Max Wanner was one of the bright lights for the Oilers Young Stars last night. I’d run the three stars as Wanner, Nathan Day, and William Nicholl. Here are my thoughts on what I noticed in the game.
WHAT IF CLEAN OUTLETS DIDN’T EXIST?
Early in the game, the Oilers defensemen had trouble both defensively and in moving the puck smartly up the ice by pass or carry. The Oilers lack experience on the blue line, and the high skill Canucks were buzzing much of the night.
With about seven minutes left in the first period, Max Wanner had the puck jump over his stick at the oppo blue, and was in chase mode (along with a Canucks forward) but handled the play well. The O’Reilly line was doing good work at the time, and the missed opportunity reflected a frustrating period with the puck for Edmonton. Wanner was easily the best defenseman for the Oil in this game, he battled all night and played big minutes. I’m so impressed with this player, who has a presence at age 21.
The first good look by the Oilers came on the PP with James Stefan getting a good shot on goal from high on the right side above the circle.
The best Oiler early was Nathan Day, who was under fire for much of the first 10 minutes. He would continue to play well despite being under pressure for much of the night.
Brayden Boehm had a quick breakout but was unable to find clean air against a good defensive play by Vancouver. He had more chances than most of Edmonton’s forwards and made several good plays with the puck. He also puck hawked in the neutral zone, interrupting progress. I have no idea if we’ll ever see him again but I liked his game.
Matt Savoie’s first play of note was a solid defensive interception in the high slot to suppress a Vancouver sortie. He also did some good PK work in the second period. He showed flashes, and late in the second came off the bench and had a great chance on net. Probably Edmonton’s best chance through 40. High-end skill player, he didn’t show what he can do in this game. Perhaps tonight.
Carl Berglund had a dandy chance in the slot on a turnover later in the first. He had a clean look in the third period, would have been a good time to cash. He is one of the older players on the roster, I think more was expected.
Nate Corbet (Edmonton) and Joe Arntsen (Vancouver) had a dandy tilt as well. Corbet showed well despite being the smaller player. Corbet was beaten in the third period by Nathan Feltin (24, Merrimack College grad) for the second Vancouver goal. The six year age difference was a big factor in the play.
Frankie Marrelli got walked by Lekkermaki late in the period from me to you. He wasn’t the only one, and that’s a difficult test. When viewing games like this, it’s important to remember that four of the blue at this camp were born in 2006. I have socks older than 18.
Connor Clattenburg (the third member of the top line) laid a big hit late in the first period in the Oilers end. He was crashing with guys several years older and didn’t back down. He’s a game rooster, good speed.
Ethan de Jong had a great look late via a beautiful feed from William Nicholl. That pass by Nicholl was the nicest skill play by an Oilers player in the first period. De Jong had a nice solo dash later and was solid on the PK. He also turned over pucks on the forecheck and backcheck. Played with abandon in the third period. He was noticeable in a way some of the other early 20’s players were not, to my eye.
Sam O’Reilly came along as the game progressed and had his best sequence late in the first period, with a couple of sweet passes that had a chance. He’s a good young player, plenty of range and real skill. Smart player.
Great individual effort by Dalyn Wakely at the end of the period almost resulted in a goal. He also drew a penalty in the second.
I thought Marc Lajoie had some tough moments, but he settled down by the third period and made some good plays. I am looking forward to seeing more of him in this series.
Jayden Grubbe won battles, made some plays but he and his linemates were unable to find the range. I liked De Jong and Dalyn Wakely in a similar way, and will mention (again) Nicholl as a solid player on the night.
Matvey Petrov’s best moment was midway through the third period, when he had two or three sequences that looked promising but didn’t develop.
The Athletic: Oilers since Jeff Jackson took over have been aggressive in adding personnel in the amateur procurement department. First blush impressions are happening now in Penticton.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5762450/2024/09/13/edmonton-oilers-prospects-stefan-savoie/
Much stronger effort overall. Some fun chemistry with Savoie and O’Reilly, who also had just an epic diving backcheck to break up a high danger chance.
Nicholl sure looks like a Mcleod clone out there except a couple inches shorter.
Lack of d depth for oilers in this tourney really shows. Also Ungar not looking terribly good either…
He’s had some luck with some flame flubs but I thought he’s been allright – both goals (so far) were Grade As – cross-ice on the PP and point blank off the rush.
Agree on the D, minus Wanner, but definitely disagree on Ungar who I think has looked quite solid thru 2 periods.
It could be just me not seeing him good. What I know about goalies could be counted on the fingers of one foot…
Definitely agree on Wanner, I really want to see him in main camp with more developed linemates to get a better read though.
Savoie causes chaos on the forecheck and a turnover behind the Flames net, O’Riley chips it back to Savoie who centers it to a wide open Berglund (on for Clattenburg) who buries.
Clattenberg drops them with the older and bigger Parker Bell (6’5/210) – both player landed some big shots and Bell goes down.
I’m kinda liking Clattenberg’s game, with a bit more time he may well ripen into a fine 3rd or 4th liner.
