Young Stars Recap 1.0: Oilers Rookies kick off weekend with 3-2 win over Jets Rookies
By Cam Lewis
1 year agoWe’re back! There was an actual hockey game played last night, as the Edmonton Oilers Rookies kicked off the Penticton Young Stars Classic with a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets Rookies.
Let’s go through all of the interesting stuff from Friday night…
Lineup
Dylan Holloway – James Hamblin – Xavier Bourgault
Matvey Petrov – Noah Philp – Tyler Tullio
Reid Schaefer – Filip Engaras – Carter Savoie
Dino Kambeitz – Cole Dubinsky – Jake Chiasson
Matvey Petrov – Noah Philp – Tyler Tullio
Reid Schaefer – Filip Engaras – Carter Savoie
Dino Kambeitz – Cole Dubinsky – Jake Chiasson
Philip Broberg – Max Wanner
Noah Dorey – Michael Kesselring
Darien Kielb – Phil Kemp
Noah Dorey – Michael Kesselring
Darien Kielb – Phil Kemp
Ryan Fanti
Highlights
Brad Lambert, Winnipeg’s first-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft, opened the scoring eight minutes into the game. A few minutes after that, some good work from Xavier Bourgault in the offensive zone drew Jets defenceman Simon Kubicek into a hooking penalty. Just as the penalty was expiring, Carter Savoie hit Darien Kielb with a cross-zone pass for an easy one-time goal.
Half-way through the second period, the Oilers grabbed a 2-1 off of a misplay by a Jets defender. Kesselring carried the puck up the ice and into Winnipeg’s zone and tried to fire a pass to his teammate but it bounced off of the Jets’ defenceman and into the net. The Jets would get that goal back almost immediately after to tie the game at 2-2.
The teams remained deadlocked through most of the third period until another Jets mistake ultimately gave the Oilers the lead for good. Kesselring dumped a puck into Winnipeg’s zone and Edmonton’s top line of Dylan Holloway, Xavier Bourgault, and James Hamblin forced the Jets into a turnover with their relentless forecheck.
Top Jets prospect Cole Perfetti tried to pull off a move behind his net but he lost control and it bounced out in front for Holloway, who made a slick no-look pass to Bourgault. Winnipeg’s defender was able to stop Bourgault from scoring but Hamblin was there to fire the loose puck into the open net to make the score 3-2 for the Oilers.
Three Stars
- Ryan Fanti made 21 saves on 23 shots in his first-ever game wearing an Oilers uniform. Edmonton’s team defence was strong so Fanti didn’t have to stand on his head for the win but he was consistently solid when he needed to be. A nice start to his Oilers career.
- The line of Dylan Holloway, Xavier Bourgault, and James Hamblin was buzzing almost every time they were on the ice. All three players forechecked well and put pressure on Winnipeg’s defenders and they backchecked effectively when the Jets were moving the other way. Holloway and Bourgault are first-round picks who are expected to dominate this tournament but Hamblin, an undrafted free agent, showed why the Oilers gave him an entry-level contract with his speed and two-way hockey sense on Friday night.
- The best defenceman for the Oilers on Friday night was Mike Kesselring. The rangy defender broke the puck out of his own zone very effectively on Friday night and had multiple nice rushes into Winnipeg’s zone, including one rush that resulted in a goal.
Next up…
The Oilers Rookies will take on the Calgary Flames Rookies on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 8:30 pm MT. The Flames Rookies kicked off their weekend with a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks rookies on Friday night.
The game will be streamed on the team’s website.
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