Pregame vs Canucks

Matchup(s) of the Night:
1.) Khabibulin VS Canucks
     The Bulin Wall hasn't been in a game situation for about 10 months. It will be interesting to see how he handles game speed, and it's a shame that the Sedin sister's aren't in the line-up to give him a true test. The only real threat that is in for the nuck's is the first line, which is: Raymond/Kesler/Samuelsson. I guess this is a good way to ease him into game shape other than to throw him into the fire.2.) Jordon Eberle Vs Canucks Blueline
     Last time Ebs was in against the Cancuks he had a wonderful two way game. He had many scoring opportunities and played very well defensivly; but he got run over quite a few times. He's got to learn to keep his head up when he carries the puck over the blueline because there aren't any 16 year old 165 lbs kids out on the ice anymore. Unfortunatly he found out the hard way when he got crushed by Alberts. What we like about this kid is even though he gets crushed, he gets up and continues to play and win the majority of his battles in the corners. Ebs is going to have to watch out for Ballard, as he is famous for his hip checks.


Keys to the Game:

The Oilers bottom 6 are going to have to play a physical crash and bang style and create scoring opportunities. While the top 6 have to expose the weaker defense and draw penalties. This will give the Oilers PP time, and chance figure out their second powerplay unit, as Penner and Hemsky are locks for the first PP line. There are so many players on this team that could play the powerplay, it's a matter of who grabs the bull by the horns and runs with it.

The Nucks' put together a tougher line up than last time, alot tougher. The Oilers D have to be ready to play a physical game and match these goons blow for blow. They are going to have less time to make decisions with the puck and this could the uncovering of a guy like Petry who isn't accustomed to resiliant NHL style. Although Petry had a magnificent first game, don't expect a repeat preformance.



Player Analysis:



This is an important game for Linus O'Mark. There are only a few spots left in the top 9, especially for the small skilled forwards. Renney won't want Linus or Cogs top play on the 4th line. Last game O'mark wasn't give a true chance to showcase his offensive talents, as he was playing with MacIntyre. Now he has been given a real opportunity by playing on the right side of Penner and Brule.    
Ben Ondrus is looking to have a repeat performance against the Canucks. Last game he opened the scoring, finished all of his checks, and played a solid two-way game. He had 2 points on the night and was a sturdy +2  in his only pre-season game. If can continue to play the same way, Oilers management should give him a look to make the team in a 4th line role. As he was origanally not expected to make the show. But with JF Jacques injured there might be a light at the end of the tunnel for him.

Taylor Hall and Shawn Horcoff will be playing together again like they did in the Joey Moss Cup. This time however Eberle will play on the right wing instead of Hemsky. We like this combination because Horcoff seems to have good chemestry with Hall, but in the JMC Hall didn't play that well with Hemsky as they are both puck possetion players. Horcoff looks a lot better playing with the kids, he seems to have a jump in his step and looks 10 years younger. Eberle knows Hall well from the WJC; it seems they could play well off each other, and Ebs and Horc could be a potentical PK tandem.

Pot-game: Canucks

                                          Game Summary:                                                                   
                                                                 

Oilers:		Canucks:
(1) Goal:  Ondrus, Assists: Whitney & Vande Velde (2) Goal: Vande Velde, Assists: Whitney & Ondrus
		(3) Goal: D. Sedin, Assists: H. Sedin & Edler (4) Goal: Peter Schaefer, Unassisteed
(5) Goal: Stewart, Assists: Whitney & Shawn Horcoff

      

Our Thoughts: Stunning to say the least. I'm sure no one expected the Oilers to out-battle the Nucks. They were all over them all game, simple as that. They weren't fancy, they played a simple gritty game. They stayed discipline throughout the whole game, but yet played a physical aggresive game. That being said we still played defensivley sound and didn't make any major errors that caused goals against. A solid game by this whole Oiler roster.

       

Player Analysis:
                                                                               Orange= Player of the Game
                                                                                 Red= Goat of the Game

Jim Vandermeer: He played a solid, but not impressive game. Threw his body around, and played well in his own end, but seemed a step behind the play today.

Ryan Whitney: He was the M.V.P of the game. He looked like a magician out there and was flat out impressive. Every pass he made was tape to tape (especially the Stewart pass) and looked in mid season form. Kudos to him, and hopefully he can stay consistent throughout the year.

Shawn Horcoff: Who is this guy? because it sure as hell wasn't the 2009-2010 Shawn Horcoff. Was the fastest guy on the ice and had pep in his step. They youth movement is rubbing off on the old guys.