A few people are asking about how to watch the game for free. Some got caught in the comment filter for using the owner’s name.
It’s free to watch on the Flames’ website.
https://www.nhl.com/flames/video/calgary-flames-live-stream-6336966459112
I watched the first two periods of the last game against Vancouver before tapping out.
Here is hoping the defence can move the puck a bit better and they can get some flow to their game tonight – I wouldn’t think the “Flames” will be quite as experienced as the “Canucks” were last night.
Looks to be a similar lineup for the “Oilers” tonight with Ungar starting (and slated to play the full 60) and one change on each of the D and 4th line involving camp invites.
I was able to catch the third period and found that the Berglund line was our best unit in holding on to the puck and creating offensive chances while the other lines just chased the Canucks around the ice. Their players had constant possession of the puck. The goalie was ok just not great at rebound control and the defense in the third period was porous.
The Berglund line was the only one that consistently created offensive chances.
I’m curious (stumped actually) as to the inclusion of Elias Pettersson in the Canucks’ lineup. Is he still considered a prospect or even a rookie? I don’t get it.
There is a SECOND Elias Pettersson. Same name, different player. Nucks gonna Nuck.
https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=245665
At least the Sebastian Aho twins had the decency to play in different organizations.
And going a little further back, the Petr Sykora twain.
I was just talking about the Claude Larose 1970’s yesterday.
Are you trying to tell me that goalie Matt Murray didn’t secretly quit the Maple Leafs and join the Dallas Stars but it is in fact two different goalie Matt Murrays? (Or are they Matts Murray?)
Or perhaps more accurately, the Carolina Hurricanes had the decency not to draft two players with the exact same name.
A decency we unfortunately and unsurprisingly cannot extend to the Vancouver Canucks organization.
I recall we had a few Ryan’s at one time, but a complete name being repeated is nuts! I had no idea… huh! Cheers!
Haha, yes!
Yes, I called myself “Ryan” because the Oilers always had four or six Ryans in the system. There were always new ones coming in.
I used to refer to them as the Flying Ryan Brothers….
That was certainly a slog to get through that game last night.
Of course, the Oilers best player was Nathanial Day in net – kept it respectable.
I agree with LT that Wanner showed well but I was disappointed in the rest of the “AHL vets” – Grubbe (who was OK) and Petrov (who did little).
Those guys should stand out.
I remain surprised that Petrov isn’t doing better, he seems to have the tools. Perhaps not the mental aspect
Its only one game, and a rookie tournament game at that, so I won’t put my stock in it but I am very hopeful that Petrov shows solid year over year progress in the AHL.
There is a big difference between the development of a 6th round vs. 1st round pick but I really don’t want to see a Bourgault like second pro season.
It was obvious before puck drop that the line-up configuration was sub-optimal and that this team was going to be over matched. It cant be helped that the line-up was inexperienced, but they didn’t do any favours for anyone, especially Savoie with those linemates.
I think this would have helped Savoie the most:
Petrov – Berglund – Savoie
Clattenberg – O’Rielly – Stefan
I thought O’Rielly revealed himself as a solid responsible Centerman, but offense isn’t there yet. It didn’t help that he played too high in the line-up.
I understand the desire to challenge the first rounder, but the knowledgeable and experienced hockey people should know that they should always try to set people up for success, not try to drown them.
Wanner was good, no surprise there, but would have been good to see Savoie line-up with more skill. Berglund is just an experienced pro and would have not taken too much away from Savoie, since he’d go straight to the front of the net (creating more space for these much more skilled players) and is also very responsible in the d-zone.
I don’t understand, but I probably never will, just had thought the organization would be better that way.
Wanner is listed at 6’3” 184 pounds what do you estimate his weight at? Also does he cover ground quickly and does he have a large area wingspan?
Playing with new linemates, and those with abilities all over the spectrum can be hard.
Talk about small sample sizes.
I mentioned at the end of the thread last night after the game that Wanner, Day & Grubbe were the three Oilers I felt had the best games.
I chose Grubbe as my third because I thought he looked under control with and without the puck on his shifts. I had no expectations of offense from him from what I have read here of his game so that didn’t surprise me. He just didn’t at any time look overwhelmed and did smart little things to move the puck out of danger and there was a lot of danger.
I also thought Savoie had a difficult time showing his game because he seems to like the quick give and go passing game to generate position and chances and to my eye he would make the pass but the puck never came back to him. It looked to me like his line mates didn’t understand what he was doing. Made some good defensive plays but to my eye he needs to play with guys who think the game faster and with less panic than he had on the ice with him last night.
As long as Savoie is kept safe from the goons in Calgary. Savoie has already been in the show isn’t this young guns tourney a little beneath him.
Matt Savoie has played 3:55 in the NHL, is 20 years old, & is officially just turning pro now. He was the 7th oldest player on an exceptionally young team, even for this tourney it seems to me. If these games aren’t for him, who the hell are they for?
Or, to be grammatically correct, for whom the hell are they? 🤓
Vancouver meanwhile iced 25-year-old Akiro Hirose with 10 NHL GP, & 23yo Arshdeep Bains with 8. Hirose has NHL GP in 2 different seasons, whereas i don’t think the Oilers dressed a player with a similar claim in the *AHL*.
