I can’t honestly remember a year where the Oilers didn’t invite some random CHL players to their rookie camp, yet, this year the roster is constructed of players that have been drafted by the team and/or play in the Oilers developmental system (Bakersfield (AHL)/Wichita (ECHL) aside from a few other ECHL players that I’ll mention below.
Here is the full rookie camp roster:
I’m really looking forward to seeing Stuart Skinner. He’s been on my radar since I heard there was a 16-year-old goalie playing net for a troubled Lethbridge Hurricanes squad. I’m really high on him and wonder if he might be the Braden Holtby-like goalie Edmonton has been desperate for all this time.
As for Rodrigue and Wells, I really don’t know what to expect going in with these two. Dylan Wells has not shown well at the junior level or the minor pro level so far but there’s time and that’s exactly what goalies usually need to iron out the wrinkles in their game at each level.
The top of this group is absolutely stacked with Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, Evan Bouchard, and William Lagesson. Lots of potential in those four and then you add in Dmitri Samorukov, who in my mind is a wild card for the Oilers. The Russian could turn out to be a steal or he could turn out to be a dud. His inconsistent game hasn’t won me over yet.
Evan Bouchard had a good outing the last time he was on the ice with the Oilers rookies after the draft. The spotlight is going to be on him this week. Let’s see how he does.
Lagesson is the man I think will step out and make himself known to Oilers fans. He’s a bit older than the rest of the group and he’s already gone through a 4-yr stint in the NCAA as well as a year in the Swedish Hockey League. He MIGHT be a guy that could step in right away for the Oilers in the same manner that Matt Benning did. Keep an eye on him.
Jared Wilson stands out here as a name I don’t recognize but he is indeed property of Bakersfield. I haven’t found a report for him but he’s got really nice size and he produced offensively during his time in the BCHL. During his four year career at RPI, that offense he had in his junior days never really showed up. He did captain the team in his final season though and Chiarelli does like his NCAA captains.
Jake Kulevich is also a name that I don’t recognize. He played on the same team (South Shore Kings) as current Oilers prospect John Marino back in 2012/13. They might’ve been D-partners, I’m not sure
Funny thing about that USPHL team, a handful of current Oilers property went through it. Kulevich, Nolan Vesey, Shane Starrett, Logan Day, and John Marino played for them.
Also, it seems to be a popular program for former/current NHLers to send family members to. Aidan Cavallini (Gino Cavallini), Nolan Vesey (Jim Vesey), Tim Boyle (Brian Boyle’s brother), Ryan Donato (Ted Donato), Chris Shero (Ray Shero), Nicholas Olczyk (Ed Olczyk), and Jeff Hextall (Ron Hextall) are just a few players that have gone through that system with ties to the NHL.
This is a very electrifying group of forwards and not all big guys either, lots of small skillers this season too. Quite the change from rookie camps previous.
I’m most looking forward to watching Cooper Marody, Ryan McLeod, and Tyler Benson as I haven’t really seen very much of them since they joined the club apart from the odd highlight online. I really want to see how they look over the course of an entire game to see if the hype is real.
Kailer Yamamoto, Kirill Maksimov, and Ostap Safin are another group that will on doubt garner a lot of attention that’s followed them since last season. We’ll all be watching to see if Yamamoto is as dominant in this group as we’re expecting him to be.
The man I think might surprise and get a longer look in the main camp this year is Maksimov. He has got an NHL-ready shot right now. He knows how to score and the one thing I remember from last year’s camp is that he’s not afraid to go to the front of the net and clean up the garbage Smytty-style.
You might notice a few randoms on that list like Luke Esposito, that’s Mark Messier’s nephew who always seems to be at camp. Ryan Van Stralen and Evan Polei have also been invited. They play for the Oilers ECHL affiliate. Van Stralen was a point-per-game player for Wichita in 15 games last year and Polei (who’s from Wetaskwin) split last year between Bakersfield and Wichita. He looks like nothing more than a bottom-6 minor leaguer at this point.