Alex Giroux: Giroux didn't stand out, but showed toughness that may buy him a bottom 6 spot if a top 6 spot isn't available. His scoring touch around the net seemed shakey at best, but was involved in alot of the play.

Jordan Eberle: As we said in the pre-game, Eberle would preform to his abilites. He fed Horc a couple of gimmies that Shawn couldn't finish. He was getting pushed around but wasn't afraid to get in the dirty areas. Overall we were generally impressed by him.

Brad Moran: Were going to give Moran the goat of the game. Denoted by the red! He was the only Oiler that we could honestly say that looked out of place that game. He will do well in the AHL.

Ben Ondrus: There will be a battle between him and Jones for a roster spot. And the vet is making a strong case for himself. He seemed to be a leader out there and if he doesn't make the show, he will be the C in the AHL.

Steve Macintyre: Mac's skating has improved, and you can tell he is trying to be more aggresive. He was finishing all his hits. Some seemed to be borderline interference there were that late. But that's good to see that out of our tough guy.

Gregory Stewart: Like Ondrus and Jones, it will be a battle with J.F Jacques and Stewart for a roster spot. A GWG is not that bad, especially a snipe top geno. He was crashing and banging. Good stuff from this guy.

Taylor Chorney: He was mediocre at best. Got pushed around and gave the puck up in his own end. Improved since last year, but will be cut very soon.

Ryan O'Marra: I think O'Marra will be the 4th line centre in 2 years time. He skates well but isn't well conditioned. He stood up for Colin Macdonald when he was cross checked from behind. That's what management is looking for out of this kid.

Zack Stortini: You know what you're going to get out of Strotini. It was a typical hard working night for him. But we could see him not making the squad this year due to all the competition.

Theo Peckham: He had a very good game, especially his first pass out of the zone. He has added some skills that he didn't have in his repetuare last year. Was physical and improved skating drastically. Should make the team this year.

Chris Vande Velde: He really stood out tonight. That wholeline was great. I'd like to see them play another game together and see if they can keep up to that pace.

Teemu Hartikainen: I was expecting more out him, but he is still young and inexperinced so i'm sure management saw this coming. He will get another game to show his stuff.

Jeff Petry: Was not expecting a preformance like that. If scouts are comparing this guy to Tom Poti they are sipping some wacked out kool-aid. He looked like Gilbert out there with the pass and was the smoothest skater. Very, very, very smart with the puck and could push for a spot. If he wins the 7th spot, he will be spent down to season rather than rot on the bench.

Martin Gerber: Outplayed Dubnyk and if Khabby is going to miss some games our guess is Gerber will be the starter. Didn't play in the NHL last year, but you wouldn't notice it.

Devan Dubnyk: He had a rough night. Seemed shaky and lacked confidence. This might be the break J.D.D needed to get back ahead of Dubnyk on the depth chart. The balls in Dubnyk's court though, as the backup job is his to loose.

Pre-game: Canucks

Scratches and Injuries:
Since it is the preseason, we will post the lines instead of scratches:

          LW                                      C                                   RW
Alexandre Giroux                     Shawn Horcoff                  Jordan Eberle



Teemu Hartikainen                   Ryan O'Marra                   Colin Macdonald  



Greg Stewart                           Brad Moran                     Zack Stortini



Steve Macintyre                    Chris Vande Velde                Ben Ondrus



                            D                                           D
                       Whitney                                     Petry
         

                    Vandermeer                                Peckham
           

                     Chorney                                       Taylor
                  


                                                   G
                                           Gerber/Dubnyk

Matchup(s) of the Night:

Keys to the Game:
The Oilers are obviously outmatched skill wise, so they will need to stay out of the box. Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin are a couple of the few players that will pick apart this slow and unexperienced Oilers roster. The Oil will have to wear down the canucks by punishing them and finishing every check. At the same time they cannot run around; they will need to play good position wise. The Oil powerplay will be challenged with the roster given, so it's key that they keep it simple and put alot of traffic in front of Luongo. I'm sure the powerplay unit is being told to shoot shoot shoot.


Player Analysis:
We are very excited to see Chris Vande Velde and how he will respond to playing with the big boys. Us here at Oiloverhaul are pushing for Chris to compete for the 4th line centre role. The only real skill in this line-up lie between Eberle, Horcoff, and Giroux. They will need to capatilize on all opportunites that are given, but it will be difficult to beat the Team Canada Gold Medalist goaltender Roberto Loungo. Jordan Eberle is slowly falling down the depth chart as we see more of O'Mark. So the pressure is on, and we all know how this kid handles pressure. Expect a big game out of Jordan tonight. Also keep an eye out for Giroux, if he wants to crack the regular season line-up he will need to score lots of goals this pre-season. He is a top 6 forward, not a bottom 6, so it'll be a battle for him all pre-season. As for the rest, it's tough to analyize this line up that's in. All I can say is expect alot of bang and crash..........

