I’ve shared my life with many four-legged animals over the decades, but none could match the looks of concern and disdain of this puppy in photo. She is 14 now, and cruising around main street our house has seen some recent changes. I was a little concerned for her with the arrival of Clifford (a 100-pound dog who thinks he’s a lapdog), Nimbus (the black cat, she’s all instinct with a giant brain) and Luna (the caramel cat) who is the sweetest animal I’ve ever known.
What was Ziggy’s reaction to these three new arrivals? Well, she eats their food and if Clifford gets too close to her treats, Ziggy bares her teeth and lunges at Clifford! This is unwise, but so far the big dog puts up with it and Ziggy is thriving in her new role as the house Esa Tikkanen.
I’ve been thinking about this training camp and how much we don’t know about the pieces of this year’s puzzle. Tonight, I want to watch Trent Frederic to make sure he can deliver as he did with the Boston Bruins. If he can, the entire forward group sets up in a more impressive fashion. A rugged third line that could play at pace against good opposition units and outscore even marginally would have a big impact on the Oilers fortunes.
I’m also interested in seeing Stuart Skinner’s new look. If he can bring back the numbers from his rookie season, perhaps the Oilers solve a problem in-house. A big season for Skinner, possibly his final one with the team.
Lines and pairings (via Tony Brar)
Tomasek – McDavid – Mangiapane: Jason Gregor has me intrigued about Tomasek’s shot, and maybe he’s an outlier Euro who can make the leap at 29. Andrew Mangiapane had a downbeat season with the Washington Capitals, but I don’t think they deployed him optimally. McDavid is King. Fun line to observe.
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Kapanen: I buy the Podkolzin-Draisaitl combination completely, and if Kapanen were more consistent I’d believe in the trio. We’ll have to see it to believe it. I am hopeful the coach uses Matt Savoie here soon on the right wing.
Henrique – RNH – Savoie: This could be a nice landing spot for any rookie, and Kris Knoblauch has Savoie here. It’s important for all three members of this line to get off to good starts. They’ll be key.
Janmark – Frederic – Howard: I am very much looking forward to this line to see performances. Mattias Janmark has been buried all summer, but a strong camp will put him right back on the roster. Frederic is getting a try at center, my Bruins observations over the years tell me that won’t last the season but I like the player very much. Ike Howard doesn’t have much support after the rookie games, I’d like to see him through the first three or four games of preseason. Maybe he has some gears we haven’t seen. I do like his passing more than the scouting reports implied.
Jones – Philp – Lazar: Three bubble players I believe will see NHL action this season. Jones offers a rugged edge, and even though he won’t play 82 games, he’s a bottom-six option for these Oilers. Noah Philp and Curtis Lazar appear (to me) to be applying for the same job. It could mean waivers for one of them, and a new NHL city. If you’re a Condors fan, you’re hoping one of them clears.
Pitlick – Hamblin – Hutson: This is an AHL line with plenty of talent. Rem Pitlick is a veteran (he’s 28, 132 NHL games) AHL player on a minor-league contract. He’s an upgrade imo on the fellows from one year ago on Bakersfield deals. James Hamblin is an NHL player if he could score, and he does score in the AHL where he’s quality. Quinn Hutson is a two-way winger who I think has a chance to play in the NHL in the years to come.
Pitlick – Marjala – Griffith: Key player here is Marjala, who could be the pleasant surprise of this camp.
Clattenburg – Samanski – Jarventie: Jarventie is the player to watch from this group, although all three are interesting.
Petrov – Grubbe – Lewandowski/Stefan: For Petrov and Grubbe, being this far down the list means it’s time to haul ass.
Storehouse – Copponi – Lafreniere: All three have time to show what they can do, Copponi is a college man on an AHL deal with miles of talent if he can stick the landing in Bakersfield.
Ekholm – Bouchard: Ekholm’s ability to Ekholm is the only worry here.
Nurse – Walman: This is a key experiment for the organization and shows a recognition that Walman has real top-four ability.
Kulak – Emberson: Kulak is consistent and dependable, two sexy words when applied to defensemen. I was pleasantly surprised Emberson got the not as Kulak’s partner in the early days of camp.
