1. The organization is woefully short on defensive prospects in the age/experience category that fits this tournament. The Oilers have Nikita Yevseyev and Albin Sundin overseas and have Luca Munzenberger and Paul Fischer in the NCAA. Finally, they have Bauer Berry in the USHL. They were forced to play five camp invites for every game at this tournament. The absence of Beau Akey, who is recovering from serious shoulder surgery, really hampered the team’s performance and the ability to evaluate properly. I would expect the team addresses this with some collegiate or overage junior signings next spring.
2. As mentioned, Beau Akey did not play this weekend. He did skate, but was held out of game play. He has yet to play a single game of any measure of competition since last November. Akey’s goal is to have a full and healthy year in the OHL. His skills fit the needs of this organization very well. I expect we see him in Penticton next year.
3. Continuing on with the defenceman, Max Wanner was really the only bright light. Wanner played in every situation in all three games. His mobility looks improved which is encouraging. He is a big man with good length, so better skating fundamentals makes him very difficult to attack. As the tournament went on, he grew into his offensive game and had ideas of what to do on offence. He also played some powerplay as well. As I said in the game write-ups, the Oilers prospects were two teams: one when Wanner was on the ice and one when he was off. Wanner needs another full year in the AHL, but his development curve has been very good so far.
4. Undrafted 18-year-old defenceman Nate Corbet made some waves in the tournament. He struggled with the tempo of the play at times like most of the young players did. However, he held up well overall grading out as my third-best defencemen for the Oilers. More notably, Corbet fought in all three games. Two of those tilts resulted from him defending teammates, while one was an attempt to get the team going. Corbet will return to Medicine Hat in the WHL season, but I imagine he got noticed by Oilers management and the variety of scouts at the tournament.
5. The forward group focuses primarily on Matthew Savoie, who had an uneven tournament. His first game was very quiet and his third had the same moments. There were shifts were Savoie was not noticeable on the ice, and that was concerning.  However, Savoie showed why the Oilers traded for him in Game 2. He was dynamic creating more than half a dozen scoring chances for the team. He singlehandedly created the only goal scored by the Oiler with a brilliant forecheck to turnover a puck and then made a great pass to the slot to Carl Berglund. Savoie played right wing at this tournament after playing a lot of centre in junior. This is undoubtedly his position in the future. He needs to spend significant time in the AHL learning this position and working on playing against bigger, quicker players.
6. The other first round pick in the line-up was Sam O’Reilly. This was O’Reilly’s first exposure to pro style hockey. He started slow, having difficulty adjusting to the pace of play necessary to succeed. However, by the middle of the second game, he seemed to have found his stride and started to make impact on the game. His defensive game is really mature. This likely comes from the fact he played defence only a few years ago. He understands the game very well in his own zone and in defensive transitions. He started to generate some offensive chemistry with Matthew Savoie as the tournament continued and focusing on his offensive game will need to be his focus going back to the OHL. This weekend’s games didn’t do anything to change my view that O’Reilly’s defensive game will get him NHL games.
7. Dalyn Wakely had a very nice tournament. The 2024 6th round draft pick is eligible to play either in the OHL this season or can turn professional. This weekend, Wakely showed a very mature 200 foot game. The right shot center has a pro style physique already and it showed in his work on the walls. He was good at blunting attacks in his zone using his strength and hockey sense. His skating showed ok here, but could use a bit of an explosive edge to it that can be worked on. His offence was shy like all of the Oiler forwards, but he did create a lot of chances for himself and his linemates. Wakely has a unique ability or sense of understanding where to be to gain possession, which happened a lot this weekend. His offensive attack lacked confidence and I think this might be the reason to send him back to junior for his overage year. However, I would not be surprised if he showed well in AHL camp.
8. William Nicholl might have been the most consistent Oiler forward all three games. He wasn’t as dynamic as others on offence, but in every game, he made very good plays in all three zones. His skating stride makes him a very quick player. He works constant cross-overs and as he gets stronger this should only get even better. He combines his skating with a motor that never quits. He is in constant motion on his shifts, making him a pain to play against. His offensive instincts need some work, but if he gets playing time in London that is more significant, I think that will come.
9. Connor Clatterburg made a lot of noise this camp. Literally. The pick was questioned a lot when it  was made. Clattenburg is an overager who doesn’t have a track record of offense and makes most of his impact on the physical side of the ledger. While he didn’t register any points, neither did many other Oilers. What Clattenburg did do was hit everything that moved. He played on the top line with O’Reilly and Savoie and was the the F1 in most instances. He definitely created space for his teammates and did get some puck touches in good spots. He has a lot to work on with his puck skills if he wants to advance his career above the AHL, but he had a promising start to his career with the Oilers organization.
10. On the disappointing side of the ledger was Matvey Petrov. Petrov should have been able to impose his will in this tournament. He played on quality line with Dalyn Wakely and James Stefan. However, he was very quiet through all three games. His physical skills are good for certain with only his skating being an average tool. However, his mental side of the game is a challenge. He can get lost in games and let opponents off the hook with that loss of focus. This is a big AHL season for Petrov and he needs to be much improved over this weekend.
11. Jayden Grubbe was also quieter this weekend. He played his usual robust game that focused on defensive play centering a third line with William Nicholl and Ethan De Jong. He didn’t generate a lot of offense and the hope for him as a NHLer relies on him improving his offensive prowess. His skating looks a little cleaner and quicker, which is a good sign.
12. In terms of goaltending, both Nathaniel Day and Connor Ungar were very good. Both were under constant pressure in the one game each of them played. Day looked much improved over last season. His movements were much more economic and he tracked the puck very well. He definitely has some athleticism in his game. Ungar also played a solid game showing very athletic instincts. He is more prone to getting beat on side to side puck movement, however, he will get a lot of time in the ECHL to work on his game.

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