Oil Kings kick off new season with a pair of victories
4 years ago
The Edmonton Oil Kings kicked off their 2019/20 campaign this weekend with a pair of games against the Red Deer Rebels and the result was a straight sweep of their provincial rivals.
They started things off on Saturday night down in Red Deer with a 4-1 victory. Newly named Captain Scott Atkinson fired home a pair of goals in the victory, including the game-winner. Josh Williams also picked up a goal and an assist.
They hit the ice at Rogers Place for the first time on Sunday afternoon and let me just say, from the hype video to the player introductions, the organization put on one hell of a home opener. It was NHL calibre in my opinion and they deserve some praise.
The team didn’t disappoint the home crowd either, delivering a 4-2 victory. Newly acquired centreman Riley Sawchuk scored two goals in his debut, but neither one was exactly a ‘goal scorers goal’.
The first one took a bad bounce off of Rebels goaltender Ethan Anders behind the net and all Sawchuk had to do was tap it into the yawning cage.
“It was a bit of a garbage goal, but it’s all the same on the scoreboard,” joked Sawchuk, who also scored an empty netter to end the game.
Finnish rookie Jesse Seppala also buried his first career WHL goal in the winning effort.
The Oil Kings are going to be a very interesting group this season and after just one weekend of play, there are plenty of storylines that are worth discussing.
THE NEW LEADERSHIP GROUP
Before the season opener, the team announced that third-year forward Scott Atkinson would be their Captain for the upcoming season while defensemen Matthew Robertson, Conner McDonald, Ethan Cap, and Wyatt McLeod would serve as alternates.
“It was pretty crazy. To be honest, I didn’t really expect it and all the emotions that come with it. There’s a lot of responsibility but I’m up for the challenge,” said Atkinson.
I didn’t really expect it either. I thought Conner McDonald could get to wear the ‘C’ this season but I talked to a handful of people around the organization and they all said that Atkinson was a great choice.
“Scott does everything you need a Captain to do. We had a lot of qualified guys, all of our assistants from last year easily could have been the Captain this year,” said Head Coach Brad Lauer.
“I thought Scott made big gains last year. He’s one of those quiet guys who just does his job. He comes to practice every day, works hard in the gym. He’s one of those people that guys like to follow,” he added.
RELYING ON DEPTH
After losing their top three scorers from last season, we knew that this year’s Edmonton Oil Kings would have to rely on their deep forward core and ability to get goals from all four lines like they did down the stretch last season if they want to succeed.
“It’s got to be done collectively. We picked up Riley Sawchuk, who I believe can be a big contributor in the goal department, but it has to be done by the supporting cast. It’s got to be contributions from all the lines and I believe we have the ability to do that,” said Brad Lauer when asked how his team will replace the production of Fix-Wolansky, Loschiavo, and Benjafield.
Through the first two games of the season, the team has gotten eight goals from six different forwards. Every line has contributed a goal as well. The plan was to have high-end depth scoring and through two games, things are looking pretty good in that department.
THE GOALTENDING
The team has a bit of a goaltending controversy on their hands. Dylan Myskiw started the season opener in Red Deer and stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced. Todd Scott got the call for the home opener and turned aside 20 of the 21 shots that the Rebels threw at it, including a couple of highlight-reel stops.
The team also has Sebastien Cossa, who will turn 17 in November. Right now, he’s being labelled as their goaltender of the future by most and the general feeling is that the organization would like to have him on the roster this year so he can see some WHL action.
That means someone has to go eventually. Personally, I really like the idea of keeping Dylan Myskiw around but he’s 20-years-old and if they move him out, they might be able to bring in a high-end forward to complement their young core. Todd Scott is just 19-years-old, so keeping him around doesn’t hurt their 20-year-old situation.
In my opinion, the team knows what they’ll get from Myskiw. As much as it would be nice to use that 20-year-old slot on another forward, goaltending is the most important position in the game and I think having a guy like Myskiw between the pipes is an absolute game-changer. That’s no knock on Todd Scott, who is good enough to be an everyday goaltender at this level, but he just isn’t on the same level as Myskiw in my opinion.
I also like the idea of having a really good 20-year-old like Myskiw around to mentor young Cossa for the next nine months.
UP NEXT
The team hits the road and heads to the Saddledome for a Thursday night clas against the Calgary Hitmen, who dropped their season opener to the Swift Current Broncos. After that, they’ll have a couple of days off before returning to home ice on Sunday afternoon to take on the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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