7 Oilers Prospects to Watch
Posted 5:51 PM ET | Comments 0
Was a work today thinking how exciting this years Oilers could be, finally the young core has a few seasons under them and maybe they'll finally strike some fear into their opposition..maybe not with grit and aggression but hopefully at least somewhat with puck control and skill.
Alot of it has already arrived, RNH, Hall, Eberle, Yakupov, J.Schultz, and Sam Gagner have more or less arrived..but what about the next wave?
Anything in the horizon?
We've all heard of Oscar Klefbom about a million times, and hardly anyone of us has seen him play more than a game or two, maybe three at the world juniors.
When I think of Kelfbom's play at the World Juniors I think of a player that controlled the tempo of a game..often looked like a man amongst boys, a leader among leaders, calm yet aggressive when he needed to be..kinda like that one player the anchors the blueline of the Nashville Predators..
But the World Junior Championships is only a tiny sample size, and we've seen players who were physically more mature than his peers dominate before they get to the NHL only to be unable to transition their game to that next level.
Still, when every single comment about him from either his coaches, Oilers Management, or teammates has been positive you can't help but get excited.
Based on everything I've read and heard I think Oscar Kelfbom is destined to have a great NHL career.
Leading up to this Summers NHL draft I wanted the Oilers to draft Valeri Nichushkin so bad I was totally open to the idea of them trading the 2013 1st round pick PLUS next years 1st round pick only to move up a few spots..I was convinced that he was the Russian version of Eric Lindros (minus the concussions)..and gambling a bit of the future for the next big Russian star seemed like a no brainer.
But then when it began to sound more and more like MacTavish was taking interest in Darnell Nurse I started watched every highlight video I could find of the Two Way defenceman..but in my heart I was still hoping Oilers would go with Nichushkin.
I have to admit I've never seen Nurse play a full game in the OHL, Nichushkin I've only seen a few times at the international level but I never paid much attention to his play..didn't think the Oilers stood much of a chance at drafting the Russian Winger anyways. You know how when you want your team to pick a specific player in the upcoming draft you watch his every move on the ice, convincing yourself more and more that what he just did was pure magic? I never watched Nurse or Nichushkin closely before the draft so I was just going off of pure hype and based on that alone Nichuskin with his combination of size, skill, and ablity to drive to the net he seemed like the obvious pick if given the chance.
But on the day of the draft I changed my mind. I think Darnell Nurse was the right pick for this team, maybe for any team. He's big, smart, aggressive, can move the puck and is a great skater..with his work ethic it seems like the sky is the limit for this player. Maybe the pick wasn't as exciting as if it had been Nichushkin..a combination of Yakupov and Nichushkin on one line could be unbelievable to watch..but you can't have em all and if you want great dmen you must draft them when they're available.
A third prospect to watch from the Oilers this upcoming season for me is small Finnish forward, Toni Rajala.
I love this player, everytime I've seen him play going back to the days when he played for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL I came away impressed, wondering how he slipped to the fourth round. He looked like the best player for the Wheat Kings when they played Taylor Hall and the Windsor Spitfires a few seasons ago in the Memorial Cup Tournament.
Rajala may be small physically, but he's also very crafty, fast, great shot, good passer and doesn't shy away from the physical part of the game. So your thinking, Linus Omark version 2.0 right? Maybe skill wise, but from what I've seen of Rajala he seems like a much more complete player, and there doesn't seem to be any attitude issues surrounding this player. I think he could fit right into the Oilers future top nine, and could play on the second unit powerplay in a season or two. He was near a point per game player for the Barons last season after starting the season in the ECHL..I say give him another year in the A with a few call ups throughout the season. Maybe after another solid AHL season he can be a full time NHLer starting in fall 2014.
I'm really interested to see him get in a few Exhibition games for the Oilers this fall.
Bogdan Yakimov: Yakcity.
Marc-Olivier Roy: Number five on my list of seven Oilers prospects to watch (more or less in no particular order)..
Really like what I read and hear of this prospect. Seems to have his head screwed on straight, and plays with an edge at both ends of the ice. Oilers could have a steal here at #56 from the past draft. I will be watching the QMJHL a little more closely this season that's for sure.
Anton Slepyshev: Some scouts had him ranked in the first round of the 2012 NHL draft, but he was passed over due to fear of him settling for a career in the KHL instead of NHL.
Oilers must've felt they could convince him to come over as they selected him with the 88th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
I've only seen him play when I wanted to watch Nail Yakupov at the Russia vs Canada summit series, I never looked for Slepyshev but one thing I remember is hearing his name almost as often as Yakupov, and he always seemed to be involved in the play..I was wondering "why isn't this guy talked about more often outside of this tournament?" He seemed every bit as noticeable as Yakupov, not saying he will be as good of a player but who knows as it's hard to tell with young players in the K. They don't get much ice.
He could be a steal for the Oilers. I will definitely watch more Russian games at the next World Junior championships.
My last prospect to keep a close eye on this season is Edmonton Oil Kings forward and Oilers Prospect Mitchell Moroz.
I like this kids PIMS..I like his size (Hockeydb has him at 6'2, 208lbs)..and he's only 19 years old. He'll return to the Oil Kings for one final season and I bet I plays a huge role on the team..we could see him in the top six, top two PP units most of the season, he'll probably also out-muscle most of the opposition due to his age, size, and playing style..it could be an absolute breakout season for him. Should be fun to watch.
Alright, that's all I got for today..August is almost done..September is when leaves begin to fall from their trees, weather becomes a little less lovely, and the smell of hockey makes another comeback..I cannot wait for this season, The Oilers could finally break out of the basement of the NHL with their new young core but underneath is a whole list of new prospects slowly blossoming hoping to one day join the current core.