1.) Dubnyk vs the Sedin twins. This is going to be a large test for the oiler goaltenders. Henrik Sedin had an astonishing 112 points last year, while Daniel had 85 points. Even though this is the first pre-season game, it is very important too Dubnyk as it could determine if he is an NHL calibre back up. Tonight is Devan's chance to shine as most of the play will be in the oilers end.2.) Giroux vs Hamius. This is a big night for Giroux, as he is trying to crack the line up as a regular top 6 role on the team. He's also battling for a roster spot with Eberle, who will be playing on the right side of his line. Last year Hamius was a 3rd pair defencmen, now in Vancuver he's expected to play on the first pair as a shut down d-man playing about 24 minutes per night.

Update: Rookie Camp Over

Posted By: Hongkong Philly

Well fans, there was a little teaser before the season gets started this friday. It was awesome to finally see guys like Parjaavi and Vande Velde that i'm sure many of you haven't seen yet. I hope the oilers enter this tourney every year because it's great experience for these teenage kids.

I'll start of with the big 3 rookies (i'm still thinking of a good nickname) because that's where the majority of the focus was directed to. MPS had a great tourney and this kid really has world class speed. The scary part is he was just drafted last year. He looked like a jet among cargo planes out there. No one on either Edmonton or the opposing team could keep up to him. He also looked physically more mature than everyone else. This guys the real deal, it's time to rip the nilsson number and nametag off those jerseys and put number 91 on there.

Jordan Eberle had a solid camp, he niether amazed me or disappointed me. He is capable of much more than he showed i will say. Too bad Eberle is too small to play centre and plays on the same side as Hemsky because i would love too see Hemmer feed him the puck. Jordan has a great release and accurate to I must say. A Gagner-Eberle combination may be the biggest threat next year. It also seems Eberle has improved his skating dramatically and i've heard he's been working on his stride this off-season.

Taylor Hall, the number 1 pick of the 2010 draft disappointed me. He played below average 5 out of the 6 periods he played in. Especially last game when the big rookies were put on the same line. It looked like he wasn't used to not having the puck on his stick the whole shift. Lost alot of battles and gave up he puck a ton. Looked like Patrick O'Sullivan 2.0. Then period 3 of Sharks game comes around, and then all of a sudden he was the best player on the ice. Dipsey-doodling around the defenders and rippping a clapper past the goalie. I'm glad Edmonton joined this tourney mainly because i knew Hall would have a bad first couple of games because of all the pressure and nerves that were building up. But hopefully he'll be able to regain his normal form by the time the first game of pre-season game rolls around.

My M.V.P of the tournament goes to Alex Plante. Positionally sound, scored 3 goals, and his first pass out of the zone was dead on. He wasn't as bad of a skater as scouting reports would say, and i could also tell he was working on his skating all preseason. It's unfortunate he got hurt fighting that beast of a human being Manchiser or whatever that ogres name is. He should be ready for the first pre-season game as it isn't a concussion, it's back spasms.

Tyler Pitlick was as his scouting report said "good in every area." He isn't dominant in any aspect of the game but he kind of reminds me of Chris Kunitz of the Pens. I'm going to say this once, and once only: don't be shocked if Pitlick finds a spot on the roster this year. It's kind of a long shot but he's certainly big enough to play in the NHL but i honestly think he will turn pro 2011-2012.

Other players that had a good tournament are Olivier Roy, Teemu Hartikainen, Ryan Martindale, and Jordan Bendfeld. Camp starts at the end of this week and we hope to be their to give you all the updates. Giddy up.

Projected Line Combinations: Forwards

Posted By: Phat Quinn

The Edmonton Oilers management has a tough decision to make, especially the head coach Tom Renney; when they open the regular season against the Calgary Flames on Oct 7: what will the Line combinations be? Lets just hope that Renney isn't as dumb as Quinn by putting Jf Jacques on the first line and Ryan Stone on the second line. At the start of the 2009/10 season Quinn put JF on the first line playing with Hemsky, while young Sam Gagner was on the 4th line playing with the likes of Zack Stortini and Ethan Moreau. No offence to Stort and Moreau but Gags shouldn't be playing those types of players, if the anyone wants him to live up to his potential he should be playing with skilled forwards. If I could control what the line combos would be, this would be them.

