I wrote this on the Lowetide blog in the summer of 2015. What you read below is the Oilers orientation camp roster and update on each player, followed by this summer’s list. It’s a very different year, but there are some kids worth knowing who will attend this year’s camp.
ORIENTATION CAMP ROSTER AND NOTES
- D Darnell Nurse. Big, strong, mobile defenseman is a big part of the future. Even AFTER the additions I’m not certain they can keep him off the opening night roster if they decide things on merit.
- D Joey Laleggia. Small, skill defenseman who delivered a terrific college career and now embarks at the pro level. Magician with the puck but the key will be what he can do without it. If he can play defense in pro hockey, Laleggia should have a significant career.
- D William Lagesson. Two-way defender with good speed and mobility, his size (6.02, 196) and mean streak make him intriguing. I have read he’s prone to mistakes with the puck when pressured but it’s early days.
- D Caleb Jones. Two-way defender with a range of skills, he doesn’t have one dominant trait. A good passer, needs to be more consistent defensively but his skating is a big plus and that’s a big deal.
- D Ethan Bear. Looking forward to seeing Bear, who is a smart passer and plays a rugged game. His big shot from the point may help him put up big numbers in the WHL next season. Powerful skater, so the scouts say.
- D Ben Betker. Big man is a good skater and played heavy minutes in junior. A concussion derailed him as things approached mid-season but he’s a promising stay-at-home type.
- D John Marino: Another two way defender with speed, he’s a player with some skill, too. Played at a lower level last season, no real idea about where he is although most of the verbal is positive (and more available than, say, info on Troy Hesketh).
- D Loik Leveille. Fascinating defenseman (6.00, 223) that Red Line calls “a burly rearguard (who) is built like a tank and likes to use his thick, stocky frame to play a physical game.” He also has a big shot and chaos. Sounds fun!
- D Kevin Davis: Cody Nickolet of WHL From Above says Davis is “an efficient puck-moving blueliner, owns an extremely smooth and comfy skating stride. Solid positionally.“
- D Josh Healey. Former Sherwood Park Crusader is an effective college defender for Ohio State. Reportedly has some puck moving ability but most of what I’ve read concentrated on defensive play.
- C Connor McDavid. Beatlemania—Oilers edition begins now. He honestly seems to good to be true, on and off the ice. It’s incredible, he’s as obsessed with hockey as we are! Fantastic luck.
- C Leon Draisaitl. One of the players (along with Yakupov) I worried over being traded this spring, Leon’s combination of size and skill remains unique on the roster. I think they’re going to have a helluva time keeping him down on the farm.
- C Kyle Platzer. Massive improvement season over season and he earned a pro contract. I’m not sure what he’ll be as a pro but if the offense falters, there’s enough here to project him into another role (very rare for a player taken late). Love to see prospects blossom, he’s nowhere close to an NHL career right now but his resume has some nice bullet points.
- R Greg Chase. Similar to Draisatl in that Chase can look down the depth chart on any Oilers team or affiliate and realize he’s unique. The thing for Chase is to be consistent, find the sweet spot in his game that allows him to agitate without getting a penalty, and drill that zone like a jackhammer. Cheering like hell for him and he has more than a puncher’s chance.
- F Tyler Vesel. Long shot pick from the Alfred Hitchcock draft (2014), Vesel showed some real skill with 23 points in his debut NCAA season (39 games with Omaha). I think he might be a legit prospect, will be fun to see how he looks in this group.
- L Evan Campbell. HF’s scouting report tells us he’s an average skater and “a big powerhouse center with a gritty playing style” but I’ve ignored him since he was drafted, preferring to see him do something worth noticing. He did this past season, remains a long shot for NHL duty.
- R John McCarron. Kirk Luedeke talked about him a couple of years ago on the radio show: “He’s another one of those raw guys, pretty hard nosed for college. Nothing flashy, meat and potatoes north-south type player his production was pretty good. He’s got a chance to be a bottom 6 player, at very best he would be a fringe third liner or solid fourth liner.” Has to be signed or set free this summer.
- C Tyler Soy. Unsigned skill center, he’s a very good hockey player, but speed appears to be his issue. Cody Nickolet calls him ‘quick’ but I’ve also read about some issues in that area. Great stickhandler and passer, might be a guy Edmonton considers drafting next season.
- L Braden Christoffer. Guy Flaming tells me he’s a hard worker and a blue collar type. 5.10, 185 and 147 pims, he also scored 26 goals so has some skill. Most of the videos available involve fighting, although he’s not a heavyweight.
- C Alexis Loiseau. Oilers have him on an AHL deal. He’s 21, 6.01, 180, he scored 96 points in 68 QMJHL games. Scouting reports have him as a versatile, skill forward.
- L Connor Rankin. Bakersfield signing, scored 32 in the WHL. Old scouting reports have him as a reasonably fast winger, that makes him an interesting pro prospect.
- L Cole Sanford. Undersized winger with a plus shot, foot speed is average.
- C Lane Bauer. Smart, skill center who has all the tools but foot speed and that’s going to impact his chances of having a pro career. Excellent passer, creative.
- L Jacob Stukel. He’s a fast skill winger who has had to overcome injuries. His boxcars don’t look like much but his age (18) and speed make him a prospect of interest.
- L Tyler Robertson. Bigger winger with some skating issues (he’s awkward) but there are some good things about him. He can play with skill (complementary player) but hasn’t blossomed offensively. A big year ahead for him.
- C Mike Rebry. Former Penticton Vee (BCJHL) now hanging out at Western Michigan. He’s 21, doesn’t look like he’s played much in college but he posted some nice tier two numbers.
- F Luke Esposito. Harvard F is scoring at about .5/point-per-game, Doug Messier’s grandson.
- Zach Nagelvoort. Described as a decent goalie with the ability to consistently stay square to the puck. Very good glove, needs to work on rebound control. I have no idea what I’m talking about this is from ISS.
- Miroslav Svoboda. A .942 SP at the WJC’s is a fantastic number but he was only .917 in his own regular league. Interesting player, I never mind using a late pick on a G.