Stillman – Stecher: This pairing offers us the likely No. 7 D (it’ll be Stecher or Emberson) and a possible LH recall. I don’t know much about Riley Stillman, looking forward to watching him this winter.
Leppanen – Regula: The last of the group we can reasonably consider as possible Oilers, both men have some things to recommend them. I’m deliberately lowering my expectations of Leppanen because Funn Finn Blue are some of the most ridiculously entertaining hockey players on the planet.
Dineen – Brown: Both could be recalls but the competition is stronger this winter.
Carfagna – Akey: Both men begin training camp at the bottom of the depth chart but have the skill to move up quickly.
Skinner is the big item in goal, check out his quicker movement. That could be a key to the highway. Pickard is a solid NHL backup, I’m not sure there’s an easy to find replacement. Matt Tomkins needs to prove he’s capable of being the first recall, Samuel Jonsson is my favourite long-term bet. Some are looking at Nathan Day as a better long-term bet, and Connor Ungar remains a little unknown but will have his chance this season.
This year’s Condors are a fascinating group
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6645882/2025/09/21/oilers-ahl-bakersfield-condors-roster-2025/
An aside: Any rumblings about moving the Condors closer to the parent club? When do the new rules re “paper transfers” come into effect?
I can endorse moving the Condors to, say, Saskatoon. I’d definitely make it to a few games then.
As mentioned previously, I’m a strong booster for a farm team in Toon Town.
Respondents have observed:
I think Victoria could support an AHL team and would have an airport comparable to Winnipeg’s
Saskatoon should of had a team 40 some years ago. As you know they were close really close.
No rumblings – Holland was hard again it – thought having separation between the two clubs was important – one of the reasons was that he wanted a call-up to be more than just changing dressing rooms.
The Oilers have been at a disadvantage on this for a while and I’ve stated it many times. All the other Canadian teams have their AHL affiliate local and not many teams in the league don’t.
The rules are in effect for this season but they actually remove the disadvantage in some ways – having to play a game in the AHL is a big deal and teams won’t “paper” a legit NHL player if they have to play a game – injury risk.
Thx
if any market can support NHL AHL WHL it’s Edmonton
Metro Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary already do.
Winnipeg couldn’t make the WHL work with the Jets and Moose.
Winnipeg could. They had a WHL team that left because True North wouldnt let them play anywhere. They were stuck playing in the Bisons rink which housed a few hundred people tops. Not sustainable.
Now Holland has the Ontario Reign 40 minutes away down Route 10.
LT – first of all congratulations on your marriage, all the best to you and your wife. Second, a while ago you posted a pic of what I am guessing was Clifford! I have a virtually identical looking dog – “Daisy” she is 50% St. Bernard and 50% Bernese Mountain Dog and she too – weighing in at 112 lbs – considers herself a lap dog. She is the most loving and gentle quadruped – so I get the whole “let Ziggy snarl” vibe! I come here every day and though I post very little I can’t express how much I appreciate and enjoy your writing, stories, personal tidbits – all of it. Thank you LT and Mrs. LT – you are gems.
Hard to catch everything when you have both games streaming at the same time on adjacent windows, but I felt pretty good from the snippets I saw from Marjala and Regula. Savoie looks pretty darned good as well of course! Will see how they hold up as the rosters start to narrow and the level of competition increases… but feeling hopeful!
I watched the away game somewhat passively, here’s what stood out to me.
The goalies looked very good, particularly considering their ages. They’re big and seemed to move well, with Jonsson in particular showing some nice quick flexibility and quick twitch.
Akey looks like a completely different player than 2 years ago in terms of size and style. Gone is the little riverboat gambler, he’s filled out and played a much quieter, subtle game. Seemed very aware. Emberson touched the puck a lot. Leppanen is a really fun and skilled player – how he plays in the structure of an NHL game, I have no idea, but I’d pay to see it.
Samanski impressed me for a junior aged player – size, skill, speed, and awareness. Howard showed flashes of offensive skill but didn’t dominate. Hutson touched the puck a lot, looked like a mature and very capable player at this level. Clattenburg seemed a bit lost at times and had some trouble getting to the play but was also able to score an opportunistic goal – curious if he starts in the AHl or ECHL. Jarventie looked like someone who’d only played 2 games in the past 2 years.