And i dont mind that a bit, the ‘nucks have their reasons, just as the Oilers do for icing a quartet of undrafted 18yo d-men. This game was something of a mismatch, on both paper & the ice. 2-0 was flattering if anything.
This is indicative of Vancouver’s propensity to find players overlooked in the draft.
While Hirose is 25 he took the BCJHL/NCAA path so despite his age has only one pro season under his belt.
Arshdeep Bains was also passed over in the draft but won the WHL scoring title as an overager.
While not a draft orphan, the Canucks lineup also featured another overager, Anthony Romani, who won the OHL goal scoring title last season and was taken in the 6th round.
It appears the Canucks are targeting a market inefficiency with some success.
You mean, guys akin to Noah Philp and James Stephan?
Philip is already 26…hardly a prospect and his AHL numbers are underwhelming.
Stefan (actual spelling) would certainly qualify.
Hirose is 25 and Philp would have been in the NHL last season at 25 if he didn’t take the season off. His numbers in the 2nd half of his one pro season were certainly not under-whelming and they don’t even come close to representing his game and on-ice impact – of course, you’ve never seen him play a regular season game so……
In any event, the point of the post was that Vancouver is certainly not targeting a market inefficiency any more than the the Oilers.
So you’re saying Philip is a lock to be in the NHL this season.
And Vancouver has a large contingent of undrafted players in its system:
Akito Hirose
Arshdeep Bains
Max Sasson
Cole McWard
Tristian Nielsen
Christian Felton
4 of those played last night and McWard would have made 5 but he has a minor injury.
How many do the Oilers have?
Also a ‘large contingent’.
Hamblin
Philp
Berglund
Stefan
Stonehouse
Ungar
And damn, 4 of them also played last night on the Oilers side.
https://youtu.be/WJ1xz9k9vm8
I think Noah Philp plays NHL games this season, yes.
Berglund
Stefan
Stonehouse
Philp
Ungar
Hamblin
Again, please do show how Vancouver is exploiting a market inefficiency to a greater extend than the Oilers or can you just admit that you were not in the know of the Oilers in this area and thank others for informing you?
Totally. Look at undrafted Brogan Rafferty. He was nabbed by Vancouver and he won a Calder and Norris in the same year just as you predicted.
This is a nice little tournament it’s good for a trek with the family in the beautiful Okanagan without having to take out a 2nd mortgage. In saying that someone of Savoie pedigree might be targeted by older men of ECHL quality looking to get noticed. This players are in Shinny mode but some yahoo l like pospisil may have other ideas.
This is simply not indicative of what this tournament is about or who its for.
Connor McDavid played in this tournament.
I guess so it’s the Savoie name. This has me remembering Carter getting hurt in this shinny tournament I believe 3 years ago the injury was serious enough to cost him on the low end a half year of development but more like his career path. Didn’t he keep re-aggravating the same injury maybe I’m not remembering this sequence correctly.
They also iced Raty who has 15 NHL games.
Raty just turned 21.
Raty turned 21 10 months ago. He will be 22 in exactly 2 months. Pretty poor attempt from a former reporter.
Why do you lie? He turns 22 in November – he didn’t “just turn” 21.
He’s less than 3 months older than Jarventie who the Oilers didn’t bring.
Ummm, he’s 20 years old and a first year pro.
For some perspective, the two first lines featured a player from the top half of the first round of the 2022 draft.
#15 Jonathan Lekkerimaki’s linemates were Arshdeep Bain & Aatu Raty, who each have >120 AHL games & who each scored >50 points in that men’s league
#9 Matt Savoie’s linemates were Sam O’Reilly & Connor Clattenburg, who were both drafted in 2024, & this was the closest either had ever been to playing in a professional game.
Of the three, Clattenburg stood out the most to me, likely because his game is built around playing without the puck. Whoch was the standard game state when those two lines were matched up against each other.
i saw things to like from each young Oiler, but collectively they were overwhelmed.
Agreed on all three showing some things individually while as a whole it was less than the sum of the parts.
I understand what you are saying, but I do not think Clattenberg was a good fit with Savoie at all. The puck died on his stick a few too many times for my liking.
Really need him to have linemates that can riff of him, or a least give him space, find him in space and get open for his passes.
I know the guys that make nhl prospect rankings don’t like the Oils prospects but I think Wanner and Berezkin make it.
Bold prediction: Berezkin comes over in the spring and wins a roster spot
I would love to see it, BUT he’s currently signed to a KHL contract that has 2 years (including this season) remaining.
His contract is up at the end of April – this is the last season of his current KHL deal.
Not a great game by the Oiler young Stars. It should be noted that the Vancouver team had 11 players from last year’s Young Stars tournament. Much more familiarity and experience.
Hopefully we see a stronger performance from the Oil tonight against the Flamers.
It will be interesting to see how Wanner does at main camp
Other than one play in the third where he lost position I thought he had a very strong game last night with little or no support for most of the game.