Oilers Development Camp

[ToeMcDrag83]

Thank you for the write up @ChokeOnOil much appreciated

 

[LTIR]

Nurse and Bouchard optimistically project to be an amazing top pairing. Very complimentary.

I would take them as bottom pairing next year. Klefa Larsson Sekera and Russell can do the heavy loading.

 

[oobga]

He's super skilled but also 5'8" - I just hope people's expectations are in line. I'm hoping for Marchand or Tyler Johnson or Gallagher. He won't be Patrick Kane and hopefully better than Ennis/Schroeder

Hope the kid does catch a break and finds his way. He wasn't even that bad in his 9 games last year. 60% corsi, 67% high danger chances. Which is nothing to scoff at just because he was with McDavid. We have seen guys like Caggiula that can turn McDavid into a sub 50% player.

The whole team was snake bit and couldn't get a save in basically the first 2+ months of last season, and especially in the first few weeks when Yams was here. Was for the best though, glad he got another year to develop and saved and ELC year.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Hope the kid does catch a break and finds his way. He wasn't even that bad in his 9 games last year. 60% corsi, 67% high danger chances. Which is nothing to scoff at just because he was with McDavid. We have seen guys like Caggiula that can turn McDavid into a sub 50% player.

The whole team was snake bit and couldn't get a save in basically the first 2+ months of last season, and especially in the first few weeks when Yams was here. Was for the best though, glad he got another year to develop and saved and ELC year.

I think if he gets 9 games this year, he spends most of it up. Won't effect him ELC wise cause AHL/NHL is all the same.

 

[McDNicks17]

I think if he gets 9 games this year, he spends most of it up. Won't effect him ELC wise cause AHL/NHL is all the same.

It's technically his 20 year old season too, so his contract isn't eligible to slide anymore.

 

[McFlyingV]

It's technically his 20 year old season too, so his contract isn't eligible to slide anymore.

Hmmm. The wording on cap-friendly is a little bit strange on this one and they have Yamamoto listed as eligible to slide next season.

If a player who is signed to an entry-level contract and is 18 or 19 years of age (as of September 15 of the signing year), does not play in a minimum of 10 NHL games (including both regular season and playoffs; AHL games do not count), their contract is considered to ‘slide’, or extend, by one year. For example, if a player signed an ELC for three seasons from 2015-16 to 2017-2018, and their contract slides, their contract is now effective from 2016-17 to 2018-19. An exception to this rule is that if the player is 19 on September 15 of the first year of their contract, and turns 20 between September 16 and December 31, their contract does not slide.

The bolded is somewhat confusing. I can't tell if the time that the contract is signed plays a part in this or not. Anyone have a better source on this rule?

Entry-Level Slide Candidates - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

 

[ImmuneEH]

Is Yam' ready? I think he's gotta be really close. He was a late birthday in his draft year and had excellent production. What does he need in his game? Perhaps he only lacks size/strength and pro experience. Unless he forces TMac's hand, I'm fine with him playing the first 20 games of the AHL. Let him adjust to the pro game and build confidence playing with Marody and whomever the LW might be (suspect Benson starts on the 2nd LW down there).

The guy is known for being highly competitive and a very hard worker, so I wouldn't put it past him to find a way. If he does make it up, I think he compliments Drai's line very well (assuming Lucic starts on 2LW).

 

[Oilers in NS]

No worries at all!

Saifin I didn't comment on because I just don't see anything at the next level with him. Among his comparables, to me, he looks a bit too much like Dustin Penner. I mean that as in how Dustin looked in the NHL, against NHLers, not really how a guy that projects to be as good as him would look around prospects his age. He's huge and has a slick set of hands but the skating just isn't there to me. Again, it's early and he led a low scoring team in points last year as you obviously know so maybe we have a bit of a late bloomer? A lot to prove this year for Ostaps.