- Jordan Papirny. A nice WHL goalie, I’m not sure why Edmonton didn’t draft him in the seventh round but they must have their reasons. Hybrid goalie, standup mostly (courtesy Black Book).
- Keven Bouchard. The man, the myth, the legend. Don’t know much about him beyond that period he played in the Memorial Cup, but the good news is that’s probably about what the Oilers have on him.
Players worth signing: Loik Leveille has a unique set of skills and it’s easy to imagine Edmonton getting him under contract before he goes back to junior this fall. John McCarron is an Oilers draft pick and he must be signed by August 15 or cut loose, my guess is he doesn’t get a contract. Tyler Soy is a high skill player, might be worth a contract depending on those skating issues. Jordan Papirny has stolen some junior games at Rexall, imagine the Oilers saw him good.
THE CURRENT 50-MAN (46)
- G Cam Talbot (As Casey Kasem would say ‘a new No. 1′)
- G Ben Scrivens (Pursuing a backup may mean trouble for Ben)
- G Laurent Brossoit (AHL starter had a good year, needs another)
- G Eetu Laurikainen (A great damn bet)
- D Andrej Sekera (A massive add, Herculean add)
- D Mark Fayne (A big part of next year’s team)
- D Oscar Klefbom (The future and the present)
- D Justin Schultz (newly qualified)
- D Nikita Nikitin (Growing sentiment that he’s here for the year)
- D Eric Gryba (Another D-zone blue with NHL experience to help Fayne, Ference)
- D Andrew Ference (It’s possible he won’t play a lot)
- D Brandon Davidson (Could be No. 7 or first callup)
- D Griffin Reinhart (I predict he’ll play 49 NHL games in 2015-16)
- D Darnell Nurse (I predict he’ll play 70 NHL games in 2015-16)
- D Brad Hunt (He’ll see NHL time)
- D David Musil (Could get some NHL time)
- D Jordan Oesterle (Fast and skilled, could surprise)
- D Dillon Simpson (Probably a full season in Bakersfield)
- D Martin Gernat (They may try to get him off the roster)
- D Ben Betker (May need to spend some time in the ECHL if it gets crowded)
- D Joey Laleggia (Can learn plenty from Hunt and Oesterle in Bakersfield)
- C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Nuge is gonna shine)
- C Anton Lander (With Gordon’s exit, more will go to Lander)
- C Mark Letestu (Strong option at C, he can play other positions)
- C Leon Draisaitl (Man amongst boys in Memorial Cup)
- C Bogdan Yakimov (Big C still developing, factor down the line)
- C Jujhar Khaira (Solid checker, offense may keep him from NHL career)
- C Kyle Platzer (New pro has two-way skills)
- L Taylor Hall (The original teenage river pusher)
- L Benoit Pouliot (Important player for next season)
- L Lauri Korpikoski (Fast winger with experience, two-way skills. Mentor)
- L Matt Hendricks (May see minutes on skill line)
- L Luke Gazdic (How much will he play?)
- L Ryan Hamilton (he’ll be the veteran hand in the minors helping to guide the kids)
- L Anton Slepyshev (Can’t wait to see him in TC)
- L Mitch Moroz (Should see way more action in Bakersfield in 2015-16)
- L Kale Kessy (Lost season to injury, another chance in 2015-16)
- R Jordan Eberle (Top RW primed for a big year)
- R Nail Yakupov (He’s still here, people!)
- R Teddy Purcell (May lose minutes on skill line to Korpikoski, because speed)
- R Rob Klinkhammer (4line RW, crash and bang)
- R Tyler Pitlick (Newly qualified)
- R Iiro Pakarinen (Has a chance to make the team)
- R Andrew Miller (A strong option for NHL time in 2015-16)
- R Greg Chase (His game should flourish in pro’s)
No. 46 is Connor McDavid, he hasn’t signed yet but I’m holding his spot in honor of his comments yesterday about wearing an Oilers jersey forever. It’s going to be very difficult to hold our expectations of this young man at normal human levels if he keeps delighting us with his attitude and maturity.
ARE THEY DONE?
You’d love to see one more puck-moving defenseman back there, seriously. Chiarelli probably feels he’s changed enough out here and will want to see how this thing looks rocking down the highway.
THIS YEAR’S CAMP
RD Beau Akey lost most of last season to injury so it’s too bad there appear to be no on-ice sessions. Losing an entire year during a key development year (he is a teenager) can have some impact on a career trajectory. We’ll have to wait until fall to see what he’s about.
RC Sam O’Reilly is a strong prospect for the organization, a rare first-round selection in the Edmonton prospect pool. So much verbal surrounding how little he played, but the even-strength scoring totals (14-28-42 in 68 games) suggest he was highly productive as an OHL regular. We’ll see, but as I said in the Harvest Moon post, I like the pick.
RC Matt Copponi is perhaps the most intriguing player on this list of invites. Now 21, his college season (7-25-32 at Merrimack) tells us he has miles more offense than the average player chosen No. 216 overall (2023 draft). We don’t know what we don’t know about him, but it would have been grand to see him in a Billy Moores Cup game. Will play for Boston University this coming season, Oilers need to sign him in the spring.
G Connor Ungar comes to the Oilers via Canadian college hockey and owns a strong resume. He’s 22, and his last two seasons featured save percentages of .925 (Moose Jaw Warriors) and .932 at Brock University. So we don’t know really what he is, but the indicators are positive and we know several NHL teams pursued Ungar. Don’t look past this name.
RC Dalyn Wakely is a player from the depths of the draft you can get a little excited about. I ranked him third round talent (No. 78) and I do think he has a chance (he is 20) to sign and play in the AHL this fall. Meets the new originals organization requirement of being aggressive in hunting down pucks and having no fear.
RW James Stefan is a key player too, he was a strong draft candidate in 2022 (I had him No. 59, that’s second round). His NHL equivalency at age 17 in the WHL was 29, and that’s a fine number. He has areas of strength in his game and he’ll have a chance to find his way to the NHL. A good chance. That’s all this is, getting good players, giving them icetime and watching them develop.
