GOALTENDING

1. Nick Ellis. His first pro season was very strong (34gp, 2.69 .918) and at 23 (birthday in January) he has plenty of time to establish himself as a legit NHL option. If he performs as well in year two, we can discuss the idea of Ellis pushing Brossoit on the depth chart.
2. Shane Starrett. His resume is very strong, owing to a fairly impressive string of performances across leagues, teams and years. His .925 save percentage in college one year ago suggests he is bona fide and it should be an interesting battle. Starrett could play in the ECHL, although with Edmonton no longer sending players to Norfolk we’ll have to wait and see.

LEFT DEFENSE

1. Dillon Simpson. He went 53gp, 3-8-11 with the Condors last season and made his NHL debut. Calm feet, good all-around ability and he is a smart player. I don’t know about his NHL future, but even if he serves a mentor role for these young blue that has tremendous value. RFA.
2. Caleb Jones. Scored 72 points in 74 WHL games (including playoffs) and arrives in pro hockey this fall. I think the fact he was a fourth rounder obscures his clear attributes. Jones can wheel, is a more substantial offensive player than his scouting report suggested on draft day, and is learning the defensive trade. He is someone to get excited about for Oilers fans.
3. Ziyat Paigin. He is a big shutdown defender with a monster shot, and Paigin’s KHL experience should bode well for him beginning this fall. Played five AHL games at the end of the season and appeared to be having trouble adjusting to things, but that is typical. If he turns out, that 2015 draft could be a monster in spite of all those picks traded.
4. Ben Betker. I’m not sure where to put the big man on the depth chart. He has about half of one year’s AHL experience, but the guess here is that Jones and Paigin will be ahead of him on the depth chart this fall. Another shutdown type, he has good mobility for an actual giant.

RIGHT DEFENSE

1. Mark Fayne. One of the reasons we may not see a buyout for Fayne is the good work he could do with the youths in Bakersfield. Aside from being a fine callup option, the idea of Caleb Jones learning from Fayne on a feature pairing has to have appeal.
2. Ethan Bear. Along with Jones, the arrival in pro hockey of Ethan Bear is much anticipated by Oilers fans. His exceptional junior career is wrapping up at the Memorial Cup and he will be a big part of the Condors this fall. Bear has a fairly complete set, but will need to learn to play at pace in the AHL before advancing. Dillon Simpson may be a solid partner for him in year one.
3. Ryan Mantha. Boasting a somewhat similar set of skills to Bear, Mantha might spend some ECHL time in year one but that’s far from certain. He is one year older than Bear, something that could impact their usage in year one.

CENTER

1. Joe Gambardella. He was very good in six AHL games at the end of the year, plus his NHLE (82, 13-25-38) suggests he should be able to step right onto an AHL skill line and flourish. This was a helluva signing.
2. Kyle Platzer. Based on his handling in the first two seasons pro, I don’t think the Condors will be counting on Platzer to play on one of the top three lines. This (clearly) means more work needs to be done for the club in this area.
3. Henrik Samuelsson. RFA acquired for Mitchell Moroz later in the season, complete wild card in terms of his return of usage. Has played more often on RW as well, I will list him here.

LEFT WING

1. Ryan Hamilton. Entering the final year of his (unusual) two-year AHL contract, he is a solid offensive player at this level and mentor for young players. Injured much of last season, effective when healthy.
2. Joey Laleggia. RFA. It would be very easy to dismiss his move for LW as a mere curio, but I’m going to suggest this is a big damned deal. JL scored 18 goals in 43 games from Boxing Day through the end of the season. That’s real production and he should get a look at some point during the 2017-18 season.
3. Braden Christoffer. The trade of Mitch Moroz perhaps gives Christoffer more of a chance to play in the coming year. His rugged play has value but he is going to have to score more to establish himself.
4. Evan Polei. A nice AHL signing, we hope he has Josh Winquist-level success and his junior numbers imply he is going to score enough to be an AHL regular (although that could take some time).

RIGHT WING

1. Patrick Russell. Posting pedestrian AHL numbers in his first season (68gp, 8-9-17) but took 150 shots and seemed to find his footing as the year went along. Will be interesting to see if he spikes in year two.
2. Dave Gust. AHL contract. He is 23, 5.10, 174 and had a big college season (39gp, 18-23-41). AHL contract.
3. Greg Chase. Similar to Platzer in that Chase has not been able to establish himself as an AHL regular during the first two seasons of his entry-level deal. It’s now or never for Chase.
4. Chad Butcher. A small skill winger from the WHL, he has been to a rookie camp with the Oilers.