That is what I thought when I seen him in Halifax. He has a nice set of hands but doesn’t seem to bring it every shift.
The way I say it, if you have 10 prospects and 4 make it, I consider that a success . Yama, Bouchard , Maksimov are all looking great.
A team that can draft good is Winnipeg. Check out their 1st rd picks since they moved back. They all made it

 

[McDNicks17]

Hmmm. The wording on cap-friendly is a little bit strange on this one and they have Yamamoto listed as eligible to slide next season.



The bolded is somewhat confusing. I can't tell if the time that the contract is signed plays a part in this or not. Anyone have a better source on this rule?

Entry-Level Slide Candidates - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

After looking closer, he might still be eligible.

The CBA is so confusing since basically half of it uses Sept 15 for age while the other half uses Dec 31.

I guess it comes down to if that exception also applies to the year after they sign the ELC.

 

[ChokeOnOil]

Appreciate the write up. Yamamoto makes the team this year imo, I think he'll be ready. He was borderline ready last year, but just couldn't cash on a few of his scoring chances and lost confidence.

Jones we will have to wait and see on. His reads out there are sometimes quite poor, but he has good skating and puck moving. Needs to improve his decision making and shot if he wants to make it to the next level. Liked his game in training camp last year, but needs to refine his game a bunch still. Lots of time for him though and being on the younger end of his draft year definitely paid off with an extra 2 inches of growth after being drafted.

Skinner is solid. He does play a calm and poised game and covers a lot of net. Has very solid athleticism as well. I'm excited to see how he does in pro hockey this year. Not as high on Wells personally, albeit I think he could be an NHL backup someday potentially. What'd you think of Rodrigue? Maksimov scored 2 on him, but that kids technique and explosiveness in his crease is pretty damn impressive.

McLeod is absolutely supposed to be that fast haha. Kid was one of the best skaters in this draft, and just slightly worse than his brother who went 10th OA 2 years ago to New Jersey, and his brother was the best skater in that draft. Not surprised Benson didn't wow you. His skating still needs some work, but you really need to watch him more than once to get an appreciation for his game. His hockey IQ, vision, and ability to set up cross ice passes is phenomenal. He also has a wide balanced stride so he's hard to knock off pucks and it helps him in 50/50 puck battles. He'll be fun to track the next 2 seasons if he stays healthy and gets a few summers to work on strength and skating.

No surprise from me that Maksimov impressed you. His wrister and one-timer are both phenomenal. His skating has improved no doubt. His top speed isn't elite, but he can move and he has good lateral movement as well. I'm not sure if he got to show it off, but he has a nice set of hands on the breakaway/shootout. He could put up 40-50G and 100P next season in the OHL, but I suspect he will miss games due to the WJC with Russia.

Only thing I don't really agree on was your subsequent post on Safin. His skating is very good for a guy his size and he can fly and I found it odd that skating was the area of weakness you saw. I've never seen him look like anything other than a very good skater and I've never heard anyone criticize his skating. Perhaps its his size and lankiness that made his skating look awkward to you. His raw tools of size, skating, shot, and hands are tantalizing, but he has a lot of work to do. He can be lazy at times and unengaged in the play, but I'm hoping a trade to a better team next season helps him with that. He also really needs to fill out that frame and really just grow into his body. He's a long-term project, but a classic boom/bust prospect who has a ton of potential.

Thanks for this detailed and amazing response, McFlyingV. You obviously have a lot more knowledge of the prospect than I do so I really appreciate the context you've given me for the future when watching these guys.

Honestly, goalies are a mystery to me. Rodrigue didn't really catch my eye as that was when Maksimov was doing most of his work and I was honed in on one player while simultaneously raving to my girlfriend about him when he wasn't on the ice LOL!

Very willing to put more stock in your assessment of Ostaps as well. I'm going to assume you are completely on the ball and I was being thrown off by the size- perhaps I wasn't seeing Dustin Penner but looking for him? I say that since even Penner had some impressive speed at times that would go unnoticed due to his skating stride/style and size.

 

[ChokeOnOil]

Wow...really appreciate the lengthy report!

Can I ask why you found Benson so underwhelming?