LW Shane Lachance had a breakout freshman season for Boston University and should be considered a legit (if flawed) NHL prospect. Scoring goals is the toughest thing to do, and at 6.05, 218 Lachance fits the profile of a big power winger with hands. We don’t know that he’s the modern Patrick Maroon but we don’t know that he isn’t, either.
LW Connor Clattenburg is a throwback to a time when the Oilers were chasing physical wingers with no real concern about offense. He isn’t Cameron Abney level but more like Mitchell Moroz. Players of this type do not make the NHL. Ryan Lomberg was the No. 4 scorer on his NCAA team age 18. You have to post some offense to have a chance at the NHL. Clattenburg was 13-16-29 in 60 OHL games. It’ll be a steep climb from here.
LD Luca Munzenberger is a college defender many have given up on, but he has size and can skate plus his outscoring spiked in a big way this past season. We’ll see, but it’s so hard to judge college defensemen I’m leaving the door open to see if he can deliver as a complete blue in his senior season.
LC William Nicholl is a draft and follow player. Brock Otten wrote this in November: “classic London Knights slow play kind of guy. Nicholl is being used in a variety of different situations because he’s playing hard, but a lack of consistent ice time is perhaps masking the kind of upside he might possess. OHL rookie, so we don’t have a ton to base it on either. Curious to see how he looks down the stretch.”
RD Albin Sundin and LD Bauer Berry are also attending, we’ll need to track them and get plenty of verbal from folks who can watch their games. It’s too soon to frame these players up or down, we need to see what they can do over a season.
LC Joel Maatta is a quality shutdown center at the NCAA level, I’m not sure his offense is going to be enough for an NHL contract.
G Nathan Day ran in place as an OHL goalie for the Flint Firebirds (OHL) this season. He has miles and miles to improve, we wait.
G Samuel Jonsson is in the same situation as Day, only he was chosen a year earlier. Jonsson did get three games in the Allsvenskan this season, that’s a good league.
LC Tomas Mazura was drafted all the way back in 2019, but posted a strong season (6-14-20 in 34 games) for St. Lawrence University so you never know. He’s 6.04, 190 and a righty, so there’s some bullet points on the resume.
RW Brady Stonehouse is signed and turns 20 this summer, so he could play pro hockey although it’s a crowded depth chart at his position. He started slow last season but did reach 20 goals. I think, don’t know, that Stefan is a better prospect.
At noon today, we’ll have the Lowdown on Sports 1440. Bruce McCurdy from the Cult of Hockey at the Edmonton Journal will join us, and Rachel Doerrie from Staff & Graph podcast will join us too. I’m at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section here and on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly.
New for The Athletic: Oilers’ early free-agent signings signal a stronger team for 2024-25
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5610115/2024/07/03/oilers-free-agents-roster-2024/
Enjoyable read thanks
I suppose if Kane takes a month to sort things out, April is about nine months, so perhaps they can LTIR him for that long. I’m not sure how helpful he’d be coming back though after that long, but he’d be healthy for the playoffs at least!
— If Kane has a hip operation: they aren’t doing this to “circumvent” the cap. It’s exactly the reason for LTIR.
— Sure they might do the operation weeks later and match the rehabilitation to be ready for late in season.
— He’s a valuable player when healthy: would want to presumably play for as long as he can and get paid more later so he’s going to do what is best for him. If he can help with the LTIR timing that fine : it’s completely legit IMO.
— You can’t punish teams who lose key players to operations and not let the teams not be able to replace them. And yeah stretch it out but that’s what teams do to their advantage.
I’m all in. We’ll see how bad it is
— Lou Lamoriello is famous for often asking “what does it say it the rules book? Does it say we can’t do it?”. When told whatever circumvention or novel approach/bend he dreamed up wasn’t prohibited or contemplated in the rule book he’d say “ok then let’s follow the rules”.
So my dream of putting a Sea Lion in net as the Goalie is still alive then….
my dream was a six foot wide sumo… but he would probably have a five hole the size of a rickshaw.
Yeah..this has been tried. Even George Parros could score.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP8ZVWiZUMA
If Kane needs a hip operation, he should get it done ASAP. I can speak from experience; I had resurfacing surgery on my hip 17 year ago and it’s been wonderful ever since. I’m sure they’re doing even better work these days
I don’t know exactly what sort of a procedure Kaner would need. But he would be close to 100% in 3-4 months after the surgery. I could see him back possibly in the new year
, or whenever Evander would be most comfortable, there would be no rush.
Shoulder bone resurfacing, I believe, was the operation Klefnom required.
If I recall the discussion then, the concern was that the resurfacing would stand up to the rigors of ordinary life but not the rigors endured by a professional hockey player. Hence, a career ending injury.
Patrick Kane is one of 3 players to come back after hip resurfacing surgery. And both played around 1/2 a yr worth of games. Ryan Kessler never returned neither did Carl Hagelin
https://www.reddit.com/r/DetroitRedWings/comments/186dfqe/interesting_chart_of_players_that_received_the/
Resurfacing isn’t a complete hip replacement. The ball joint on top of the femur is not removed and is essentially resurfaced, without going into too much detail, plus there’s no chance of dislocation. A complete hip replacement the ball joint is removed and replaced. But with the possibility of dislocation. Maybe Kessler & Hagelin had complete hip replacements? It’s different for everyone. I had a buddy that had the complete replacement and still played beer league hockey. But I’m sure there’s a big difference playing in the NHL.
Idk why some places say ryan Kessler had hip replacement it was hip resurfacing. To be fair in his case he had the first hip done and was doing rehab and then got the other one done.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/977948/2019/05/14/ed-jovanovski-says-ryan-kesler-has-a-battle-in-front-of-him-after-latest-hip-surgery/
DNB mentioned Ceci, Kulak, and McLeod as possible solutions to the cap problem.
That’s unfortunate.
I could see a rebuilding team take McLeod as a sweetener for the Ceci contract, but I would hate to see McLeod go.
I hope we keep McLeod. We need that speed in the bottom six.
Agreed. McLeod’s speed is needed.
