Mark Arcobello is about to be afforded the opportunity of a lifetime. The 5’9” 165lb center from Yale University and the Oklahoma City Barons should be starting the NHL season between David Perron and Jordan Eberle playing on the Oilers’ 2nd line. At 25 years old, with only 1 previous NHL game, he will be counted on to provide enough offense and play well enough in his own end to keep the Oil afloat while we wait for Nugent-Hopkins to return to action.
Thanks to Kassian’s idiocy and/or complete lack of body control (or both) Gagner’s face looks like something from The Walking Dead and suddenly the Oilers depth at C went from bad to Calgary Flames bad. And so, with no other options, a feature position on the opening night roster landed in the very tiny lap of Mark Arcobello.
It is not often going to happen that a man who has played only a single NHL game will be able to boast that he’s already had better linemates than Perron and Eberle, but Arco can. Last year during the NHL Lockout the Oilers quartet of RNH, Hall, Eberle, and Schultz all wore Barons sweaters but Nuge went down early with a shoulder injury (that probably should have had surgery performed then and not months later) and Arcobello was promoted to take Nuge’s place.
He performed admirably as a Nugent-Hopkins stand-in at the AHL level. Now we need to find out if he can stand in at the NHL level. In 173 AHL games he has recorded 50 goals and 83 assists for 133 points so we know that there is at least some offense there, but what about the rest of his game?
Scouting Report
I contacted Neal Livingston who covers the Barons at
Tend The Farm to inquire a little bit more about Arcobello. As someone who gets to watch him game in and game out Neal is an excellent resource for all things Arcobello and Oklahoma City Barons. I asked him to expand on the Oilers would be 2nd line center, these are his words:
Mark Arcobello is an interesting prospect for the Edmonton Oilers, but his path towards full-time NHL has been rags to riches. The undrafted four year Yale graduate began his pro career with little expectation in the ECHL as a member of the Stockton Thunder. He played a sizable role on that team, looked good, and the Barons brought him in for a looksee after 30+ ECHL games. He played above the averages, and long story short, became one of OKC's greatest offensive weapons.
On paper he shouldn't be of much value beyond the minors, but this is where his story is interesting. After playing wing for a bit, Todd Nelson moved him to center seemingly out of necessity. Oklahoma City just needed a good face-off playmaker, and he molded Mark into just that. It has been a transition that has paid off greatly. The stats tell the story in the AHL, and his lone call-up to the NHL a season ago seems a bit too small a sample size to place any value upon. Yet here we are in 2013, and he is probably going to make the Oilers roster on opening night.
He does the things you want a smallish, offensive-friendly, centerman to do. He creates plays, is willing to take shots, and can consistently stay north of 50% in the face-off circle. Those are all things that GM's and coaches alike salivate over. But I have my hesitations about Arcobello as a full-time NHL player.
He needs good placement. The lockout showed us that he can play with Hall, Eberle, etc. etc., but left to less dazzling linemates, he really has to be boisterous offensively. That has happened in the AHL, but it might swallow him whole in the big leagues. For Eakins, placing Arcobello on a third line or fourth line would be a soul crushing experience. If he plays on a second line in the NHL, he might just survive enough for him to be a diamond in the rough. His strength is far greater away from the defensive end of the rink, and running towards the opposition’s goal.
In the end, he's a good player. Good hands. Smart. Quick. Tenacious. Yet his overall girth, and inability to really "go it alone" on the offensive side of the puck might do him in. Fingers crossed.
So What Can We Expect?
The Oilers are going to be inserting a small center with little NHL experience into a position where he needs to perform well early and often if the club wants to survive the first month. No pressure. These are some things we may expect from our new 2C.
1) This is a smart young man. He’s a Yale alumnus who has shown an ability to learn and adapt in pro hockey already. He moved from the wing to center under Todd Nelson and has transitioned well into the American Hockey League from college.
2) He has shown an ability to play with very highly skilled players in the past. His time with Hall and Eberle during the Lockout suggests he may be able to fill a complementary spot. He has also showed flashes of his offensive ability in preseason. He may not be consistent, but he is capable.
3) He is better in the opposition end than his own. Eakins will need to shelter him a little bit to get the most out of him. Eberle and Perron should help him out a lot. Perron specifically will be expected to bring some of that Hitchcockian defensive responsibility to the line.
The Oilers don’t have a choice here, but Arcobello may be capable of holding his own for a few weeks until Nugent-Hopkins gets back. Like Neal said above, Fingers Crossed.
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