Just didn't have some of the attributes that I saw with other guys out there that clearly made me say "there's his way into the NHL, he's going to make it doing that." McFlyingV who certainly knows the prospect much better than I do says he tends to be a player that relies on consistency and solid hockey sense so he's absolutely right that this setting, one-off scrimmage, isn't going to be the most favorable for him. Take it with a grain of salt!

 

[MoneyGuy]

Nurse and Bouchard optimistically project to be an amazing top pairing. Very complimentary.

Nurse: "Evan you're wonderful."
Bouchard: "No Darnel, you're wonderful."

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[SourOil]

Hey guys- was going to post this tomorrow but got caught up with work and the SO! Hopefully, I'm not just repeating what's been said in the thread so far as I haven't had a chance to look through it yet but here's a bit of a rundown of what I saw live yesterday. My focus was targetted more specifically on the bigger names- so I'll elaborate on them but there were a few guys that caught my eye.

Yamamoto - Kailer, along with I suspect everyone on the ice, knew he was too good to play at this level. His skating is incredible in the same way Nuge's is- they are like these shifty natural runningbacks that happened to play hockey instead. It makes sense since Yama is smaller and therefore needs to be cerebral but just wow. I don't mean to overstate or overhype but this guy is a template in terms of what a young small player should look at in order to succeed. He seems so, so intelligent in terms of knowing what he's good at and using it effectively. His passing, his vision- the craftiness. I'm still not sure if I want to see him in the NHL this early- I think his game could use a year of AHL development but I'm also incredibly worried about sending him back to Juniors. The guy is just too good. I know we hear that a lot for this caliber of player but I truly believe it's even more concerning for Kailer because the areas he needs to work on simply won't be challenged in Juniors due to how exceptional he is. It's one thing to say that about a defensive defenseman, for example, who would still be tested with the speed of junior league forwards. With Kailer, though, they simply can't be physical enough to test with him for fear of looking silly- and you saw that even today. Guys see him and noticeably back off. On the Bouchard one-timer for example- a bit of a broken play but at this level, he's given the respect we often see given to McDavid in the majors. The puck battles he wins effortlessly too often with his quick feet and stick. Guys can't keep up with him in the corners so muscling him off the puck doesn't happen often enough. He's just not tested here. I really like this player- I think we have another Eberle on our hands with a bit more complete but he's such an obvious case for lowering the age requirement of the AHL.

Bouchard - He's as advertised. Offensively always prepared. I saw some comparisons brought up by Cloned in terms of Zubov- I think this is apt. Very nice outlet pass. He's got a very quick shot as was on display on his goal. There were some questions about his compete level prior to the draft and the response here was that those questions may have resulted from his outrageous icetime. I'm not so sure. I think the guy is just an efficient player and that comes off as lackadaisical defensively. His speed isn't amazing but his backwards footwork actually seemed quite nice. Keep in mind it's very early, and this is another "throw it at the wall, see what sticks" comparison but I saw a bit of Lubomir Visnovsky there. For those who remember Lubomir was very good during his time here at elevating the guys up front while he was on the ice. We would be very lucky to have someone like that on the ice with some of our big club horses (McDavid, Drai, Nuge, etc.)

Jones - Not sure what's going on with Caleb currently. Came in expecting big things from him. He wasn't awful, but he wasn't great. His decision making seems to be a step behind and he doesn't seem as sure in every choice he's making as I've seen him years previous. I know he had a bit of a tough year with the Condors and luckily he's still young but the growth in his body (this guy is at least 6'2'' now and I have no idea how) has sadly not matched the growth in his game the past year. Regardless I think we got a top 2 rounds talent with him and the years before this one was projecting very well so we'll see what he can do with some more time down with the Condors. Really hoping for a lot out of him if I'm honest.

These next few guys caught my eye randomly or in Skinner's case, I think he caught my eye??? Haha!

Skinner - Not going to ever pretend to be able to tell you how good goalies are but he solid from what I can tell. He looked fairly calm and steady but that's about all I got. We'll see!