I love watching McLeod bolt up the ice but I thought we needed him to be third line center or second line winger. It doesn’t seem like we need him to be either of those next year and his price is prohibitive for a four line role.
Well this thread took a turn…
On Nashville. Stamkos accomplished something rather difficult last season. With 40 goals (21 not on PP) and 81 points he went -21. Its been about five seasons Kucherov has been the straw stirring the Bolts drink. Last season, he was pretty much the only one doing the stirring and not getting worked over at 5v5 in the process. I didn’t watch too much Bolts last year but the games I did tune into saw a PP papering over a lot of bad hockey. How much of that was the Bolts going through a late dynasty swoon vs players approaching a cliff in some aspects of the game? Good question.
Stammer is jumping into a division that has a lot of young gents with a whole lotta speed. The Preds had a decent PP last year so he’ll get his goals from that part of the game and there are some good support players around too though nobody at the Kucherov level (high bar I know). Curious to see if he can rectify that fugly +/- in a system that’s been defense first forever, or if its the start of a trend ala Ovi.
Using 5/5 points per 60 the Oilers currently have almost three lines of players above the 1.6/60 1st line threshold.
This is 100% conjecture, but with all the talk about LTIR, I was just thinking about what we’re cooking with if we actually pulled a Vegas with Kane:
RNH – McDavid – Hyman
Skinner – Drai – Arvidsson
Kane – Henrique – Holloway
Janmark – McLeod – Brown
I don’t know what comes after unicorns, but I think that’s what we’re looking at. Skillwise, that has the makings of two elite first lines, a solid to plus second line and a very solid third line with excellent defensive chops and the ability to pop in some big goals at clutch moments.
I hate the cap loophole and what it’s doing to fairness in the league. I also respect Kane’s right to do whatever is in his best interest health-wise… but if this is how things shake out then holy hell the playoffs are going to be fun.
Anyways, that was my happy thought for the day.
Unicorns riding on rainbows!
https://youtu.be/4X4seiOuBok
Great job by the Kraken… first female A/coach. She turned their AHL clubs fortunes around that led to a deep run. We’ll deserved.
Someone actually voted down…really? Because a woman is now a coach? Please explain why or are you too pathetic and need to hide behind anonymity? Come on let’s hear it. Her stats and work prove otherwise. She was considered for several opportunities and even coached at the international level.
Seriously say who you are and why you are against this.
Oh… BTW she has more coaching experience than Coffey.
Hey… still waiting.
Another down vote…
Good for you tiny hands
Coops, us ‘big handed’ people can get up or down votes without trying when we scroll on phones.
“Why do you heff to be mad??”
I didn’t down vote your original post but I down voted this one. Please no contentious politics or personal attacks. People see the world differently than you that doesn’t make them a bad person.
If I had to pick a bone with your original post it would be to highlight that the new coach is a woman as the most noteworthy factor and maybe it is but many are tired of this line of thought. I’m not against a woman or anyone having the job, good for her. But let’s focus on her accomplishments, skills, how she got here and what she can do for the team. That’s the most important part and it seems to get lost sometimes in these sorts of situations.
The original post did not say the most noteworthy part of the hiring was that the new coach is a woman. In fact, the post clearly highlighted her achievements that led to the hiring.
Precisely. I was confused by the objection raised…re-read the original, and I’m still confused. Then again I couldn’t see the any “contentious politics” either.
We live in strange times where acknowledging a woman who is finding success in a male dominated industry is categorized as “contentious politics”.
ir’s called the 1950s
The amount of posts regarding this is mind boggling. Who frickin cares? I was one of the first to upvote your original post. A woman coach was going to happen. There are plenty of qualified female coaches. However, this is the team that named their arena Climate Pledge Arena. Clearly, they are not above making decisions based on woke politics. If that’s the case here and she is not qualified, they will pay for it on the ice.
Lol, if you downvoted this, you may not be a fit here…
She’ll have seen a lot to stick it out to now and get her chance. I wish her all the best.
Thank you. Weird to have to say a thank you out loud for this. Tiny hands still is in hiding.
I really encourage all readers to drown out misogyny. Tiny hands needs to hear your voice.
3 down votes… wow. Hey LT.. guess who is outing themselves
What do tiny hands mean? Seriously
Well… a bit inappropriate but tiny hands = tiny…. you know. So these people take their frustrations out on forums and remain anonymous.
I don’t use voting buttons but I will reply when I’ve had enough.
Your original post about the new coach was in fact well received however it appears your tiny hands tirades have alienated many posters.
You have shown extreme intolerance for anyone who may have disagreed with you based initially on one meaningless down vote.
I hate to say this because it sounds like a personal attack which it is not meant to be.
I was surprised to hear you have a daughter because I would have guessed you to be younger than that based on your over the top reaction.
Read the comments on other boards and you decide. Intolerance… there has been no rational response against my initial post. Please… point out if I am incorrect. Really please… in fact I insist.
Over the top??? Check out the overwhelming mysongist comments. Wow.
I don’t read other boards. I was talking about your reaction on this board to input on this board.
If other boards are intolerable maybe you should refrain from posting on them or refrain from bringing your frustrations with them to this board, which seems to be what you have accused “Tiny Hands” of doing over and over again.
We all love LT because this board is a haven from those other boards.
Here you go
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40487405/kraken-hire-jessica-campbell-nhl-1st-woman-assistant-coach
Haven to be misogynistic? Okay… fill your boots.
Oh… it is not just me. Look at others who have may have supported and the reaction they got.
Hey Ancient Fan… look above… no. The initial post was not well received. Still waiting for rationale why this was not a good hire by kraken. Seriously… waiting.
The initial post was clearly well received. I think most of the down votes relate to your subsequent posts.
I tell you I don’t read other boards so your initial reaction is to give me a URL as if I am unable to find them.
When I said haven from other boards you spout ” haven to be misogynistic” when I said this was a haven from those other boards which you have labelled misogynistic.
Then you ask me for rationale why this was not a good hire. I never said a word about whether it was a good hire or not. From your assertion that she had done well in the minors I assumed it was a good hire.
My posts were only a reaction to your subsequent posts berating, berating and berating some phantom down voter. Those type of posts are what this board is a haven from.
