It may be the golf-swinging season for the Edmonton Oil Kings, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get their hands dirty here and there leading up to October.
Today, a trade was made between Edmonton and the Victoria Royals. Heading to the Oil Kings is 18-year-old Carson Golder, while the Royals receive a ninth-round draft pick for the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft.
The ninth-round pick was originally acquired from the Saskatoon Blades by the Oil Kings on January 25, 2021, in the Wyatt McLeod trade.
Golder, a 2002-born defenceman, played the majority of his minor hockey in Kelowna, B.C for Pursuit of Excellence at RINK Hockey Academy. He has also played parts of two seasons in the BCHL for the Vernon Vipers and the Trail Smoke Eaters.
Golder last saw action in the WHL in 2019-20, when he suited up in 50 games for the Royals and tallied two points. He also appeared in one playoff game.
In 2020-21 Golder split time between the BCHL with the Smoke Eaters and the Campbell River Storm of the VIJHL. With the Smoke Eaters, he scored three points in 15 games, and with the Storm, he had one point in two games.
It looks like the Oil Kings are making efforts to add to their already strong organizational depth for the upcoming 2021-22 WHL season. You can never have too many forwards to rotate into your depth chart when it comes to a team looking to be prepared for a long seasonal grind. Especially come playoff time.
This is a low-risk move for the Oil Kings, which has a great chance of having a high-reward outcome. There could be untapped potential with Golder if he gets an opportunity to play some games with the Oil Kings. You just never know what you might have in a player. A player of Golder’s experience could be a wildcard for success this season. Time will tell.
