move him.

When we talk about what it’d take to acquire Faulk we first look at the return the Hurricanes got for Skinner and it was a shite return, let’s be honest. That said, I do not think that current Carolina GM Don Waddell had a whole lot to work with in that trade given Jeff Skinner was vetoing deals left and right.

I do think that he’s got a bit more flexibility with the Faulk trade. The only pressure he has is from his boss who isn’t interested in paying Faulk $6M a year to play 3rd-pairing TOI.

I’ve spoken on Twitter about the Oilers offering Zack Kassian and picks/prospects for Faulk and the reason being I believe that Kassian is really the only guy that Chiarelli is comfortable moving. Leavins has suggested Caggiula. Either way, a bottom-6 player from the Edmonton Oilers that plays a rugged style and might be overpaid slightly seems like the tender in which the Oilers are willing to pay for Justin Faulk.

If that is the case, they won’t get him. Toronto and Chicago both have the goods to give Carolina a much better offer.

Other things to consider:

  • How will acquiring Faulk affect the next expansion list for Edmonton?
  • Will the Oilers be over a barrel cap-wise sooner or later?
  • Are the Oilers really that desperate for Faulk?
  • Is Edmonton on Faulk’s “list”?
  • If those offers from Edmonton could “get it done”, why hasn’t the deal been made yet?
  • What happens when Sekera returns?
  • Would the Oilers be better off down a top-9 winger in a deal for Faulk or with the current roster as is?

Of course, Peter Chiarelli could offer Puljujarvi (god no…) or try and make a bigger deal with Nugent-Hopkins (I’ll hop on the fire Chia bandwagon if he moves RNH for Faulk straight across…).

Do the Oilers NEED Justin Faulk?

Thoughts? Please leave them in the comments below!

SIX SLEEPERS FOR THE 2019 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

My man Max is at it again! This time he’s offered up his six sleepers for the upcoming NHL entry draft in Vancouver next summer! Will the Edmonton Oilers get their hands on one of these beauties? Only time will tell but let’s dig in and see what Max has for us!

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Roman Basran – G (Kelowna Rockets, WHL) – 185cm, 78kg – 10GP – .926 Sv%

Basran started the 17/18 season playing youth hockey in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League, but by the end of the season he was dominating the Western Hockey League. Basran’s stats portray a goaltender that could be an early round pick in the draft except he only played 10 games. In his short time in the WHL he registered his first shutout on a 38 save game. Basran possesses a lot of natural skill as he didn’t lace up the skates until he was 9 years old. We ultimately need to see more of him to decide what he really is, and if he continues his great play we are looking at a high-level prospect.

Josh Williams – RW (Medicine Hat, WHL) – 185cm, 84kg – 47GP – 11G – 9A – 20TP

After struggling last season Josh Williams as he was given restricted minutes on the bottom 6 for Medicine Hat, and didn’t do as well as most hoped. Although when playing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and international U17 camps where he got more opportunities he outperformed expectations. At the Hlinka, he scored 5 goals and an assist and displayed his hard shot and quick thinking. Williams possesses great speed, skill, and talent. If he can gain confidence and receive more opportunities then I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in contention for the 1st round of the draft.

Nick Robertson – C/LW (Peterborough Petes, OHL) – 175cm, 73kg – 62GP – 15G – 18A – 33TP

Robertson is one of the youngest players in the draft class being only 4 days off of the September 15th cut off. Much like Josh Williams, he struggled at the beginning of the season until, unlike Williams, he was given more opportunities to succeed in a bigger role. Robertson began to score more goals and display his true talent. He is known for his competitive drive, high-level skating ability, and hands to match. He exploded in the Hlinka tournament scoring a hat-trick against Canada showing that when given the opportunity he could perform.

Ville Heinola – LD (Ässät U20, Jr. A SM-Liiga) – 181cm, 79kg – 33GP – 3G – 14A – 17TP

This new age mobile defenseman is highlighted by his elite poise and two-way abilities. Heinola skates, handles the puck, and plays with unmatched poise. He’s calm and composed with the puck and in the defensive zone. Heinola played in the Finnish U20 league and looks to play in the pro league with Lukko next year. He’s flown under the radar all year but if he can crack the pro roster then he will surely get more attention.