It’s difficult having a discussion with someone who has gone ballistic on one item and is unable to calm down enough to respond to what is posted.
My almost 8 year old daughter started getting into hockey this playoff run. She asked a lot of questions about how she noticed no girls. She was saying how she wanted to play hockey at that level some day, but couldn’t understand how she’d fit in. Having a coach helps her see that path. Congrats to Coach Campbell.
And those down voting coops here can go lick a gas station toilet.
They might have to climb up the plumbing to do so…
The PWHLhss been all over TV for the last six months.
This comment is so funny I’m begging for it to be a joke.
Are you literally saying that in a bad way?
I’m going to hazard a guess that the downvotes have nothing to do with the content of your post.
Honestly… my post was to acknowledge the great work by this person and bold initiative the kraken have done. BTW… tiny hands… the oilers were the 1st to hire a figure skating coach for skating development. Yes … it was a woman. She coached all of our 80s greats. Fact.
But tiny hands decided to make this a negative. Shitty my daughter and all of our kids still need to overcome this today.
Out of curiosity, what did the Kraken do that was a “great job?” They hired a coach. I think you mean great job to…wait, you didn’t even mention her name in your post.
Look I have no issues whatsoever with a female coach, I think it’s long overdue that we explore more of the talent pool. To get so wound up about downvotes when your post isn’t even about the woman hired, that you resort to name calling? I think there are lots of “tiny hands” floating around here.
Out of curiosity…. seriously??? Have you read the comments on oilers nation. You truly do not feel this is misogyny? Seriously and out of curiosity? I look forward to your response after you visit oilersnation.com
Hey Someone… 2 down votes maybe they don’t want you to visit oilers nation or other sites. Come back tell us what you think. My age… 54. Seriously… this has nothing to do with age. My kids? Your kids? How would feel if this was your child.
You are posting on LOWETIDE.
This is not Oilersnation, it is LOWETIDE.
It seems a downvote has sent you off on some tirade about the comments on another unrelated blog.
I don’t understand why you are going off on this site.
I did not mention her name because it is superfluous. Know what that means? It was a great and phenomenal job by the kraken and they recognized a person who is demonstrably unrecognized by the NHL AHL ECHL. Perhaps read the incredibly demeaning comments about a person based on their gender.
Hey tiny hands…
https://oilersnation.com/news/nhl-notebook-seattle-kraken-make-jessica-campbell-first-female-assistant-coach-in-league-history
That’s one more you won’t be getting… as if you had a chance.
I see one A-hole on that Oilersnation article asking if she can make a sandwich and then the rest of the comments telling that person to piss off. That sure seems like a big nothing-burger to me. Believe it or not, there are people on the internet who like to stir things up and get a reaction out of people, and it sure seems like it’s riled you up.
Your initial comment was fine. I did also think it was a bit odd that the tone was more “good for the kraken for hiring a woman” rather than “good for Campbell for creating a role for women in this space”. But thanks for sharing the news because this was the first I heard about it, and it is pretty cool.
Unfortunately, the rest of your posts come off like a drunk at the bar trying to start shit just to show how awesome you are. If it helps soothe your ego, I’m sure Campbell and women everywhere are so very happy to have you on their side, yelling at random people on the internet and name calling like a 12 year old in support of women’s rights. Keep up the good work!
You are absolutely correct.. one a.. hole and all other responses by posters were negative in response to the a…hole. So yet you are responding you me in the negative. Why are you not responding to those who are probably misogynistic to my posts and others? Curious.
I started reading at the top. This thread kinda got out of hand lots of tiny hands. Then I kept reading. In every thread you post, you end up replying within that thread “tiny hands”. It gets a little much. Everyone gets down voted. Its just the way it is. You gotta move on. And also try to vary the insults a little. Tiny hands one time, then maybe ugly face. Maybe throw a small penis in their for shock value.
See, you’re making my point for me. I agree with you on the hiring by the way, but you’re coming across as a petulant child. The internet is full of toxic people. Getting bent out of shape just feeds into it.
Anyways, I’m going to join “tiny hands” and bow out.
You’re replying to yourself…
And fighting a war in the wrong place no one said anything bad about her here. Chill out
Man, some people just can’t stop posting their L’s…
Should be good! Glad to see it.
I wonder if Emily Engel-Natzke will eventually be promoted from the Capitals’ Video Coach position (if she fit elsewhere and grew to a different position, and doesn’t just prefer Video etc.). We don’t want to drown out voices but lift them all up.
Greg Chase was a decent junior but never got far in pro
Under examined aspect of the Oilers off season is hiring the defense coach.
The old Oilers would hire Charlie Huddy and we would be glad it wasn’t Duncan Keith. New Oilers who knows.
If Coffey doesn’t return, is the obvious hire not Mark Stuart?
I would actually take either of those guys.
Well, Coffey turned out to be an excellent coach. I didn’t see that coming, but I hope he’s back. Imagine the impact Coffey could have on a skating defenseman like Broberg.
FWIW, nothing wrong with Huddy’s track record as a coach (and he would have insight on playing as a LH RD).
I seem to remember Huddy being thought of as the defence whisperer a few years ago, about the time when he went to coach in Winnipeg…
My memory might be off here, but the Oilers’ ability to find outstanding defencemen among other teams’ castoffs (Smith, Staios, Brewer) seemed to dry up around the time Huddy left.
