Rookie camp for the Edmonton Oilers opened up yesterday with some player interviews but today brought to us the first time this group of players skated together on the ice. Previous rookie camps have had the likes of Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl. While this group may not have any first overall selections, fans still have plenty to be excited about.
Chiarelli and company have made plenty of suspect trades and signings however one area the team has improved in greatly is their drafting. It has been over a decade since the Oilers have had this many prospects who have an honest chance at developing into NHL players. Here are the players at camp.
FORWARDS LW - Tyler Benson LW - Nolan Vesey C - Luke Esposito C - Joseph Gambardella C - Cameron Hebig C - Colin Larkin C - Cooper Marody C - Ryan McLeod C - Tyler Vesel RW - Dave Gust RW - Kirill Maksimov RW - Evan Polei RW - Ostap Safin* RW - Ryan Van Stralen RW - Kailer Yamamoto
DEFENSE RD - Ethan Bear RD - Evan Bouchard RD - Logan Day LD - Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin LD - Caleb Jones LD - Jake Kulevich LD - William Lagesson LD - Dmitri Samorukov LD - Jared Wilson
GOALTENDING Stuart Skinner Oliver Rodrigue Dylan Wells
On the first day of camp Scott Howson spoke about a couple of injuries. Ostap Safin looks to be out for the rookie camp with a hip flexor injury but is expected to be ready for Oilers training camp. Meanwhile Ryan Mantha has developed a blood clot in his eye and his career may be in jeopardy.
Of course the biggest media attention on the first day was directed at Evan Bouchard. Bouchard gave the media all the greatest hits, how he is focused on this camp right now, that his goal is to make the Oilers out of camp but looks forward to a season with the London Knights if he does not. Bouchard started on the ice today with William Lagesson.
I don’t see Bouchard on the Oilers roster this season, at least past the first 9 games but I look forward to the big man proving me wrong.
One player fans should give close attention to is Kirill Maksimov. The right winger exploded for 80 points last season. Yamamoto might be the Oilers best forward prospect right now but if Maksimov can build on his success from last season the Oilers could have two strong options developing.
I’m not going to put much weight into any of the line combinations for the first skate. Having said that Kailer Yamamoto was paired on a line with Cooper Marody. Both are players that have a chance to make the Oilers out of camp. In the meantime they should make up two thirds of the Condors top line.
Jay Woodcroft was asked specifically about Ryan McLeod and the coach had nothing but praise for his speed. Speed was one of the main calling cards for McLeod when the Oilers drafted him at #40. Returning to the Steelheads seems to be his likely path and should be a fun player to watch during this camp.
The young prospects will take to the ice against the Calgary Flames on Sunday, giving fans their first taste of Oilers hockey in over four months.