SPEED KILLS
By Lowetide
7 years agoThe Edmonton Oilers sent out Patrick Russell this afternoon, the young college winger from St. Cloud State is gone from his first training camp. The scoring winger didn’t get much of a look in main camp, while the other college signings (Drake Caggiula, Matt Benning, Nick Ellis) are still here. Why the disconnect?
Russell is an older prospect (24 in January, he is three months older than the Nuge) so his time to climb the pro ladder is pdq. Under the radar because Drake Caggiula was the big prize, he scored 20 goals
at St. Cloud State last year and should be able to help out in that area
in Bakersfield. The problem for Russell is foot speed, and that is a major issue—the whole damned league has gone crazy for speed, at a level we haven’t seen since 1979-80. During an 18-month period back in 1980, all of the pre-1967 expansion greats were gone because of that speed spike, and in today’s game it seems the foot speed increases noticeably every six months.
at St. Cloud State last year and should be able to help out in that area
in Bakersfield. The problem for Russell is foot speed, and that is a major issue—the whole damned league has gone crazy for speed, at a level we haven’t seen since 1979-80. During an 18-month period back in 1980, all of the pre-1967 expansion greats were gone because of that speed spike, and in today’s game it seems the foot speed increases noticeably every six months.
What can a player like Patrick Russell do?
OILERS RECENT SIGNING HISTORY (COLLEGE FREE AGENTS)
- March 8, 2011: Oilers sign Taylor Fedun from Princeton.
- March 19, 2011: Oilers sign Tanner House from Maine.
- March 31, 2011: Oilers sign Hunter Tremblay from University of New Brunswick.
- April 1, 2011: Oilers sign Mark Arcobello.
- July 1, 2012: Oilers sign Justin Schultz from Wisconsin.
- April 17, 2013: Oilers sign Andrew Miller from Yale.
- March 31, 2014: Oilers sign Jordan Oesterle from Western Michigan.
- April 3, 2014: Bakersfield signs Connor Jones.
- Summer, 2014: Bakersfield signs C.J. Ludwig.
- June 24, 2015: Bakersfield signs D Nick Pageau.
- March 31, 2016: Bakersfield signs W Joey Benik from St. Cloud State.
- April 7, 2016: Oilers sign Nick Ellis from Providence.
- May 6, 2016: Oilers sign Drake Caggiula from North Dakota.
- May 9, 2016: Oilers sign Patrick Russell from St. Cloud State.
- August 27, 2016: Oilers sign Matt Benning from Northeastern.
PATRICK RUSSELL BOXCARS AND NHLE’S
- Age 21 (St. Cloud State NCAA) 40, 10-15-25 (NHLE: 21)
- Age 22 (St. Cloud State NCAA) 41, 20-21-41 (NHLE: 34)
Russell arrived at the NCAA late, but his two seasons were very
impressive. His NHL equivalency is in the same range as Arcobello at 21. I used the Roatis for NHL equivalencies. The speed issue is the main problem, the young winger clearly has skills. How does he overcome it? Hard work, and using the other things that make him valuable to stay in the AHL and move up the depth chart. Several years ago, Patrick Maroon began to make a name for himself at the AHL level, but he had some issues. Here is a scouting report about Maroon when he was 24.
impressive. His NHL equivalency is in the same range as Arcobello at 21. I used the Roatis for NHL equivalencies. The speed issue is the main problem, the young winger clearly has skills. How does he overcome it? Hard work, and using the other things that make him valuable to stay in the AHL and move up the depth chart. Several years ago, Patrick Maroon began to make a name for himself at the AHL level, but he had some issues. Here is a scouting report about Maroon when he was 24.
- The Hockey News:
Has tremendous size and good offensive instincts. Is willing to
use his big frame to make plays. Passes the puck well and doesn’t mind
mixing it up with opponents. Produces big numbers at lower levels.
Needs to improve his defensive-zone coverage and decision-making
with the puck in order to become a mainstay at the National Hockey
League level. Also, his skating is only average for the big league.
Russell isn’t as big as Maroon, but he does do some things we generally associate with a power forward—and he can score goals, a damned difficult thing to do. A few years ago, I wrote about Maroon and quoted his AHL coach:
- Jon Cooper: “I watched him in two years turn into a man. He was a really
dedicated kid. Eventually somebody is going to find out that in the NHL
there are a lot of good players who, quote-unquote, can’t skate.” Source
As fans and observers of the game, we tend to frame things as black and white when discussing players—wildly unfair, but in most cases we are just talking among friends so no harm, no foul. For a team like the Oilers, Patrick Russell and his evaluation is a marathon not a sprint, and evaluating his skating—and improving it if possible—is a big portion of the work at hand.
It has been a slow beginning to the pro game for Russell, but we are just getting started. His NHL ability is out in the ether, with Russell himself about to author a large portion of the story. Godspeed, Patrick Russell.
Recent articles from Lowetide
