The Oiler rookies will get their final chance to prove themselves against their peers when the Oilers take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears hockey club tonight in front of a Rexall crowd. For a lot of players this could be their last chance to impress the Oilers brass. For the prospects already in possession of an ELC it will be the last tune-up before main camp.
Connor McDavid was kept out of the final two games of the Young Stars tournament but he will be playing tonight. I expect him to fly tonight. He will want to hit main camp running and he was still obviously rusty in the game against the Canucks. In theory he’s already played in front of the Rexall crowd, but this will be his first at home in front of a different club (We’re going to go through a lot of “Firsts… with McDavid this year).
There have been several prospects signed to AHL contracts who have stood out so far. Christoffer, Rankin, Loiseau, and Winquist have all looked like real prospects, not just the kinds of players you sign to fill out an AHL club. Several of those players have produced well offensively in the CHL too. With the way they’re starting this season they are setting themselves up well to earn proper ELCs from the Oilers or anyone else for that matter.
I love that these players have looked great so far. They have been found money and I think it speaks volumes to the work that Bob Green has done with the amateur/professional scouting side. Sanford was a 50 goal scorer in the WHL last year, Winquist was a 90 point guy in his last WHL season, Christoffer was the Captain of the Regina Pats, Rankin had 79 points in the WHL last year, and Loiseau was 5th in QMJHL scoring last season. They are collecting talented players.
I don’t think the big three prospects (McDavid, Nurse, Draisaitl) have much else to prove against amateur or rookie professionals. The big test for them will be how they stack up to the professionals legitimately competing for NHL jobs. That said, all three of them are big game players who will unquestionably take this opportunity to prove their worth.
LINEUP
McDavid will be playing with Slepyshev and Sanford. Slepyshev is a heavy player with a quick release and Sanford is a speedy player. This line looks promising. The Draisaitl line could theoretically play together in the AHL if Draisaitl doesn’t make the club out of camp.
Sanford McDavid Slepyshev Christoffer Draisaitl Winquist Bukarts Loiseau Linaker Rankin Platzer Chase
Nurse LaLeggia Jones Bear Betker Leveille
Laurikainen
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Big Three. Even with the best lineup they’ve ever taken to this annual game, the Oilers are going to be depending on their best three prospects. Darnell Nurse wears the C and he leads headfirst (sometimes elbow first). His mean physicality is going to set the tone for the whole team. The best part about this kid is that he can back it up in every facet of the game. He can skate, score, and defend. And, when he’s pushed, he can lay a beat down. Draisaitl will be counted on to create scoring chances and with his linemates tonight they should be able to convert. McDavid is going to be the best player within a 1000 km Radius of Rexall place.
2) Depth Defenders. I’m still very concerned about the state of the defense after the Nurse LaLeggia pairing. I thought Jones has looked very raw, as you would expect from an 18 year old, and I haven’t seen Bear have a really good game yet. Bear has been OK, but not as good as I was hoping. Betker’s skating continues to bother me. I’ve also heard others criticize him about his willingness to engage physically. I just want to see him move backwards without looking like Bambi. Nurse and LaLeggia should play a lot but when they’re off the ice the Oilers are pretty vulnerable. I expect the Bears to take as much advantage from that as possible.
3) Two Time Defending. The U of A Golden Bears are two time defending National Champions in CIS Hockey. This is a real team with legitimate talent. These aren’t walk-ons who just needed a break from Anthropology 302. Most of these kids come from the Western Hockey League where they were damn good players in their own right. In the CIS playoffs last year the Bears outshot their opponents by a combined 218-93. On two occasion, including the Championship Game, they held their opponent to single digit shots. This is a great team that the Oilers, even loaded up with talent, should not take lightly. The Bears can play and they’ve been together for a long time.
Puck drops tonight at 7PM Mountain Time on the Oilers Website. Game On!
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