11 FOR THE OILERS (EVENTUALLY)

UP ARROWS

1. W Anton Slepyshev 6gp, 1-2-3. Edmonton took a loooong look at him (TOI per game: 11:08) and he has to be in the mix for NHL employment at some point this year. Interesting that he once again nails training camp—two years in a row now. He did not get a lot done in Bakersfield last season, and that and other past prospect struggles in the AHL may inform Jesse Puljujarvi’s direction.
2. W Tyler Pitlick 4gp, 2-1-3, 12:44. He always looks like a player to me, and this training camp has been his best by some margin. I believe he has made the team, still young enough to have a good NHL career.
3. F Drake Caggiula 5gp, 2-0-2 11:35. For me, he has been the most impressive prospect in camp. Speedy, skilled and he appears to have some range to his game. A rugged kind of fellow, a good signing by Peter Chiarelli and the scouting staff.
4. RD Matt Benning 4gp, 0-2-2 15:19. I was very impressed with his passing ability, and he hits like a Mack truck—despite being average in size. Encouraging camp, suspect we see him here in Edmonton now or later.
5. L Mitchell Moroz, 1gp, 0-1-1 8:18. Just one game and maybe an obscure pick, but the truth is he played well and there is a pulse. No idea what comes next, but the young man got a start and did something with it. Good for him.
6. D Dillon Simpson, 2gp, 0-0-0 15:57. He looked good in two preseason games and has probably passed a few more prospects. No dominant skill makes him difficult to project, but he was effective this fall.
7. G Laurent Brossoit 2gp, 2.00 .942. The truth is he played as well as any Oilers goalie this fall, and it is possible LB ends up as the NHL backup at some point this year. Solid progress since he arrived via trade.

MIDDLE ARROWS

1. LC Jere Sallinen 2gp, 1-1-2. I cannot tell you a thing about him. Seriously. Scored two damn points though and seemed to get good reviews.
2. R Jesse Puljujarvi 6gp, 1-0-1, 13:07. He had nine shots, one of which found the net. Lots of verbal about it being a fluke, but he had some dandy chances (including a fabulous PP opportunity) so there are some good signs. I really liked his ability to mark his man, young JP has an idea about what to do out there. Suspect he is on the bubble, we will see.

DOWN ARROWS

1. LD Griffin Reinhart 4gp, 1-1-2 17:34. He was given a full shot at winning an opening night job, but was found wanting. Coach Todd McLellan was very frank in his assessment of Reinhart, my take on the coach’s verbal suggesting we may not see him back here this season—and that they want to see substantial progress in Bakersfield.
2. LC Jujhar Khaira 3gp, 0-0-0 11:42. He played early and didn’t get a lot done—disappointing, as I think he is probably close to an NHL job. He played well in Bakersfield’s first exhibition game Saturday, expect JJ will be a strong callup option this year.
3. Exhibition stats here.