So it seems from the interwebs Kane is not only working on treatment but there may be a deeper talk going on
If he will recover I prefer that they keep him. He’s a force when healthy unlike any other players they have. I imagine what we will see is a GM (unless Jackson did that and said this is easy I’m doing it) RFAs, Drai, Kane LTIR
They will be compliant and under the cap by the salary they move down. One of the D is going to have to go down, there are 8. Or Ryan, but he’s the only RS C again. It’s likely Kane would be ready before playoffs, so they decide then who to move, having some time to see how the D group shakes out
To me not the ideal D group still. It’s probably best they use Kulak Ceci as a pair and work to fit someone with Nurse, of course probably Bro at first. If that doesn’t work it will be interesting what they come up with
If you pencil in $1M each for Broberg and Holloway the Oilers are $4.4M over the cap with a 24 man roster
Even if you whittle down the roster to league minimum (20) it’s tough to get to $4.4M with the guys you send to Bakersfield
Something’s gotta give salary wise ( or LTIR for Kane for 82 games)
If they go this route they probably have to make moves later in the season when Kane is ready. Second last day of CF, boo. If they sign the RFAs at what you said:
RNH CMD Hyman
Skinner Drai Arvid
Jan Henri Brown
Holloway McLeod Ryan/Perry
Ek Bouch
Nurse Bro
Kulak Ceci
Stecher
Brown
Stu/Pick
23 roster, Overages 3.55M, bonus 250K, 670 833 cap space. I can see them doing this so they don’t have to send one of Stecher or Brown down, can rotate them in. Playing a rough less skilled team you put Brown in perhaps
It’s amazing they got more skilled and faster while carrying the overages and dead cap
Kane is almost assured to go on LTIR at this point. You can LTIR him while you figure something else out if you even have to do that.
I feel the best play is to trade Ceci during the season. Injuries occur and teams will need a band aid solution. This way we get a 2nd round pick we can flip at the trade deadline.
Thanks tiny hands
Don’t take it personally. Here I’ll give you a 👍.
With the signing of the forwards and Kane being a power forward that’s turning 33 in August my take is he’s off to Kelfbom island. He’s had a couple of serious injuries and he was running on pure guts in the playoffs but I think he’s done.
Being in LTIR full-time for the next two seasons would be a kick in the nuts for the org.
It makes it much more difficult for the new GM add in the buyout money and bonus cash. I can’t see them signing Henrique and Arvidsson for 2 years then getting Skinner even though it was for a song this still signals to me that Kane is thinking about his health long term.
I have no idea what is going to happen with Kane. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the season on LTIR and maybe he never comes off, I don’t know.
All I’m saying is having Kane on LTIR for the next two years would be a poor outcome for the Oilers.
what a ride this season and playoffs have been…now draft and free agency, its seems that we haven’t missed a beat…now as a long standing Oiler fan that is such a nice and welcome groove…thinking its our time to shine…not that we haven’t but seems even more defined….
Need to sign Leon or else he’s a deadline trade can’t let him walk for nothing. Leon is my favourite player but the logo on the jersey always comes first. In saying that lets sign him for 8 more years of the sweetest backhand passes and down low goals that the game has ever seen.
so in order to collect as many Swedes as possible 😛
Would you trade Ceci + Holloway for Ramsus Andersson? This will shore up our RD but would suck to lose Holloway.
No. Hollywood showed well in the playoffs and will be needed in the middle six for sure in 2 years maybe even next.
Yes you make that trade.
The Oilers are stacked at LW (Kane is maybe #5 on the depth chart), while Ceci is still #2 on our RD depth chart.
Ceci + Holloway for a legit top-pair RD on a great contract means a return trip to the SCF.
It would take much more than Ceci & Holloway to pry Rasmus Anderson out of Calgary.
yea I’d imagine it would, especially CGY will not do us any favors. Perhaps we can add 1st and 3rd rounder?
Are you sure? Is that based on the massive bounty that Conroy has amassed for:
Zadorov
Lindholm
Mangiapane
Tanev
Hanifan
Markstrom
Conroy literally had some of the most desirable pieces to sell off for a rebuild and has sent them, to both division and conference rivals, for almost nothing….
I don’t think about Calgary much so hadn’t realized how badly Conroy blew things up. That is a stunning amount of talent gone for magic beans.
We’re short on Finns, got any ideas?
OMG where has Nemo gone?
Free agent, maybe they re sign him for Bakersfield but the toll of injuries has been high the last couple seasons. I liked the lad too, hit like a Mack truck.
Group VI UFA and the accounts are they are not looking to re-sign him.
Given a bonafide and appropriately priced RD being available as a part of this proposed transaction chain, perhaps moving out Kane and Ceci to get appropriate cap space and Ceci’s replacement is the move??
Question for the group about the Oilers July 1 coup:
Is JJ a genius or are players more likely to sign with the Oilers because of the finals appearance? Probably both?
Discussed yesterday
LOL Mark Hunter has been working behind the scenes.
— probably both but they don’t over pay short terms didn’t leak it and generally had a plan.
— Still very surprised that they don’t have a GM and makes me wonder if they are going to get a less experienced, malleable one given their perceived successes in free agency and draft
— Two goals away from winning the cup in game 7, acquired talent they think they need with the existing group.
— Any potential GM has to say “yeah I like everything you’ve done”. Which I guess isn’t bad but it’s certainly not a normal GM hire : “sign McDrai, but we know what the price is, no draft picks next year: here’s the keys we’ve got the car set up exactly to our specs”.
I think it has more to do with making decisions by committee than one individual but would also suggest that success and circumstance prevented them from a major mistake as well.
Really need Luca to make the NHL some day so they can add the MunzenBURGER to the game day menu!
maybe they can also resurrect the career of Nando Eggenberger as well to have a complete menu…
I think I had a Nando Eggenberger once at Tim Horton’s…
An interesting thing I’ve noted is that the Oilers have only one Defenceman signed for the AHL that is under 25 (Wanner) or 2 if you include Akey who I would assume goes back to junior. This is in comparison to 9 forwards and 2 goalies so far under 25. I’m curious to see if they sign any their prospects this year or just run more rookies next year.
Akey isn’t age-eligible for the AHL so, yes, he’ll definitely be back in junior.
Vinni was selected by–you guessed it–no one in today’s CHL Import Draft.
Sundin also passed through, though not surprisingly given he’s an overager.
Barring any changes, it’ll be an undectet of NAmateurs this coming season:
Barrie (Akey)
London (O’Reilly, Nicholl)
Flint (Day, Clattenburg)
Boston University (Lachance, Copponi)
Vermont (Münzenberger, Määttä)
St. Lawrence (Mazura)
Muskegon (Berry)
I appreciate you adding the names so I wouldn’t have to look up what an ‘undectet’ is!
