We now know who will be wearing the C and A’s in Edmonton this upcoming WHL season. The Edmonton Oil Kings recently announced their leadership group for the 2020-21 campaign.
Scott Atkinson
20-year-old forward Scott Atkinson will don the ‘C’ for the red, white, and blue once again after captaining the team in 2019-20. He will be a key voice in the dressing room and of course on the ice as well. Last season, he scored 26 points in 60 games for the Oil Kings.
Matthew Robertson
19-year-old defenceman Matthew Robertson returns to the Oil Kings as a full-time assistant captain. This marks his third straight year wearing a letter on his jersey. He is coming off a strong 2019-20 season that saw him net 47 points in 60 games. Robertson will be heavily relied upon to anchor the blue line.
Jake Neighbours
18-year-old forward Jake Neighbours will wear an ‘A’ on his jersey full-time for the first time in an Oil Kings uniform. His 70 points in 64 games last season was a massive step forward in his career. He will be a key piece for the Oil Kings’ top line.
Ethan Cap
20-year-old Ethan Cap will serve as an alternate captain for road games. In 2019-20 he scored 22 points in 64 games and had a +/- rating of +15. He has been a steady presence on the Oil Kings backend and will provide more stability in 2020-21.
Dylan Guenther
17-year-old winger Dylan Guenther gets the nod to be an assistant captain for Edmonton for home games. He scored 59 points in 58 games in his first full season in the WHL last year. Guenther is one of the Oil Kings’ top offensive weapons at forward and will be leaned on to produce big numbers this season for the team.
What to expect
The Oil Kings have a dynamic leadership group who undoubtedly can help the team reach new heights in 2020-21. The 2019-20 campaign was impressive for the Oil Kings as they finished first place in the Eastern Conference with 94 points. Unfortunately, the pandemic cut everything short. But the Oil Kings are a hungry team looking to build off the same success achieved last season.
They have the right group to do it.
The Oil Kings’ newly appointed leadership group has a combined total of 814 WHL games between each other. That’s a lot of experience and talent. This team, guided by Head Coach Brad Lauer, has all of the pieces of the puzzle in place.
Now, it’s time to play.