The Detroit model is slowly building..hopefully is stays the course.
Alot of it has already arrived, RNH, Hall, Eberle, Yakupov, J.Schultz, and Sam Gagner have more or less arrived..but what about the next wave?
Anything in the horizon?
We've all heard of Oscar Klefbom about a million times, and hardly anyone of us has seen him play more than a game or two, maybe three at the world juniors.
When I think of Kelfbom's play at the World Juniors I think of a player that controlled the tempo of a game..often looked like a man amongst boys, a leader among leaders, calm yet aggressive when he needed to be..kinda like that one player the anchors the blueline of the Nashville Predators..
But the World Junior Championships is only a tiny sample size, and we've seen players who were physically more mature than his peers dominate before they get to the NHL only to be unable to transition their game to that next level.
Still, when every single comment about him from either his coaches, Oilers Management, or teammates has been positive you can't help but get excited.
Based on everything I've read and heard I think Oscar Kelfbom is destined to have a great NHL career.
Leading up to this Summers NHL draft I wanted the Oilers to draft Valeri Nichushkin so bad I was totally open to the idea of them trading the 2013 1st round pick PLUS next years 1st round pick only to move up a few spots..I was convinced that he was the Russian version of Eric Lindros (minus the concussions)..and gambling a bit of the future for the next big Russian star seemed like a no brainer.
But then when it began to sound more and more like MacTavish was taking interest in Darnell Nurse I started watched every highlight video I could find of the Two Way defenceman..but in my heart I was still hoping Oilers would go with Nichushkin.
I have to admit I've never seen Nurse play a full game in the OHL, Nichushkin I've only seen a few times at the international level but I never paid much attention to his play..didn't think the Oilers stood much of a chance at drafting the Russian Winger anyways. You know how when you want your team to pick a specific player in the upcoming draft you watch his every move on the ice, convincing yourself more and more that what he just did was pure magic? I never watched Nurse or Nichushkin closely before the draft so I was just going off of pure hype and based on that alone Nichuskin with his combination of size, skill, and ablity to drive to the net he seemed like the obvious pick if given the chance.
But on the day of the draft I changed my mind. I think Darnell Nurse was the right pick for this team, maybe for any team. He's big, smart, aggressive, can move the puck and is a great skater..with his work ethic it seems like the sky is the limit for this player. Maybe the pick wasn't as exciting as if it had been Nichushkin..a combination of Yakupov and Nichushkin on one line could be unbelievable to watch..but you can't have em all and if you want great dmen you must draft them when they're available.
A third prospect to watch from the Oilers this upcoming season for me is small Finnish forward, Toni Rajala.
I love this player, everytime I've seen him play going back to the days when he played for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL I came away impressed, wondering how he slipped to the fourth round. He looked like the best player for the Wheat Kings when they played Taylor Hall and the Windsor Spitfires a few seasons ago in the Memorial Cup Tournament.
Rajala may be small physically, but he's also very crafty, fast, great shot, good passer and doesn't shy away from the physical part of the game. So your thinking, Linus Omark version 2.0 right? Maybe skill wise, but from what I've seen of Rajala he seems like a much more complete player, and there doesn't seem to be any attitude issues surrounding this player. I think he could fit right into the Oilers future top nine, and could play on the second unit powerplay in a season or two. He was near a point per game player for the Barons last season after starting the season in the ECHL..I say give him another year in the A with a few call ups throughout the season. Maybe after another solid AHL season he can be a full time NHLer starting in fall 2014.
I'm really interested to see him get in a few Exhibition games for the Oilers this fall.
Bogdan Yakimov: Yakcity.
Marc-Olivier Roy: Number five on my list of seven Oilers prospects to watch (more or less in no particular order)..
Really like what I read and hear of this prospect. Seems to have his head screwed on straight, and plays with an edge at both ends of the ice. Oilers could have a steal here at #56 from the past draft. I will be watching the QMJHL a little more closely this season that's for sure.
Anton Slepyshev: Some scouts had him ranked in the first round of the 2012 NHL draft, but he was passed over due to fear of him settling for a career in the KHL instead of NHL.
Oilers must've felt they could convince him to come over as they selected him with the 88th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
I've only seen him play when I wanted to watch Nail Yakupov at the Russia vs Canada summit series, I never looked for Slepyshev but one thing I remember is hearing his name almost as often as Yakupov, and he always seemed to be involved in the play..I was wondering "why isn't this guy talked about more often outside of this tournament?" He seemed every bit as noticeable as Yakupov, not saying he will be as good of a player but who knows as it's hard to tell with young players in the K. They don't get much ice.
He could be a steal for the Oilers. I will definitely watch more Russian games at the next World Junior championships.
My last prospect to keep a close eye on this season is Edmonton Oil Kings forward and Oilers Prospect Mitchell Moroz.
I like this kids PIMS..I like his size (Hockeydb has him at 6'2, 208lbs)..and he's only 19 years old. He'll return to the Oil Kings for one final season and I bet I plays a huge role on the team..we could see him in the top six, top two PP units most of the season, he'll probably also out-muscle most of the opposition due to his age, size, and playing style..it could be an absolute breakout season for him. Should be fun to watch.
Alright, that's all I got for today..August is almost done..September is when leaves begin to fall from their trees, weather becomes a little less lovely, and the smell of hockey makes another comeback..I cannot wait for this season, The Oilers could finally break out of the basement of the NHL with their new young core but underneath is a whole list of new prospects slowly blossoming hoping to one day join the current core.
The Detroit model is slowly building..hopefully is stays the course.