Noah Philp on Inside Sports with Reid Wilkins last night.
Great to hear from him, he seems to be in a great head space.
Said then, when he decided to step away from the game he had no idea if or when he’d come back just needed some time away.
He spent much of the time away travelling in Europe – went to seven countries.
Came back to Canada in January and has been in Canmore since then and realized he missed the game and competing and was ready to come back. He’s been getting ready in Canmore since then and has been running a hockey program with some of the higher level guys in the area. Player/coaching. Training in the gym with some junior level and pro guys and running some ice times. That’s been going on for seven weeks and will do another 4 and get ready for camp.
Highlight of Europe – met a girl in Portugal and she’s come to Canada with him.
I met a girl in Portugal that wanted to come to Canada with me too. I had to decline.
Nice story. It’s easy to forget a lot of these you men have been fully immersed in the hockey world since they were 12 or 13, and needing/taking a break was hopefully just what he needed to get refreshed.
I am pretty sure that Ryan and even MacLeod are just placeholding 4C until Philp is back up and running
I think Philp would have spent more of last season in the NHL, after taking Ryan’s job.
I think McLeod’s role is a bit different but Philp is the clear natural successor to Ryan (give or take Grubbe who is a ways away, albeit much younger than Philp).
Lots of talk around here regarding trading Ceci, then upgrading. Heres what I would think will be difficult:
Finding a trade partner to trade Ceci, then another trade partner to upgrade on ceci with the money saved. Why wouldnt the first trade partner just go directly for what we viewd as an upgrade?
For a teade to work we need to go after something that the poeple we are trading ceci to do not want. I guess that would be term. Are we then looking to rent ceci out to a playoff contender? Then trade for RHD with term from a non playoff contender? Or do we trade Ceci, now, and wait for teams needs to change through the season and make a second trade later?
Thers could be a scenario with other peices, like maybe we offload Kulak AND Ceci, to a team who needs a LD, for their upgraded RD. (Seems unlikely, as we would be hoping for a 2 for 1 where we get the best player back).
This all seems a little unlikely to me. I will consider management to be pretty genius if they manage to offload ceci AND upgdade him.
I am going into the season with the expectation that we are going into playoffs with Ceci on board for his last ysar on contract.
My guess is if Ceci is traded for a mid to late round draft pick to clear his cap space. Stecher or Brown are the internal replacement roster players at least until the trade deadline
Being that removing Ceci’s cap hit by itself doesn’t get them cap compliant with Holloway and Broberg signed, it’s more likely IMO that Kane is the one who is moved.
I would rather keep Kane and try to move Ceci and McLeod if possible. A healthy Kane can be a real difference maker for the team as he brings elements that they don’t have otherwise
I hope at some point they aren’t trading their higher picks away every year at the deadline
I just looked at the contender teams and most of them have more high picks than we do, some all of their 1st and 2nd rounders
I think it’s better to build the team now and maybe add depth at the deadline which is less pricey. I don’t think it’s necessary to deplete the org to be in there. Cups aren’t guaranteed and Connor has a lot of years left, keep the org strong
But bring this much over the cap makes things difficult and who knows. Having 8 D who played a lot last year seems odd, I wouldn’t think Stecher or Brown would want to play in the A
I agree, it’s tough in a cap world to balance everything. I would like to hang on to our higher draft picks but I also want to upgrade top 4 d prior to next year’s playoffs. I also want to keep Kane. 😁
Maybe Broberg continues his progression and is the answer for 2 RD. Then we could keep our picks and have Kane wreaking havoc in the playoffs
Barry Trotz of all people providing a master class in asset management.
Adds two 40 goal scorers, an elite second pairing defenseman and a credible backup goaltender and is essentially at the cap.
This despite $7.8 million in dead cap space from multiple buyouts and retained salary.
All this while having 10 draft picks next season including 2 firsts, 2 seconds and 3 thirds.
Short term yes, but that’s an old top 6. Maybe he hasn’t run into aging curve data yet
I can’t imagine Stamkos and Marchessault aren’t value for their contracts for the next 3 seasons so the risk is not very high in either case.
At that point, a big chunk of their dead cap falls away
While the $8 million for Stamkos looks significant now it will be pretty insignificant under a cap in the high 90’s..
The major issue for Trotz continues to be acquiring elite centres but all those draft picks should certainly help with that.
Probably, although if they made playoffs I don’t know how they’d hold up in the top 6 energy wise with two each at 33 and 34. JM lead the Knights forwards with QoC but had trouble, SS was sheltered and didn’t do well against elites at PuckIQ
I doubt they are value but in Nashvilles position it makes sense. Too long and both likely bought out in a couple years.
JM turns 34 in December and signed for 5 seasons (and his one 40 goal season was an outlier to this point – his career high by 12). If he’s a “40 goal scorer” than Hyman is a 50 goal scorer.
Why do you keep changing handles?
Bro the Skeji contract was one of the worst deals signed this offseason. It is in Nurse territory bad.
I’ve been trying to figure out what this offensive spike for Matt Copponi means, if anything, and I have zero idea. Is he now a “real prospect”?
We have to let him tell us. What I wrote above we can say with authority. He has delivered more offense than the average player taken at that number. Jumping ahead, as I did with Greg Chase (above) in 2015, only leads to projecting beyond knowledge. We don’t know what we don’t know.
Sounds reasonable and fair. Here is hoping he continues to build and earns an ELC come this spring!
Oilers seem to be finding some d-men in the mid to later rounds, would be nice to find a forward diamond in the rough!
On top of this he was considered to be one of the very best players graduating out of all of New England minor hockey only a few years ago. The dude has got game.
The difference between wooing and begging is showing up in the player cards. Now we don’t have many details about the Oiler signings yet but aside from Mattias who’s got the three years there is no real danger in anything the Oilers have done so far. Short term, reasonable dollars.
Contrast that with the Tanev deal… signing bonuses of $5, $4.5, $3.6, and $2.6×3 and a full NMC through age 40. Buyout proof and trade proof for a guy at 34 who plays hard minutes. Brad Treliving has given out three of the worst contracts you’ll ever see in the NHL and two of those (take your pick with Reeves or Kampf) have come with a team who “should,” be a destination for players given the star power up front.