McLeod - I didn't check the scouting report much on this guy- is he supposed to be this fast? The guy flies. I checked who it was the first few times he flew down the ice but anytime I saw someone blazing down after that I just assumed it was him. Has some impressive vision and puck skills as well. Actually surprised after looking at his numbers last year that we got him in the second- he trumps guys like Faudy, Noel, Dellandrea in terms of production. Obviously, this isn't the basis of scouting but he looks very good as well so again- surprised we got him. I'll absolutely take it though. Seems like a player.

Benson - Pretty good. This may sound harsh, ruin my credibility, be incredibly reactionary... but I would not take Benson over Maksimov. More on that later.

Wells - Sorry kid... brutal team to go against. Could have saved at least the backhander that went under his arm, though.

Alright at this point I'm going to need any of you negative nancies that don't like over hyping a prospect or found ByranBryoil's obsession with Schremp annoying to stop reading because I think I've found my Schremp. Take this with about a bucket of salt as aside from the games against the rival rookies last year I've never seen him play but I gotta be honest...

I ****ing love Kirill Maksimov - First off, I don't know who chose the teams or what the thought process was but he got absolutely shafted. Nearly every prospect at his level with his offensive ability was on the other team or else he would have looked even more impressive. I sincerely think If you showed GMs the game he played yesterday, against this competition, redoing the draft this kid would go top 2 rounds easily. He had a good year with the IceDogs as their leading PPG player (had one less point in 6 fewer games than Thomas who was nearly a first rounder). He should have been better in the playoffs but I really think this is the type of player that does better with creative players that can put him in good positions. Not for one second am I going to say that he will have similar production to this guy but he reminds me A LOT of Alexander Semin. There was the talk of Semin at one point having a comparable shot to Ovechkin, some argued his wrister was better stationary whereas Ovie could let his go better on the fly. Regardless- Maksimov has a ****ing wrister for days, boys. For days. This guy can actually let it rip. That was his MO last year but this year he's added some elements to his game that let it stand out even more, (his skating seems improved)- or maybe it's because I'm seeing it live but WOW. Again, this is insane by me, no argument, but just imagining this kid ripping absolute BBs at the net on a line with McDavid made me lose it. Honestly, if we didn't care about his development, I would argue to just bring him up right now as a powerplay specialist. As I said though you're gonna need a bucket of salt with this last assessment as I really love that player.

Hopefully, I didn't just repeat what others have said. I really haven't been this excited about a group of prospects since the decade of darkness when that was really all we had. These guys seem good and we don't have to rush and ruin any of them, thankfully.

I can't imagine writing this much out, but I'm glad you did. Great write-up.

 

[McFlyingV]

Thanks for this detailed and amazing response, McFlyingV. You obviously have a lot more knowledge of the prospect than I do so I really appreciate the context you've given me for the future when watching these guys.

Honestly, goalies are a mystery to me. Rodrigue didn't really catch my eye as that was when Maksimov was doing most of his work and I was honed in on one player while simultaneously raving to my girlfriend about him when he wasn't on the ice LOL!

Very willing to put more stock in your assessment of Ostaps as well. I'm going to assume you are completely on the ball and I was being thrown off by the size- perhaps I wasn't seeing Dustin Penner but looking for him? I say that since even Penner had some impressive speed at times that would go unnoticed due to his skating stride/style and size.

That's fair, I would have been watching Maksimov too. He was a real standout in the rookie tournament+Bears game last year. I'm excited to see him at the WJC's next year as he should make the team.

I've seen Safin probably around 20 times between U18, U20, and the odd QMJHL game. His straight line skating is very good, but I couldn't understand parts of the Penner comparison as his lateral mobility isn't amazing and he has a bit of a laziness to his game at times where he's not very engaged. Highly highly skilled though with a wicked wrister, great hands, and as I already mentioned great straight line speed. He's by no means a lock to be an NHLer, and I think Maksimov is the superior prospect, but if Safin puts it all together he has the tools to be a very good player. Wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a Benoit Pouliot type player if he makes it.