It is such a refreshing feeling knowing that there are right proper prospects coming up through the Oilers system. It’s been so long since we could say that and Peter Chiarelli and his amateur scouting staff have been doing a wonderful job or stocking the Oilers’ cupboards since they took over. It’ll be these prospects that we’ll be watching support this team in the next 3-5 years and that’s thanks to Chiarelli’s crew.
The Oilers rookies play on Sept. 9 @ Calgary, Sept. 11 vs. a MacEwan-NAIT All-Star Team and on Sept. 12 vs. Calgary in Red Deer, AB.
The Oilers Rookie Camp will open on Thursday, September 6 with medicals and fitness testing at Rogers Place.
CHECK UPSTAIRS w/ Color! Click the pic to see this design and more!Rasmus Dahlin might turn out to be the best 16-bit defenseman of all time! Grab his likeness today! Click the pic above!Click the image and head over to our Teepublic shop to grab some sweet BLH merch.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
*Please welcome back Brennen York, better known as the brains behind Draftgeek.ca. We’re just trying to get him sorted with regards to the site so today’s post might look a tad off visually (perfect for Oilers fans, am I right?) as it’s a bit of copy and paste but we’ll have everything looking spick and span before you know it! Please forgive us and enjoy Brennen’s detailed look into the Oilers’ prospect depth and some future targets at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft because you know, it’s never too early to start looking at draft prospects! Enjoy!*
Long gone are the days of incompetent management and scouting, as the Edmonton Oilers have seemingly shifted their draft philosophy in a substantial way. Over the past two years Oilers management has selected fifteen players through the entry draft, nine of which have a legitimate shot at seeing NHL action. The other six, including Matthew Cairns (84th), Filip Berglund (91st), Graham McPhee (149th), Vincent Desharnais (183rd), John Marino (154th), and Miroslav Svoboda (208th), are more “wait and see” type prospects given both their production to this point as well as their chosen development path.
Oilers U23 Depth Chart
Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Jujhar Khaira
Connor McDavid
Jesse Puljujarvi
Tyler Benson
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Nail Yakupov
Mitch Moroz
Leon Draisaitl
Anton Slepyshev
Graham McPhee
Drake Caggiula
Patrick Russell
Braden Christoffer
Bogdan Yakimov
Liam Coughlin
Kyle Platzer
Aapeli Rasanen
Greg Chase
Tyler Vesel
Left Defence
Right Defence
Darnell Nurse
Adam Larsson
Oskar Klefbom
Ethan Bear
Griffin Reinhart
Matt Benning
David Musil
Filip Berglund
Caleb Jones
John Marino
Ziyat Paigin
Markus Niemelainen
Dillon Simpson
Matt Cairns
William Lagesson
Ben Betker
Vincent Desharnais
Goalies
Laurent Brossoit
Nick Ellis
Eetu Laurikainen
Dylan Wells
Miroslav Svoboda
Keven Bouchard*
Though the Oilers seem to have far more legitimate prospects than ever before, there are still a number of holes when you take a look at the depth chart. Both wing positions are fairly light when it comes to elite level talent, however, the pain of that is somewhat alleviated given the Oilers only have one winger over the age of thirty on the main roster. Goaltending is another position where the Oilers are good, but far from great, lacking a clear cut number one prospect. Luckily for management, there are a large number of players slated to go in this year’s draft who are more than capable of filling these spots.
Stuart Skinner, G – Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
Height: 6’3 / Weight: 209 lbs
There are very few goalies who come through the junior ranks labelled as future starters by the age of 16. Stuart Skinner is the latest goalie to earn that praise and is one of the first WHL netminders since Carey Price to potentially end up in the top fifteen. Though both Price and Skinner have had a similar junior upbringing relative to their nationwide popularity, they are far from similar when you look at their playing style. Skinner, a big, 6’3 backstop has relied heavily upon his large frame and doesn’t play an overly athletic game. One major problem Skinner faces as an NHL bound goalie is the shrinking of equipment as anyone who’s seen him play knows he plays with an extra inch or two on his pads as well as some extra bulk in the chest region. A major positive heading into his draft year is the strength of the Hurricanes roster as many WHL experts believe they will compete for a league championship meaning extended playoff time for Skinner.