The Oilers are in opposite land. Truly wonderful to see.
It is great. Almost hard to believe it’s been so long
It takes time to change opinions. It takes time to overcome more than a decade of utter decrepitude, even moreso when you’re the most northern franchise in a league that’s been obsessed with the Sun Belt for 40 years.
On top of that the hockey world is very small and very tight. Goodwill takes a while to build up and can be lost rather quickly. Do players today remember the Souray Saga, the shenanigans with Whitney or the salary duels of Weight, Smyth, Cujo and others? Maybe not but their agents might. Their GMs who were players back then might. Do exec’s and player agents recall the alleged “Summits,” occurring during Chia’s tenure? It takes time to move on from that. To convince people that things are different, that times have changed.
Props to the owner for and the City for recognizing the need for a new arena. It was never a perfect deal but it set the stage for what we’re seeing today. Props to the owner for consolidating the entire enterprise (NHL, AHL, WHL and branding) under one roof. Props to the owner for keeping the spending taps open on “extras,” for players and staff. Its the little things that set you apart.
Props to Lowe and MacT for recognizing high end talent towards the end of their tenure. Props to Chia for reorganizing the minor league system, no small feat given how we didn’t have our own team not too long ago. Props to Holland for empowering smart fellas like K. Gretzky, Brad Holland and others who’ve gone on to other things and for building stability and respectability into team operations. Again it wasn’t long ago that the highest echelons of the team were blaming Tobby Rieder for playoff misses.
Turning around something complex doesn’t happen overnight. There were very big missteps along the way. But we’re here now and the goal is to keep that Cup window open as long as possible. If our Big Two decide to re-sign it should be open as long as they wear hockey skates.
For players and the league, the revenue generation numbers that that trickled out during the run were crazy. Oiler fans may not be as large in number as NYC or L.A., but they own six jerseys and its almost certain two of them are guys nobody else in the league remembers.
There was a time when oil tried to whoo players with a promotional DVD. Remember? As embarrassing as giving a red rose to the gal you fancy during a junior high dance during the song Lady in Red.
Thanks tiny hands for the down vote.
Near as I can tell, William Nicholl is to Sam O’Reilly what Sam O’Reilly is to Easton Cowan.
So the big question is – who’s the next Nicholl?
Wouldn’t surprise me if the Oilers copy the Vegas “template” (borrowed from LT’s article on The Athletic) and put Kane on LTIR, only to be penalized by the league.
That’s a sure way to get that loophole closed, at the least.
Yeah, they’ll owe Vegas a 2nd and Calgary a 3rd.
But you see, Vegas waited until February to blatantly circumvent the cap. Doing it at the start of the year is just tasteless
Yeah but they’ve done that too.
Multiple times.
2021 Kucherov says hi.
Shortened season notwithstanding…
Not sure if this got mentioned yesterday, but Brian Dumoulin was traded for a 2026 4th round return. I don’t understand D-man valuations – no idea how John Marino netted 2 seconds while Jake Walman cost a 2nd to unload, for instance. But I think Dumoulin and Ceci are good comps, right? Dumoulin’s a bit older, a bit better in his own zone; Ceci had more points and is a right-shot. They played similar minutes, make similar money. Could be a harbinger for what to expect in a potential deal.
Probably. Although Ceci played on a SC finalist, that seems to juice values up a little
Dumouling has two Stanley Cups, playing as on PIttsburgh’s first pair with Letang one year and Hainsey the other.
Dumoulin, 2 years older, LD with a M-NTC.
Outside of the Oilers market, I would assume Ceci’s value is fine. He’s a RHD who puts up 20-25 points and +10 in the regular season on a contending team. If you look at 2025 UFA RHD, Ceci had the third-most points last season and was one of only 6 who played more than 20 mins a game. I’d assume they don’t trade him only because he can’t easily be replaced with a solid player.
I would suggest that determining a player’s value is not just looking at “hockey value” but looking at their “value for cap hit”.
How would you rank our prospect pool?
1) Wanner
2) O’Reilly
3) Akey
4) Lavoie
5) Stefan
6) Bourgault
7, 8, 9, 10) Tullio, Savoie, Munzenberger, Copponi
???
In likeliness to make the NHL that looks about right at this time. Although Bourgault may be a bit high
I’m curious what’s going on with Lavoie. That big with that shot and also with some grit, seems like a no brainer to at least get a shot. Might have to be elsewhere
Lavoie registered 13 hits in 7 games in 7 mins/game of ice time but was a -2 with a PDO of 92.6 so I suspect he needs to trim his sideburns or play in better luck if he is to make the team
It would be next season it looks like. He didn’t play that well in the A, needs to make a statement, as does Bourgault. There will be 2 spots open at least 2025-26
Hit the gym, train with Pelletier, stay out of McDonalds
Carter Savoie wasn’t issued a QO, pretty sure he’s a free agent. Sure be interesting to know why they cut ties.
A friend of mine is a Kiwi who coaches the men’s rugby team for a major Canadian University. To develop talent in Canada they often try to develop lacrosse players because they’re more prone to have a quality desired by competitive rugby teams – aggression!
This is precisely why the Oilers picked O’Reilly. He’s got a will to compete and win. Having observed playoff hockey very closely, it’s clear that these traits are invaluable to a winning franchise.
He’s small and scored 22 points (10 G and he’s supposed to be a shooter) in 63GP at 22 YO draft plus 4
I just had a gander at his stats, hadn’t realized that his numbers were that low. Thanks.
My top 20 prospects is coming out later this week at The Athletic. I will tell you the names you list are not ranked closely.
The Russians?
Assuming Holloway and Broberg are no longer prospects, I’d go
Lavoie
Akey
Rodrigue
Philp
O’Reilly
Wanner
Kemp
Hamblin
Bourgault
New Finnish Goaler
Didn’t include the Russians because who knows if they will ever come over
We’ll know come April when they are eligible to sign upon expiry of their current KHL contracts.
Mazura is a LH shot.