 

[McFlyingV]

After looking closer, he might still be eligible.

The CBA is so confusing since basically half of it uses Sept 15 for age while the other half uses Dec 31.

I guess it comes down to if that exception also applies to the year after they sign the ELC.

Yeah very confusing indeed. I still feel like he'll play more than 9 though so it probably won't matter.

 

[Louis Cypher]

As an Oiler fan the Jeff Petry story is a sad one. They pissed away a solid RHD for no reason at all.

Thanks MacT.

Everyone blames MacT but wasn't Petry an UFA? He may have said he's testing the market and that's enough to get him traded for something rather than losing him for nothing.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Everyone blames MacT but wasn't Petry an UFA? He may have said he's testing the market and that's enough to get him traded for something rather than losing him for nothing.

Petry wanted a longer deal and mctavish signed him to a 1 year show me and then traded him

 

[Raab]

Hmmm. The wording on cap-friendly is a little bit strange on this one and they have Yamamoto listed as eligible to slide next season.



The bolded is somewhat confusing. I can't tell if the time that the contract is signed plays a part in this or not. Anyone have a better source on this rule?

Entry-Level Slide Candidates - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

Its how old he was when he signed the ELC, age in the year of signing is determined by September 15th. He signed it last year so it slides if he doesnt play more then 9 games. If he had signed this year it wouldnt have slid because he's turning 20 and thats what the exemption is based on.

Basically what it boils down to is 18 years olds can have their contracts slide twice if they dont play enough games, 19 years olds can have it slide once. If a 19 year old is turning 20 between September 16 and December 31 and they signed their contract as a 19 year old based on the September 15th cut off then it doesnt slide.

 

[bone]

Its how old he was when he signed the ELC, age in the year of signing is determined by September 15th. He signed it last year so it slides if he doesnt play more then 9 games. If he had signed this year it wouldnt have slid because he's turning 20 and thats what the exemption is based on.

Basically what it boils down to is 18 years olds can have their contracts slide twice if they dont play enough games, 19 years olds can have it slide once. If a 19 year old is turning 20 between September 16 and December 31 and they signed their contract as a 19 year old based on the September 15th cut off then it doesnt slide.

Does this even matter though. Since KY has a junior affiliation, doesn't his contract slide only if he goes back to junior? Edmonton won't send him to Junior when they have the option to send him to Bakersfield.

 

[Still DRAI]

Petry wanted a longer deal and mctavish signed him to a 1 year show me and then traded him

In the end who knows if having Petry on the team means we get a few more points and slide out of winning the McDavid lottery, so I can't really be too sad about things that happened pre-McDavid, but at the same time I'll always shake my head at MacT thinking it was a good idea to sign someone to a "show me" contract that took Petry directly to UFA status...

 

[Raab]

Does this even matter though. Since KY has a junior affiliation, doesn't his contract slide only if he goes back to junior? Edmonton won't send him to Junior when they have the option to send him to Bakersfield.

Correct if he plays pro it burns a year off his ELC, as his AHL deal is incorporated into the ELC. He needs to go back to junior for it to slide.

 

[McYoungGuns]

Yeah very confusing indeed. I still feel like he'll play more than 9 though so it probably won't matter.

if I remember correctly, petry was willing to sign a 5 year deal worth 4.5 a year but Macs wanted a show me year

 

[McYoungGuns]

Correct if he plays pro it burns a year off his ELC, as his AHL deal is incorporated into the ELC. He needs to go back to junior for it to slide.

I believe thats 100% correct, playing in the AHL and not having your contract slide is only for players drafted out of Europe

 

[backhandsauce]

Petry is over rated and soft as butter. Move on.

 

[ManofSteel55]

I would take them as bottom pairing next year. Klefa Larsson Sekera and Russell can do the heavy loading.

Nurse is beyond bottom pair. He needs to do some heavy lifting so he grows into his potential.
Klef - Larsson
Nurse - Russell
Sekera - Bouchard/Benning (Sekera as the steady veteran)