As the great Bruce Buffer says: It’s time!
Summer has finally reached its end and players are making their way back to Edmonton for the 2016–17 WHL season. It’s an exciting year for Oil Kings management, players and fans as they will start anew inside one of the world’s greatest stadiums, Rogers Place. The shift to Rogers is surely to be a bit overwhelming for some of the younger players who will compete for a spot at the JRC in Fort Saskatchewan, but they will have to learn to deal with that quickly as it’s clear the Oil Kings are looking for their younger prospects to make an immediate impact.
State of the Union: Forwards
The Oil Kings are going to be a different looking squad up front this season as Brett Pollock, Brandon Baddock, Luke Bertolucci and Dario Meyer will be moving on from junior hockey. That leaves Lane Bauer (65 points in ’15–16) as the straw that will stir the drink up front, with a cast of wild cards surrounding him. There are a few “locks,” including newly acquired Adam Berg as well as Andrew Koep, Davis Koch, Colton Kehler and 20-year-old Tyler Robertson. One of the most interesting things to watch for early on will be to see which of these players will be able to make the offensive jump and become a 50-to-70 point player.
The team gets interesting on the third and fourth lines as it will be a dogfight for a spot on the roster. Kobe Mohr and Tyson Grunninger are two players who will likely take a big step this season and possibly find a spot inside the top six at times. Kole Gable, Brendan Klatt and Jesse Roach will have their work cut out for them heading into camp as they were unable to really establish themselves last season, and they may be the odd men out with the influx of youth.
There are a number of kids pushing for a first-time roster spot this season including import draft pick Artyom Baltruk, a ’99 coming over from Belarus. Both Jaedon Kalupar and Davis Murray, who were 2014 draft picks, have a legitimate shot to earn a spot as both have proven to play an adaptable, fast-paced style.
Lineup
Berg – Bauer – Kehler
Mohr – Robertson – Koch
Kalupar – Koep – Gruninger
Klatt – Gable – Roach
Baltruk – Murray
State of the Union: Defence
A new wave of defenders are set to make their mark on the Oil Kings blue line, and the only challenge now is proving that they’re a better option than some of the ’98s and ’97s who were on the team last year. Aaron Irving will return and be the team’s defensive anchor, and is the likely choice to replace Baddock as captain. Anatoli Elizarov will return for his second season and hopefully continue to progress as he did over the course of last season. Brayden Gorda will enter his second season, but he’s currently dealing with a broken finger, so we may see a slow start from the draft-eligible defender. Kyle Yewchuk took massive strides toward the end of last season, cementing himself as the No. 5 guy with both Chance Patterson and Jordan Dawson rotating as the No. 6 guy.
With Ethan Cap (11th overall in 2015) now eligible to play on the Oil Kings roster full time, that could spell trouble for both Dawson and Patterson, who never fully established themselves and were the clear cut No. 6 and 7 on the blue line. Along with Cap, the trio of Jayden Platz, Will Warm and Wyatt Mcleod (who earned a contract out of rookie camp) will all provide fierce competition, and likely generate the most debate when it comes down to finalizing a roster.
Lineup
Gorda – Irving
Cap – Elizarov
Dawson – Yewchuk
McLeod – Platz
State of the Union: Goalies
Since Tristan Jarry departed the Oil Kings for Wilkes-Barre, the crease has lacked a true No. 1 WHL netminder. That may change soon given the team’s selection of Boston Bilous in the last draft, however they’re still going to have to wait a year before he can compete for the starting job. That means its back to Patty Dea between the pipes, a goalie who had some good spurts last season, but went down with a freak injury before the playoffs. As far as the backup spot, it’s anyone’s to grab. Carter Phair saw some action last season, but there have been some question marks surrounding his athleticism. Both Lance Alm (2000) and Liam Hughes (1999) may surprise in camp.
I’m unsure of the status of Alec Dillon, and he may be traded or cut given the 20-year-old situation.
Lineup
Dea
Alm
Thanks for reading. We will bring you part two of this series as camp gets underway, and we will be sure to keep you posted on any updates.
