The Edmonton Oilers kicked off the unofficial start to their prospect development season with their opener of the Young Stars Classic tourney in Penticton on Friday night.
The annual tournament pits prospects and camp invites from Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Winnipeg. The Oilers opened their 2024 tourney against Vancouver and were defeated soundly 2-0 by the Canucks. This was the first time Oilers fans got to see many of the acquisitions and draft picks of the new Oiler management regime, including Matthew Savoie, Sam O’Reilly and others. Unfortunately, tonight was not a great display by the young Oilers.
Let’s have a peek at some of the highlights from the game.
- Let’s start with a little context. The Canucks iced a roster that had over 500 games of AHL experience. They also had a player, Aatu Raty, in their lineup who has more NHL games than Roby Jarventie, who is not part of this tournament. This is not an excuse, but it provides context to the relative levels of professional experience each team has. Similar to the AHL, veteran teams usually have the advantage.
- The star of the Oilers team was their goalie, 2023 sixth-round pick Nathaniel Day. Day was under pressure most of the evening, making several high-danger saves. He ended the game saving 28 of 30. He looked much more controlled this year in his movements. He stopped most pucks using his positioning and size. When an emergency required more, he displayed some excellent athleticism. Day had a strong opening night.
- Part of the reason Day was under siege was the Oilers defence. This is a group that missed Beau Akey. Akey is cleared to play and has been skating, but it is clear the organization will be very cautious with this player coming off serious shoulder surgery. I would not expect him to play this weekend.
- With Akey out, the Oilers had Max Wanner and five camp invites. The group as a whole was overwhelmed by the Canucks forecheck. When the defence group was able to recover pucks, they had substantive trouble making outlet passes or skating the puck out of the zone.
- The only bright spot was Max Wanner. Wanner was the Oilers’ best defence by a good margin and was the team’s best player, excluding Day. Wanner continues to display his physical ability to defend plays and separate the opposition from the puck.
- Wanner also displayed some of the footwork that has really developed in his game last season. His ability to evade pressure and make plays is something that came in the last 12 months.
- As for the forward group, it was a fairly uninspiring effort. The forwards did suffer from not having a defence group that could get the puck moving up the ice or support the rush. This had a significant impact on the forwards’ ability to generate offence.
- In terms of individual efforts, Matthew Savoie was very quiet. Playing on the defacto top line with Sam O’Reilly at center and Connor Clattenburg at left wing, Savoie was not noticeable on most shifts. Savoie is not a play driver for the most part. He needs the support of his linemates to get the puck to him in good spots where he can attack. That did not happen in the first game of the tourney.
- Equally as quiet was Matvey Petrov. Petrov played on a second line with Dalyn Wakely at center and James Stefan on the right wing. Petrov had a few moments on what was probably the Oilers’ best line, but the moments were few and far between.
- Dalyn Wakely and Connor Clattenburg were the two best forwards for the Oilers team tonight. Wakely was physical and used his thick body to win puck battles and create opportunities for himself and his teammates. He also had a very skilled net drive that nearly led to an Oilers goal.
- Clattenburg played a heavy game. He accounted for six hits last night, making his presence know all over the ice. He looked several times for a fight, but went unchallenged in the game. The trouble with Clattenburg is the puck skills. The puck died on his stick too often with chances to create opportunities. Nevertheless, he was quite impactful.
- The best Oiler drafted from the London Knights this summer was not Sam O’Reilly but William Nicholl. Nicholl was very effective on a third line with Jayden Grubbe and Ethan De Jong. Nicholl played left wing in the game, but he thinks the game like a centre. He’s got swift feet and processes the game at a high level. He understands time and space well and how to use it to create chances. He just missed clicking with teammates on several occasions.
- On the other hand, O’Reilly struggled in his first taste of professional style hockey. His defensive game was good. His instincts are quite strong defensively, regardless of the zone. What stood out in game one was his inexperience with the pace of professional hockey. He made several soft plays with the puck that put his teammates in tough spots. Also, playing center at this level is a learning experience. He will grow from the game today.
The Oilers will try to bounce back against their provincial rivals in Game 2 of the tourney on Saturday night. See you after the game.
