Dissecting the Oilers rookie camp roster
4 years ago
The Edmonton Oilers announced their lineup for the upcoming rookie game against the Calgary Flames. The list includes some interesting names for a variety of reasons. The roster includes three goaltenders, seven defensemen, and 13 forwards. I’ve attached the roster below, you can also see it HERE.
THE FRESH FACES
Of all the first time players on the roster, second-round pick Raphael Lavoie is no doubt the most exciting. The 18-year-old is coming off a season that saw him score 73 points in the QMJHL regular season before following it up with 20 goals in 23 playoff games. I was stunned that he was available at 38th overall, from everything I read he’s a player that has a first-round skill set.
It will be interesting to see who he gets to play with, I would personally love to see him line up next to speedy centreman Ryan McLeod. It could be fun to see him flex his elite goal-scoring ability while playing with some seriously skilled players. You’ll notice that first-round pick Philip Broberg isn’t on the roster. That’s simply because he’s going to spend the season in Sweden playing with AIK of the SHL. Simply doesn’t make sense to bring him to North America for a pair of rookie games.
THE SURPRISES
There are a handful of names that aren’t Oilers draft picks who are going to be apart of the 23-man roster for the rookie games. TO be exact, there are four players who are coming in strictly on camp invites.
Jaxon Bellamy is an 18-year-old defenseman who spent last season with Sherbrooke in the QMJHL. He wasn’t offensively dynamic but his size intrigues me. He’s listed at 6’4 and just over 180 lbs. He could stand out for that reason alone. He’s not a candidate to turn pro since he’s just 18, but he’ll be looking to get invited back next year.
Brendan De Jong is another monster defenseman who will be with the team. Listed at 6’5, the 21-year-old will no doubt be looking to earn an invite to the main camp and potentially get a pro contract out of this. He spent five full seasons with the Portland Winterhawks of the WH, scoring at least 20 points in each of the last three seasons.
The two names that got me excited were the pair of Oil Kings. I’ve watched Ethan Cap and Liam Keeler for the past two seasons and it will be interesting to see how the pair perform against quality competition. Keeler isn’t offensively dynamic, but he plays a pretty complete game. Cap is a 19-year-old defenseman who took big strides forward last year. His offensive game developed nicely and he continued to be solid in his own end.
THE NHL POSSIBILITIES
Some players will be looking to make a solid first impression as they hope to push for an NHL job this fall. @Evan Bouchard is the obvious candidate considering the fact he almost made the team last year and the Oilers have a need for a right-shot, puck-moving defenseman.
Dmitri Samorukov is an interesting player considering the season he had last year in the OHL, but I don’t think he’s going to be on an NHL roster this fall even if he blows the doors off of things. He’ll get some AHL time first.
Upfront, the big names are @Cooper Marody and @Tyler Benson. Marody will no doubt be eyeing up that third-line centre role when the main camp opens and will get a fair crack at it. He looked okay in his six NHL games last season and was exceptional at the AL level, scoring 64 points in 58 games. Foot speed is the big concern with him and it will be interesting to see if he can stand out in the rookie game.
My take on Tyler Benson is that he will either be in the Oilers top six or the Condors top line in October. Nowhere in between. He had a great rookie season with the Condors last year, he was almost a point-per-game player which is rare for a rookie pro. This year, I think he has the potential to be a 15-20 goal player if he gets the right opportunity with the Oilers but I won’t be disappointed if he only plays ten NHL games and dominates the AHL again.
For someone like @Kailer Yamamoto, I’m just happy that he’s healthy. I’m expecting him to standout in rookie camp and there will probably be reports about how dominant he looks. I want to see him do it against men this year. Getting off to a good start at rookie camp is a key, but how he performs at the main camp is all that matters.
My wildcard pick for this year is Ryan McLeod. The 2018 second-round pick stuck around in camp last fall for much longer than expected. Speed is his biggest asset and considering how the NHL is played now, speed might allow him to jump up to the NHL much quicker than expected. The third line centre spot will probably go to either Cooper Marody or a veteran player that hasn’t been brought in yet, but I would keep a close eye on McLeod. He could surprise a lot of people.
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