1st line
Paajarvi(LW) Horoff(C) Hemsky(RW)
I believe that right now Horc is our best 2 way centre, he will back check with all the offencive chances that MPS and Hemsky will take. He also had his best year when he centred Ales Hemsky. Horc had 22(g) 51(a) during the 2005/06 season and Hemsky also had a career year when he ha19(g) 58(a). I would slot MPS in with Hemsky because I believe that he will have chemistry playing with Hemsky. He's a big, strong, and fast winger that has an excellent release. MPS has the most experience of  the big 3 rookies playing against men in the SEL. I also believe that Hall won't have the best chemistry with Hemsky because they both puck possesion players that like to hold on to the puck to make plays.

2nd line
Penner(LW) Cogliano(C) Brule(RW)
Pens lead the Oil with 32(g) 31(a). He got almost all of his points playing with out Hemsky. Cogs only played well at the end of last year when he played with Pens and Bru. Bru plays with a physical edge and seems to have good chemistry with Penner, not to mention his wicked shot of the wing.

3rd line
Hall(LW) Gagner(C) Eberle(RW)
The way the Oilers have drafted in the past few years leads to a perfect script of this being our future number 1 line. Gagner will be in more of a leadership role regardless of which line he plays on. Gagner will lead the way for the youth and is future captan material.

4th line
Jacques(LW) Fraser(C) Stortini(RW)
This will be our crash and bang line. Steve Macintyre will also receive ice time on this line more than usual, as a deterrent, when the oilers have a large physical threat. Jacques is by far are best checker, but he's very injury prone. Jones and possibly Giroux might recieve ice time on this line if there is an injury. Fraser will probably be used in a shut down role if the Oil are in a position to win a game. Stortini is continuley improving and could possibly be used in 3rd line checking role in the future. He is also one of the hardest working players on the team.

Cogliano Signs 1 Year Deal

Posted By: Hongkong Philly

Cogliano signs a 1 year deal, terms have not yet been released but from my understanding it will be around 1-1.25  million. This does not however provide Cogliano with security in regards to him being on the trade block.

2010-2011 Point Predictions

Posted By: Hongkong Philly

Today is the day we get a little bit of our hockey spirit back. It is the release day of NHL 11 and I'm amped because i haven't seen a hockey game in months. Ea sports never seizes to amaze me on how they improve the games and make it so life like. The only problem is i hope the imported the rookies onto the Oilers. If they didn't the roster is going to look absolutely atrocious. I know they put the CHL into the game, but i still hope that means that the NHL teams have the rights to the CHL players and they are able to be in the bigs.

Now back to my blog. I have decided to do a personal point prediction on Oilers players (original I know) and also how much they could get if they hit there porential. These are just my opinions people so relax before you punch your computer screen at work, if it comes to that than just take it out on your co workers so you don't have to pay to replace the monitor. It's also better if you take it out on the person that everyone finds annoying at your work so it's unlikely you get fired.

* players stats if potential is reached

Gilbert Brule

77GP 24-23-47

*82GP 30-32-62

Look for Brule to build on last years success and put up slightly better numbers while playing a much more prominent role on the team. He will get more powerplay time as well this year.

Andrew Cogliano

82GP 12-17-29

*82GP 22-30-52

Cogliano seems to have lost a step in his progression and i believe he will get lost in the mix of all the rookies. Look for Cogliano to play 3rd line minutes. He will probably be put on the PK every once in a while but i don't see him putting up numbers anywhere close to what he did in his rookie campaign.

Jordan Eberle

74GP 23-26-49

*82GP 30-38-68

Before everyone guns me down for this one, I have said in my previous blog that I think Eberle will be the oilers best rookie and shock the NHL. He's got that hockey sense that not many people have. He will be the second line right winger, and will endure many highs and lows of the rookie rollercoaster. Most of his points will be scored on the powerplay.

Colin Fraser

82GP 8-10-18

*82GP 12-18-30

Fraser was a great pick up for Edmonton. He brings size, a physical side, and he knows his way around the defensive end. He will lead the team in PK minutes and will have the best FO percentage. Although his numbers do not look impressive, he will have an impact on this roster.

Sam Gagner

78GP 19-45-64

*82GP 25-60-80

This will be Sam Gagner's coming out party. Look for him to be the heart and soul of this team. I like the idea of him Hesmky and Penner together. He will also not start on the 4th line this year...........

Taylor Hall

65GP 14-20-34

*82GP 35-35-70

I have this weird feeling in my gut that tells me Hall is going to be hurt alot this year (knock on wood). He's dynamic and goes to the crash and bang areas. It  will take time for him to adjust to the bigger defenders since he is coming straight out of juniors. It's different when Robyn Regher is coming at you with a full head of steam, trust me, ask Ales Hesmky.