I don’t think any of the bubble guys moved the needle in either direction.
Although a bit boring at times, I was impressed with the level of structure the Oilers showed for the first preseason game with a hodgepodge roster. People were tracking well for the most part, back checking, finding their men – normally I’m used to a lot more missed assignments and broken plays at the beginning of preseason.
Why would you sign Clattenburg to a ELC contact and then shove him in ECHL?
The kid may have been a game rooster in the OHL, if he can’t get the pace of play in the AHL right off the hop then he’s bound for Fort Wayne. It’s not a question of why sign him to an ELC, he has to earn the ice time.
To get big minutes. He’s a late bloomer, and with his style of game, I think he’d be fourth line in the AHL this year.
Long term, to develop that skill set and give him a chance to be a truly unique plus NHL player, I’d play him as much as possible in skill situations this year.
Good summary but I don’t think Samanski is juinor-aged, he’s 23, no?
Oh, I don’t think there is a chance Clattenburg goes to the ECHL – the likes of James Stefan and Stonehouse maybe.
I stand corrected, I confused him with one of the newly drafted guys. In that case, I’d say the skill set is still enticing but where his game is at isn’t as impressive as it is expected.
Nurse plays puck instead of man, game over.
Then they give him second star…hahaha
Well, Oilers didn’t get any saves in this one and Flames did…thought most the of the oil Played well. Was hoping to see Frederick better, but it’s still early.
Make the final 3-0 Oilers in Calgary as Jonsson (12 SV) and Day-man (8) combine for the shutout.
But the Oilers lose in EDM 3-2 in OT as Tomkins can’t corral Frost’s shot from the slot.
Pitlick moves like a vet. Interesting.
2-0 for the Oilers in Calgary as Clattenburg scores.
And then he gets in a scrap shortly afterward.
And then Stillman makes it 3-0.
A most malodorous turnover on behalf of the Falmes!
Philp and Akey assisted on the 3-0 goal.
This guy’s going to flat out will himself into the league, isn’t he?
Connor ‘Tom Wilson’ Clattenburg
Connor “Kelly Buchberger” Clattenburg(er)
Let’s hope he doesn’t get beat up as much as Buchberger.
Always fighting guys up a weight class.
I’m all for that!
They’ ll be chanting his name in Bakersfield by Christmas time. I do think he gains the trust of the coach early on and gets some PK time. Not many players of his ilk are Captains of their Junior teams.
Of course, not many captains of the Flint Firebirds have subsantial NHL careers – and by “not many”, I mean none yet (save Ty Dellandrea)…..
I get you don’t approve of Clattenburg methods. Of course he’s a longshot but if healthily he’ll be arriving on the Oilers sooner than you think as his stock just keeps rising and there isn’t a thing you can do about it.
Petrov pots the equalizer late in the second, banking a shot off a defender from behind the net. 2-point game for him.
Assists to Marjala and the House of Stone.
2-1 Calgary in EDM as they strike on the PP, Farabee converting a cross-ice feed on the doorstep.
Tomasek is going to be just a step too slow. Just not reacting to the play fast enough.
Day-man enters the game in Calgary after Jonsson stopped all 12 shots he saw. Still 1-0 Oil there.
Nurse opens the scoring in EDM as his wrister from the left point eludes the Calgary tender. Partially screened by a passing Marjala in the slot. Petrov gets the lone helper.
Then Nurse does a fine job of screening Tomkins and gets caught puck-watching while Frost ties the game.
Then, in midseason form, covers no one and screens his own goalie as Frost scores to make it 1-1.
He’s a forward.
Lots of good reports of Leppanen impressing with his puck moving – making great plays from the defensive zone.
Howard looking standing out as well with a beauty pass to send Kap in for the goal.
It’s the most wonderful time (for goalie masks) of the year:
Stu #1:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DOtbRq5CJx8/
Picks:
https://www.instagram.com/daveart/p/DO1pJv6iCQB/
Kapanen gives the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the game in Calgary, assisted by Kulak and Howard.
Jonsson in goal.
Nathaniel Day now between the pipes. Nobody on the Falmes broadcast crew seems to have noticed though. 🙂
Oh! Eight minutes after the switch was announced in the rink, the broadcast crew has caught on.
