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Top-10 Prospects : Edmonton Oilers (10-6) |
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Some people take a perverse sort of pleasure in lambasting the Oilers futile treading of the water in the robust Western Conference. I think we all understand why people do it, but it doesn't seem entirely profitable.
The Oilers aren't stacked at the prospect level, nor are they weak, they hover around the middle with some nice top-end pieces. The top-3 in particular are impressive, though they have a few underrated gems that those not following the Oilers closely will hear about in due time.
As always this list does not contain players with over 40 NHL games played.
10. Laurent Brossoit : Goaltender, 6'2 192lbs, 164th Overall, 2011, 21 Years Old, Bakersfield Condors in the ECHL
35 games 2.14GAA .923sv%
In the seemingly ongoing attempt for the Oilers to own every single Oil Kings player in history, Brossoit was acquired from Calgary despite having a lot of buzz playing on an elite junior squad. It's always slightly worrying when you check a prospect and find they're in the ECHL, especially one who was a WHL Playoffs MVP and considered a top-10 goalie in junior hockey for several years. Those are the breaks however when you're competing for two spots with 4-5 guys who are all older than you. Plus the ECHL is usually just a way to get the guy some games and starting time. Is he the fabled goalie of the future? Maybe not, but he still has some decent potential and is probably the best in the Oilers system at this time. Like the majority of goalies these days, he plays the butterfly. Relying on athleticism and decent size to overcome being moderately open over the shoulders. He is known for his streaks and has pulled out super star performances out of thin air for weeks at a time before becoming human again. See his relative playoff dominance over the course of his career. Next season will be a big test for him as he will likely be fighting for the starters role in Oklahoma City. The Oilers will probably be very patient with him going forward.
Potential : Goalie
9. Anton Slepyshev : Left Wing, 6'0 207lbs, 88th Overall, 2013, 20 Years Old, Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL
36 games 3 goals 5 assists 8 points
It's hard even as a young star potential player to get ice time on a contender in the KHL, it's even harder to do so after having a bad injury and coming back uncertainly. Slepyshev falls into this category. He fell in his original draft year due to the fact that he outright told GM's that he would be staying in the KHL until he was 21/22, which meant drafting him would basically be a waste of time as they would lose him due to the slide rule of being unsigned to a contract. So teams waited on the gifted Russian and Mac T decided to roll the dice in a draft he had more picks than he could handle. People who remember the U20's this past season will remember that deceptively shifty guy playing in all situations with a "C" on his breast to be one Anton "WHO?" Slepyshev. A strong skater with amazing hands that plays a moderately strong defensive game to go with a shoot first, what is a pass? mentality. He has been a favourite of mine for a long time now and I was really pleased to see him get drafted. The biggest question is whether he will ever come over, it always has been. This season he is off to a strong start, he has 2 assists in 6 games playing primarily on the second line. It might not sound like much, but the two games I saw he looked good and skating hard most shifts...wish they would give him some PP time though.
Potential : Second Line Sniper
8. Martin Gernat : Defenseman, 6'5 207lbs, 122nd Overall, 2011, 21 Years Old, Oklahoma City Barons in the AHL
57 games 4 goals 17 assists 21 points
Another ex-Oil King, Gernat is blessed with a lot of raw tools that make him an exciting boom/bust prospect. He has amazing size and skates well for it, he also has some strong offensive instincts, a rare thing in big defenders. What will make or break him is decision making. He makes a lot of costly errors, simple things like holding onto the puck too long or an errant pass that had little purpose anyways. Those soft errors are often the most egregious. That said, it's still too early to write off a guy that most knew would take 5-6 years of development to make it (if at all). He's still too lanky. Shoring up a few defensive miscues and continuing to grow will make all the world of difference, because I'm not sure he has enough offensive awareness and potential to make the show without doing so. This season he will again play in the AHL and likely on the second pairing. With some new competition arriving like Dillon Simpson, older competition like AHL lifer Brad Hunt still ahead of him and new old competition in Klefbom a year older and ready for more work, he will need to take steps forward to keep his spot.
Potential : 4-6 Offensive Defenseman
7. Jujhar Khaira : Left Wing/Centre, 6'3 209lbs, 63rd Overall, 2012, 20 Years Old, Everett Silvertips in the WHL
59 games 16 goals 28 assists 44 points
Khaira was a big surprise in 2012 when he was one of the top rookies in the NCAA for Michigan Tech. He had 6 goals and 25 points, good for third on the team. He moved to the WHL to speed up his development which was a bit of a funny instance since he had been entirely passed over in the bantam draft originally. Khaira shifted to centre and helped show why points don't really do his play justice. He isn't a creative player and he isn't a particularly skilled player. He just works his arse off. He hits, he blocks shots, he will stand in front of a goalie fearlessly, he will backcheck and he will give it all he has. I don't mean to paint a sympathetic painting here, but it's just a feel good story that Khaira has come so far based primarily on sheer hard work, the strides he has made since he was 16 are seemingly monstrous. Next season he will join yet another league, the AHL. He plays a style I think the Oilers really need/want going forward, sadly they'll probably need to wait 2-3 years on this lad. As somebody who grew up about 10 minutes from the Brampton border, it would be nice to see another player of Indian heritage make the NHL.
Potential : Third/Fourth Line Centre
6. William Lagesson : Defenseman, 6'2 198lbs, 91st Overall, 2014, 18 Years Old, Frölunda J20 in the SuperElit
44 8 12 20
This is likely a homer pick and a little early, but he caught my eye at the U18's and I'm still really impressed. Lagesson is a big defenseman, looking at his height/weight it may not seem like it, but on the ice he's imposing. He never seemed to lose a board battle in his own zone, it was crazy and he was easily the best defender for Sweden. He's a very physical player and strong in his own zone, I was surprised at how well he did in his positioning because he isn't a fast skater. The intriguing thing to his game though is that he has a rocket of a shot. With his defensive game already a strength, it could become a major focal point to his development going forward. He could be another one for a long development cycle as he has chosen a rare route for Swedish players and will be joining Dubuque in the USHL next season. While he hasn't made a commitment to a University/College, it's the most likely scenario at this point.
Potential : 4-6 Shutdown Defenseman
Thanks for reading.
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