With Round 1 of the CHL playoffs finished, two Edmonton Oilers prospects have been eliminated, with one fighting on after a big upset win.

Tommy Lafrenière and William Nicholl both saw their respective CHL clubs get eliminated in the first round of playoffs. Both of them signed amateur tryouts with the Bakersfield Condors this week, making their debuts this weekend, with Nicholl scoring his first pro goal on his first shot on goal.

Meanwhile, back in the CHL, David Lewandowski lives on as his Saskatoon Blades upset the Edmonton Oil Kings in seven games. The German forward now faces off against the Prince Albert Raiders, who finished second overall in the WHL standings.

Wow, they pulled it off. I thought it would take a ton to get through the Oil Kings, and Saskatoon did just that. It was a very tight series throughout the whole round, with three games finishing in overtime and another two finishing with either team winning by a single goal. The goals for on each side were 21, Edmonton even had the stronger special teams throughout the series. But David Lewandowski and the Blades were able to pull off the upset. The star winger scored three goals, added five assists, and had 13 shots on goal; Lewandowski and Calgary Flames prospect Hunter Laing led the way with eight points each. The fourth-rounder was showing off his one-timer all series long, and two of his goals came directly off of it.

The first goal got hit by something on the way in, but nonetheless, the one-timer that has become a strength of Lewandowski’s led to two of his goals this series. The third goal came off of a beautiful wrister that was perfectly placed.

I love the release on this shot. Lewandowski is able to get it right into his wheelhouse with the extra space provided on the power play and then he sends it through a decent crowd labelled for the top corner. The six-foot-two winger continues to be a lethal asset on the power play for the Blades. The playmaking was always a strength of Lewandowski’s, but now the added use and progression of his shot has made him a dual threat with the man advantage. Of course the import winger also had the series-winning assist come on the power play.

An innocent little wrister was lofted on net and tipped in by Rowan Calvert. Lewandowski has become a real problem on the power play and he will need to keep his magic going against the Prince Albert Raiders. I predicted the Saskatoon Blades to lose to the Oil Kings in Round 1, but that didn’t come to fruition. Now I’m going to say that they will lose to the Prince Albert Raiders, but like the first round you just never know in the WHL.

Unfortunately Tommy Lafrenière’s WHL career has come to an end. Although the Kamloops Blazers got swept by the Kelowna Rockets, the Oilers third-rounder is headed down to Bakersfield on a try-out and his season will continue as he makes his professional debut. Next year the former Blazers forward is committed to play for Western Michigan University. Lafrenière finished the first-round series with two goals, an assist, and 17 shots on goal. The right-shot forward was tied for the team lead in points with three, but unfortunately the Blazers were just overmatched by the Memorial Cup hosts. Much like his draft partner in David Lewandowski, Lafrenière has progressed his shot to be a real asset and his two goals show the continued development.

The one-timer goal looks a lot easier than it is especially from that angle, but the goal off the rush is especially eye-popping. Lafrenière shoots it in stride, far side and low on the goaltender, and of course it has some excellent velocity behind the quick release. Unfortunately the Blazers were just overwhelmed by the Rockets and there weren’t many highlights from the Kamloops side as three out of the four games finished with Kelowna winning by three or more goals. But as I said earlier Lafrenière is headed down south to join the Condors and I think his type of game will fit the pro style nicely. Of course this is a feeling-out period and gaining experience is the main goal, but the amount of pace and work ethic in Lafrenière’s game will help him adjust to the pro’s.

William Nicholl and the London Knights kind of went down the same path as the Kamloops Blazers, however the Knights were able to steal one game off the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. This series was a bit closer as it featured two overtime games, but both were taken by the Greyhounds. The Oilers seventh-rounder had three assists throughout the series and added 11 shots. William Nicholl will be headed down to the Condors alongside Tommy Lafrenière, where he will also see his first professional appearance. The London Knights mobile centre was showing off his playmaking chops with some excellent passing plays, the assist below was his best of the series.

It’s an incredible pass from off the wall and on his backhand right onto the tape of the open man in front. William Nicholl is great in open ice and is now starting to get better with his board play. The left-shot centre had another great set-up pass in the first round and this time it was on the rush.

The theme of this article should be one-timers because William Nicholl is also starting to test this out, however for the role he will be playing in the professional leagues I don’t think he would be using it much on a power play.

Much like Lafrenière, I think Nicholl’s play style will fit in with the AHL style. Nicholl brings pace, a two-way game, and a high work ethic; something every coach will love and find a use for, even if it is just eight to ten minutes a night. I doubt he will start at centre but he can play there and the Condors have struggled to keep centre’s healthy this year.

That’s the Round 1 review from the CHL. David Lewandowski and the Blades start Round 2 on April 10 against the Prince Albert Raiders. William Nicholl and Tommy Lafrenière played their first professional game Friday night as well when the Bakersfield Condors took on the San Diego Gulls, just two nights after they clinched their playoff spot. This is the perfect time to get the rookies into games.

For all the players involved this is another step in their progress to be NHL players one day.