Tomasek not afraid to rip the puck – from distance.
Heavy shot.
Frederic’s skating is night and day from the playoffs!
Absolutely. Very noticeable by comparison.
I also feel like Regula is moving fairly smoothly for a big guy, don’t have any prior comparison for him tho haha.
Regula is known to move well for a big guy – its good to see it!
My wallet unfortunately thought Frederic was going to be the difference maker against the mighty Panthers in the Cup Final. Although he should of had a goal in game 4 OT. To this day I can watch that replay a 100 times and I still don’t know how it didn’t go in. I’m a big fan of Frederic going back to his 2 breakout years in Boston as he does have a sneaky shot and alright hands. Here’s hoping for a Ethan Moreau career with a tad more scoring as Ethan had stone hands but had not bad wheels and a big heart
I can’t say I’m excited that in a year we’re showing Connor this is the place to win we’re starting with 23 goals for our top 4 wingers playing alongside 97/29. And an average age of 28 so not exactly “young blossoming talent”.
Belated congratulations LT. Very happy for you.
I appreciate every one of your posts, but I would have been happy to see you give yourself the weekend off.
The main thing about this camp is that the core is relaxed, per a few sources. I thought they may have come in out of sorts still, but I suppose having gone through it once before they were sad and mad for a while and flushed it
I also liked Connor’s comment about the pace and competitiveness of practice. I take from what he said having so many older players things may have gotten flat. I think we will see it pan out in games. To me too many guys last year were sitting back and watching too much. I think it’s natural for older players to use their brains and anticipation more, but if everyone is doing that there isn’t enough hot pursuit to disrupt the other team
It seems like Bowman saying some new faces inject energy panned out. The rookies are hungry, Frederic is hungry to show what he can do, Bread Man is hungry to show he was the right choice. The fringe forwards are hungry, there won’t be leeway to not stay at their best, there are options. Stu is hungry to claim the net without question, and secure his tenure, and his summer work shows that. The guys battling for 3RD are hungry
I hope Knob runs a better camp this time
I think last year they came in cocky, knowing they lost the cup by essentially a coin toss, were dreading the long season thinking they could go through the motions and dominate the regular season.
It seems they core, at least McDavid and Drai are focused this season, want to get off to a good start (knowing they need to earn it) and ride it through the season.
I also think McDavid is sick of other players having better seasons than him and wants to remind the world why he is in a tier all to himself!
I was 7 years old when EDM joined the NHL and we got the occasional game on TV.
I wasn’t a hockey fan before this but watched the games with my family.
What hooked me on hockey wasn’t just Gretzky, it was a 5’8″ Finn playing D who was as wide as he was tall and drove pucks through the plexiglass when his shots missed the net.
There was no louder sound on the TV than when Risto Siltanen missed the net with his shot and it whether it hit the net or not, I watched the games waiting for Risto to unleash his slapshot.
It could go anywhere and often did.
When he scored it was glorious.
Love him to this day.
I was too young to really appreciate Risto; Niinimaa was my Funn Finn Blue.
When Risto started to wind up for a slapshot all the fans above the glass behind the net would start to duck. And I mean anywhere behind the net from corner to corner. This was in the days before the netting and even the glass itself was lower (only 5 feet above the boards). Surprising more people weren’t badly hurt. It probably helped that no one was sitting in the stands looking at their smart phone.
Congratulations LT, very happy for you and your fiance. And four leggers of course. A little late to the party, was in the idyllic community of St. Albert for a family thing, so everyone got a break from the conch
FYI: I, for one, and I’m pretty sure I’m in good company, would be OK with you taking a couple of mornings off to enjoy the post-nuptials.
RIP Bernie Parent.
The two best NHL goalies of the 70’s passing within 15 days of each other. 7 consecutive cups between them.
Bernie was a legend with the Flyers but I still vividly remember the playoff game in ‘71 playing with the Leafs where, during a line brawl, his mask disappeared into the stands.
https://www.nhl.com/news/mystery-of-maple-leafs-bernie-parent-missing-mask-during-1971-playoffs
The only Flyer I ever liked. RIP Bernie. RIP Eddie. RIP Kenny. My 70s goalie heroes, fading…
Wow, I had missed that Giacomin passed away last week. Three Hall of Fame goalies from that era gone in just over 2 weeks.
