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.
