WEEKEND UPDATE!

7 years ago

The job of a pro prospect is to show well at the AHL level, and then wait for a chance in the NHL. Jujhar Khaira is at that spot now—impacting each minor league game but with no ticket north—and the Bakersfield Condors benefit from his presence. Here’s a look at the Oilers prospect group and the week just past. (Photo by Mark Williams, all rights reserved)

ONE YEAR AGO!

A new feature on Weekend Update is a look back to one year ago. In the AHL, Josh Winquist had a big week, and WHL defenders Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear posted strong numbers. As you can see, Ziyat Paigin was healthy and having an impact this time last year.

Source

AHL BAKERSFIELD CONDORS

LC Jujhar Khaira 3gp, 4-1-5 (1gp, 1-0-1 this week)
L Scott Allen 5gp, 2-2-4 (2gp, 0-1-1 this week)
R Taylor Beck 5gp, 0-4-4 (2gp, 0-1-1 this week)
L Ryan Hamilton 5gp, 0-4-4 (2gp, 0-2-2 this week)
R Patrick Russell 5gp, 0-3-3 (2gp, 0-1-1) (rookie)
RD Matt Benning 2gp, 1-1-2 (NHL this week) (rookie)
L Joey Benik 4gp, 2-0-2 (1gp, 0-0-0) (rookie)
LD Jordan Oesterle 5gp, 1-0-1 (2gp, 1-0-1 this week)
LD Dillon Simpson 5gp, 1-0-1 (2gp, 1-0-1 this week)
LC Jere Sallinen 5gp, 1-0-1 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)
LD Joey Laleggia 5gp, 0-1-1 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)
RC Kyle Platzer 4gp, 0-1-1 (1gp, 0-0-0 this week)
LC Josh Currie 4gp, 0-1-1 (2gp, 0-1-1 this week)
R Jaedon Descheneau 4gp, 0-1-1 (1gp, 0-0-0 this week) (rookie)
LD David Musil 3gp, 0-1-1 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)
RC Kris Newbury 4gp, 0-0-0 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)
LD Mark Fraser 5gp, 0-0-0 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)
L Mitch Moroz 5gp, 0-0-0 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)
L Braden Christoffer 5gp, 0-0-0 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)
LD Griffin Reinhart 3gp, 0-0-0 (Injured this week)
LD Ben Betker 2gp, 0-0-0 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)
R Greg Chase 1gp, 0-0-0 (1gp, 0-0-0 this week)
R Joel Rechlicz 1gp, 0-0-0 (1gp, 0-0-0 this week)
G Nick Ellis 3gp, 2.62 .928 (one amazing game this week) (rookie)
G Laurent Brossoit 2gp, 3.03 .897 (one difficult game this week)

The Condors got blown out in one game and won in a shootout in the second game. I would count Khaira, Hamilton and Ellis as the best players by the numbers, but this team needs some offensive help. Perhaps Drake Caggiula or Anton Slepyshev will find their way to Bakersfield for a three-game week (beginning Wednesday).

NORFOLK ADMIRALS, ECHL

RD Frankie Simonelli 7gp, 0-2-2 (2gp, 0-1-1 this week)
G Eetu Laurikainen 5gp, 2.61 .916 (one great, one poor game this week)

WHL

L Tyler Benson, Vancouver Giants 12gp, 7-6-13 (2gp, 1-0-1 this week)
LD Caleb Jones, Portland Winterhawks 14gp, 1-9-10 (3gp, 0-2-2 this week)
RD Ethan Bear, Seattle Thunderbirds 10gp, 3-5-8 (2gp, 2-3-5 this week)
LD Markus Niemelainen, Saginaw Spirit 11gp, 0-1-1 (3gp, 0-0-0 this week)
G Dylan Wells, Peterborough Petes 11gp, 2.93 .923 (Two busy games this week, stopped 64 of 68)

Jones and Bear—as was the case a year ago—had strong weeks for their respective teams. Jones is off to a tremendous start this year, and Bear caught up quite a bit this week. Who will be the better pro? It is a good discussion point, Bear having the advantage of being a righty, while Jones has the better wheels.

USHL

RC Aapeli Rasanen, Sioux City Musketeers 8gp, 1-7-8 (2gp, 0-4-4 this week)
LD Matthew Cairns, Fargo Force 9gp, 0-1-1 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)

Rasanen had a strong week and appears to be emerging as a top flight prospect. Edmonton grabbed him in the sixth round, and we won’t really know for years. He can play a two-way game based on scouting reports and his scoring so far draft+1 is impressive.

NCAA

RC Tyler Vesel, Nebraska-Omaha 6gp, 4-4-8 (2gp, 2-1-3 this week)
L Aidan Muir, Western Michigan 6gp, 0-5-5 (2GP, 0-0-0 this week)
L Graham McPhee, Boston College 9gp, 0-4-4 (3gp, 0-1-1 this week)
LD William Lagesson, UMass-Amherst 6gp, 1-1-2 (3gp, 0-1-1 this week)
L Evan Campbell, UMass-Lowell 7gp, 0-2-2 (2gp, 0-0-0 this week)
RD John Marino, Harvard 2gp, 1-0-1 (1gp, 0-0-0 this week)
LD Vincent Desharnais, Providence 2gp, 0-0-0 (DNP this week)
G Zach Nagelvoort, Michigan 1gp, 4.05 .900 (DNP this week)

Tyler Vesel is 22 and has shown flashes during his college career, but the strong start this year is worth noting. No idea about his status in the Oilers organization (he was drafted under a previous regime) but the boxcars will get him noticed.

EUROPE

C Bogdan Yakimov, Neftekhimik (KHL) 16gp, 1-4-5 (DNP this week)
C Bogdan Yakimov, Neftekhimik (VHL) 1gp, 0-0-0 (1gp, 0-0-0 this week)
RD Filip Berglund, Skelleftea (SHL) 12gp, 0-1-1 (3gp, 0-0-0 this week)
RD Filip Berglund, Skelleftea (SuperElite) 2gp, 1-1-2 (3gp, 0-0-0 this week)
LD Ziyat Paigin, AK Bars Kazan (KHL) 4gp, 0-0-0 (DNP this week)
LD Ziyat Paigin, AK Bars Kazan (VHL) 1gp, 0-1-1 (1gp, 0-1-1 this week)
G Miroslav Svoboda, HC Dukla Jihlava (Cze 2) 8gp, 1.36 .955 (one impressive game this week)

Bogdan Yakimov made a poor decision in my opinion heading back to Russia. Very little doubt he would have been given a huge opportunity to make the Oilers. As it is, he is now playing in the VHL—a lesser Russian league.
Ziyat Paigin is back in the same league, but it appears his demotion is a conditioning stint. A nice start for the young Russian blue (a point in his first game).
Miroslav Svoboda is stopping a lot of shots somewhere in Europe.