Ed had his best seasons in the late 60s through ‘71. Still stuck around through his mid to late 30s till ‘78.
So the ear worm today happens to be Chapel of Love. Love all the new additions to the household…Alistair (my Allie Cat agrees). Congrats on a whole new chapter in your life!
Nine is always Mark Cohn’s True Companion in these situatios! God that song hits home for me!
This is the time of year when I look at the roster and the summer work and ask the question “is it enough?”
The forward group, I don’t love it. I’m hoping for the potential to emerge, I like the attempt to get younger, but it always seems to come up a touch short with an over reliance on the big guns.
Why can’t they ever seem to come up with some fast demon like for checkers that have no quit in them? They are out there and they’re not that expensive.
One of the problems is they run out of money and that’s just the way it is when you’re top heavy. I’m sure McDavid knows this in this part of his contract thoughts. It is the evolution of a winning team and a puzzle to solve.
The defence is very good. Absolutely it is enough and right now. They need a few depths pieces. It would be nice if they had some youngsters coming along. They have a few, but I don’t see any of your top four pair.
I think they have enough in goal. Like any player you can always get better, or upgrade. But there are limitations were all aware of this and I think they do have enough.
Sounds like the trade deadline is gonna be difficult to get quick fixes to fill roster deficiencies. Certainly sounds that way.
I said I don’t love the boards. It doesn’t mean I don’t like them. Of course we’ve got some excellent players. Can they maintain their level of play? And can the supporting cast ad instead of take away.?
I do hope there is one last piece out there. A waiver wire steal, a last-minute trade where we get another Podkolzin.
So all in, pretty good summer. Except for one big darn contract problem, one right winger with a questionable hand, and the toll of a million bumps and bruises can take on a team.
Congratulations to you and your new bride LT. Thanks for keeping up your blog through everything else you have going on.
Congrats on the wedding LT!
Hey, look who’s a married man again!
Congrats and best wishes LT.
The start of a new chapter, here we go (or here you go, but we’re all cheering for you)…
…day one
In yesterday’s piece from The Other Nuge about the new Oilers goalie coach Peter Aubry, there was this interesting item:
I can attest that cutting out sugar does indeed cause weight loss, while also improving mental clarity. A thinner Skinner with sharper focus is intriguing.
So, you think a thinner Skinner’s a winner?
If he can limit what he has for dinner, the Oilers won’t need to acquire Binner.
LOL
Thinner Skinner, Chicken Dinner!!!
Cutting out sugar could lead to weight loss by cutting out the calories (and, of course, calories with little value that will lead to very little satiation and quick hunger leading to more calories).
Skinner lost weight because he burned more calories than he consumed.
This should improve his lateral movement which is probably why he lost the weight.
The Hyman injury likely saves Janmark’s roster spot to start (if they put him on LTIR).
I wish we would see Jarventie play with some more NHL talent. I think they might try and send him down early, would that reduce waive claim risk?
I do think Max Jones sees games – based on him doing absolutely nothing for 17 straight games last year, I don’t know why. Just like me, the org likely values what he could be but, unfortunately, even with plus skating, shot, size, etc., he is NOT that player. The Oilers had a need for exactly the player he could be last year, he has an amazing opportunity, did nothing. He is who he is and he’s not an NHL player for this team. He’ll still see games.
50 games of a 0.914 for Skinner (plus similar in the playoffs) would do a couple of things:
1) bring the Oilers Stanley; and
2) create mayhem among the fanbase when he’s re-signed for a Dostal contract.
I hope he has a solid season for many reasons – he doesn’t deserve the vitriol he receives from much of the fanbase, as a player or a person.
“Ziggy is thriving in her new role as the house Esa Tikkanen.” Literally choked on my coffee when I read this!! Hilarious!!
Tikki was one of the most amusing players I remember! It was side splitting watching him baffle both teammates and opponents with his Tikkanese. Even the other Finnish players got distracted by his antics. Priceless!
It is why handle here used to be Turning Tikkanese!