Klim Kostin, RW – Dynamo Moskva (KHL) Height: 6’3 / Weight: 196 lbs
The first overall import draft pick Klim Kostin is going to have a very interesting season. We know he has the speed and skill to be a force in the CHL, but after turning down the opportunity to play in Kootenay, and starting off with less than ten minutes per game in the KHL, Kostin may be a diamond in the rough come the time the Oilers are on the clock. At 6’3, Kostin already has NHL size, and given the lack of up and coming wingers with size and top six potential, he is likely someone the Oilers target come next June. Kostin is a hard player to label or define as he is more than just a pure sniper or playmaker, and tends to bring the best of both worlds onto the ice. If you’re looking for an NHL comparable, Vladimir Tarasenko is as close as you can get at this point in Kostin’s development.
In 2014 the Edmonton Oilers selected a player many Germans believe too be the “German Gretzky” in Leon Draisaitl, and so far he has yet to disappoint. Nico Hischier, a Swiss born prospect who haas moved to Halifax for the upcoming season, has e most promising sSwiss born ison within his ountryhand coming wingers with size and top six potential, he may be also garnered a ton of attention on a national level, and is largely considered the most promising prospect since Kevin Fiala was selected by Nashville back in 2014. Hischieer boasts an impressive two hundred foot game, which comes as a bit of a surprise given his pure playmaking ability and overall offensive zone capabilities. Hischier would be a stellar addition to the Oilers top six as he’s shown promise as an elite level playmaker and has been able to find chemistry with a number of centers over the past few years. Next to Leon, Hischier is likely a career sixty point guy.
Luke Martin, RD – University of Michigan (NCAA) Height: 6’2 / 201 lbs
Of all the defenders ranked to go in the first round, Luke Martin may have the highest chance of rising into the top ten. As a draft eligible defenceman playing in the NCAA, Martin is going to be tested early and often, and based upon his performance last year, he should be able to hold his own. Martin is a strong two-way defenceman (like many blue liners in this draft), who excels in the defensive zone, and has shown an innate ability to break up plays behind the goal line. He plays an effective physical style and has proven to be able to skate the puck out of trouble when need be. Given his choice of development path, as well as the skills he currently possesses, I think it’s safe to say Luke Martin is capable of being a top-four NHL defenceman within the next five years.
When it comes to finding your future top pairing, right handed, puck moving defenceman (yes, check all three boxes), the Oilers need look no further than Bandits defenceman Cale Makar. Though slightly undersized, Makar’s puck moving and skating ability set him apart as arguably the best player in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. In his rookie campaign, Makar broke out with fifty-five points in fifty-four games, forty-five of which came in the form of assists. Makar also laced em up for Team Canada West at the World Junior Challenge, where he only managed a single point, yet stood out ahead of defenceman such as Nashville’s first rounder Dante Fabbro. Makar is committed to the University of UMass (Amherst), and will head down following his sophomore season in Brooks. Something to note is that given the lack of exposure in the AJHL, Makar, as well as a few others including Ian Mitchell, may not be consensus top ranked prospects, however, I believe they are both legitimate NHL prospects who could very well slide into the first round.
Given that the Oilers should see a vast improvement in the points department, it’s likely a number of players above are off the board, however, the fact that they need help on the right side of the ice and in net remains. Long term, the Oilers are fairly secure down the middle with McDavid and Draisaitl both under twenty-one years old, and the left side defence isn’t necessarily an area for concern, though projecting where Darnell Nurse will be a few years down the road is a trying task. With the addition of Matt Benning, the right side of the blue line may begin to become less of a concern for management, however, it is still an area that needs to be addressed. One player Oilers fans should be overly optimistic about is Seattle Thunderbirds star, Ethan Bear. Bear was selected 124th by the Oilers in 2015 and brings a real element for Duncan Keith to the ice. The native of Regina, Saskatchewan will likely find himself on the Team Canada roster for the World Junior Championships after being left off the initial roster for the summer development camp.
Click the pic and grab the new 16-bit Puljujarvi tee!
