You know hockey season is back when the Young Stars Classic starts.
On Monday, the Vancouver Canucks announced the schedule for the annual Young Stars Classic hosted in Penticton, British Columbia. This is the 11th edition of the four-team tournament, featuring young players from the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and the Winnipeg Jets.
The Oilers are set to play on Sep. 13th at 8:30 PM MT against the Canucks, Sep. 14 at 8:30 MT against the Flames, and Sep. 16 at 12 PM MT against the Jets. Tickets go on sale July 29 for the four-day event.
It begs the question of which prospects will be on the Oilers’ roster when the tournament kicks off. There isn’t a set age for a particular player, as last season’s roster included Ture Linden, who was 26 years old at the time of the tournament.
This means that we may see quite a few players who were drafted a few years ago. From the 2021 draft, a player like Matvei Petrov could appear on the roster for the third consecutive season. Last season, the sixth-rounder scored nine goals and 14 points in 53 games in his first American Hockey League season. Other potential ‘22 draft picks on the roster could include Luca Muznzenberger and Maximus Wanner.
The Oilers only had a handful of draft picks in 2022 and 2023, with the team trading 2022 first-round selection Reid Schaefer in the deal for Mattias Ekholm. However, the team’s second-round selection in 2023, Beau Akey, could very well be a player to watch at this year’s camp.
Despite making it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers had seven picks in the 2024 draft, the most since the 2017 draft. This includes numerous players from the Ontario Hockey League, such as first-rounder Sam O’Reilly, teammate William Nicholl, Connor Clattenburg, and Dalyn Wakely.
Of course, this doesn’t even include their top prospect, Matthew Savoie, whom the Oilers acquired on Jul. 5 in exchange for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio, the latter appearing on their 2023 Young Stars Classic roster.
Either way, we’re quickly approaching the beginning of the 2024-25 season, and the Young Stars Classic is the first big event for the Oilers.
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