Xavier Simoneau – C (Drummondville Voltigeurs, QMJHL) – 167cm, 78kg – 61GP – 17G – 28A – 45TP

As a rookie playing for Drummondville, Simoneau played both the power play and penalty kill. He is a solid two way player with a lot of hockey sense. He’s regarded as one of the smartest players coming out of the QMJHL this year which is why he was played so heavily on the special team units. The hit on Simoneau is his size and is likely why he hasn’t gotten a lot of attention. As we see him more and people get past his size he will rise on everyone’s rankings.

Yaroslav Likhachyov – RW (Lokomotiv, Russia U17) – 180cm, 76kg – 22GP – 16G – 24A 40TP

Likhachyov is a highlight reel player that plans to play for Gatineau in the QMJHL. This year he was the 22nd pick in the CHL Import Draft after his stint playing in Russia’s U17 league. Likhachyov is known for his outstanding skill and talent with the puck. He’s got great hands and has the ability stickhandle with little space and get a shot off with his quick release. The hit on Likhachyov though is his skating and play away from the puck. His issue is that his feet can’t keep up with his hand. If he can work on his speed and complete game we are looking at a first round talent.

Do you have a sleeper for the upcoming draft? Let us know in the comments below!

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Corey Mitchell, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects

Oilers Prospects Recap – Nov. 9 to Nov. 15

John Marino

Hello again Oilers fans. Lots of news involving prospects this week. Both the KHL and WSM Liga resumed play this week, meaning Roman Horak, Ziyat Paigin, and Miroslav Svoboda were all back on the ice. The Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL played the dreaded 3 games in 3 nights. Two young defensemen in the WHL continued their impressive seasons. The goalie prospects across the CHL, NCAA, and WSM Liga continue to struggle. And a pair of player transactions took place as well. And as always, I select a Prospect of the Week.

[table id=35 /]

Season Totals: 10 Games Played, 1 Goal, 0 Assists, -6, 6 PIM

 

[table id=48 /]

Season Totals: 13 Games Played, 0 Goals, 3 Assists, +3, 6 PIM

 

[table id=37 /]

Season Totals: 17 Games Played, 4 Goals, 10 Assists, Even, 17 PIM

 

[table id=38 /]

Season Totals: 16 Games Played, 3 Goals, 12 Assists, +4, 8 PIM

 

[table id=39 /]

Season Totals: 10 Games Played, 2 Goals, 3 Assists, +1, 6 PIM

 

[table id=49 /]

Season Totals: 10 Games Played, 4 Goals, 2 Assists, -3, 18 PIM

 

[table id=40 /]

Season Totals: 15 Games Played, 1 Goal, 9 Assists, -1, 8 PIM

 

[table id=50 /]

Season Totals: 12 Games Played, 2-9-0, GAA 4.79, SV% 0.849, Shutouts 0

 

[table id=42 /]

Season Totals: 11 Games Played, 2-9-0, GAA 4.36, SV% 0.881, Shutouts 0

 

[table id=43 /]

Season Totals: 29 Games Played, 7 Goals, 8 Assists, -1, 18 PIM

 

[table id=45 /]

Season Totals: 10 Games Played, 2 Goals, 2 Assists, +3, 8 PIM

 

[table id=46 /]

Season Totals: 4 Games Played, 3-1-0, GAA 3.00, SV% 0.878, Shutouts 0

 

[table id=47 /]

Season Totals: 14 Games Played, 1 Goal, 3 Assists, +1, 2 PIM

 

Prospect of the Week: Caleb Jones (2 Games Played, 3 Assists, -1, 2 PIM)

 

Player Transactions

Nov. 9 – Miroslav Svoboda was transferred from AZ Havirov (WSM Liga) to Sumperk (WSM Liga)

Nov. 12 – Greg Chase was recalled from Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) to Bakersfield Condors (AHL)