Ales Hemsky

82GP 27-61-88

*82 30-65-95

Yes people, Ales Hemsky will play 82 games this year. He will be a PPG player and finally make a name for himself in the NHL. He is one of the most underrated players in the NHL and it's going to be the year he will be deemed a superstar.

Shawn Horcoff

60GP 15-20-30

*82GP 20-35-55

Ahhhhhhh Shawn. This contract will haunt us until 2015, especially since your shoulders are made out of those fluorescent tube lights. Even though he will put up similar numbers to last year, his +/- will be ALOT better. His off ice showings will also be essential in watering the rookie seeds. The guy brings the intangibles to the game and is a class act.

JF Jacques

50Gp 6-6-12

*70GP 15-10-25

Poor J.F. This guy will never endure a full season wherever he plays. It would be nice to see him stay healthy because he is our hardest hitter and meanest player. He will bounce between 3rd line, 4th line, and pressbox.

Ryan Jones

30GP 3-5-8

*82 10-16-36

I honestly think Jones will be waived after training camp as there is too many players and not enough roster spots. Although I liked what i saw last year until the Boogeyman corked him with a knee. If he stays on the roster he'll be on the bubble all year.

Steve Macintyre

45GP 0-3-3

*55GP 2-3-5

It's nice to see Steve back in the copper and blue. I think management finally realised wh missed him by the end of the year when we had 60000000 man games lost to injury. He will be the youngens body gaurd, and pound whoever touches them. Great to have him back.

Linus O'Mark

25GP 6-9-15

*82 GP 20-20-40

Linus O'Mark might stirr some heads by the end of training camp. He might be small but he's gritty and an agitator. I don't need to mention the youtube videos because i'm sure everyone has seem them. He will get called up at the end of the year when it's clear that we won't make the playoffs.

Magnus Paarjarvi

82GP 20-17-37

*82GP 28-25-53

I can't believe Ottawa passed on this guy and took Jared Cowan. He's a monster who has some serious wheels. He's been playing against men the last couple years and might be the most NHL ready. He will not put up big numbers in his first year but everyone will immediately fall in love with this guys game.

Dustin Penner

80GP 35-32-67

*82GP 38-40-78

Dustin Penner was obviously our best player last year by far. His numbers will only continue to grow if he has a healthy Hemsky and Gagner feeding him the puck. I think he's finally found his stride and hopefully he comes into camp in as good or better shape as last year.

Zack Stortini

76GP 13-15-28

*82GP 16-16-32

What can you say about this guy, he'll take a puck in the mouth just to clear the puck. I wouldn't be surprised to see Stort end up with an "A" on his jersey. I'd like to see him KO some more people this year but keep doing what your doing Zack, it's much appreciated.

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I will be doing another point prediction after the preseason when i get a better look at these players. Hockey is almost here people! Until then, Giddy up.

Why: Souray Will Be An Oiler To Start the Year

Posted by: Phat Quinn

Sheldon Souray will attend the Oilers training camp and play some preseason games. There are so many reasons why the Oilers will shake hands with Souray and not send him to the minors. First of all there's no question Oilers management wants to get rid of Souray; but there are no takers, he's not worth anything at the moment. The oil will play Souray in the top 4 d-pair, because when he's healthy he's our best offensive defencemen. In the 2008/09 season Souray was 2nd in points on the team and tied for first in goals with Ales Hemsky. In 81 gp 23g 30a for 53pts.

However if the Oilers send Souray to the minors to start the year there is no way that the Oilers management could get any return if they some how pull off a trade. If the Oilers play Souray and he stays healthy, there is no reason why the Oilers won't be able to trade him near the trade deadline. Who knows what the Oilers could get in return for him at the trade deadline. Maybe Oilers management won't want to move him if he starts to play well. Defencemen that bring a physical presence, leadership, and can put the points up on the on a regular basis are hard to come by. Souray has one of the hardest shots in the league.

Besides, Souray and other vets on the Oilers didn't see eye to eye with Quinn. Quinn put unproven players before proven veterans in the top 6; such as Stone playing on the second line and JF Jacques playing with Ales Hemsky on the top line. This left some players such as Souray and Moreau questioning Quinn's line combinations and decision making. Souray also complained about the Oilers training staff and how they were making him play when he was injured. Well the Oilers have made some moves, they got rid of some of the training staff and Quinn is no longer on the bench. Hopefully these changes made will be enough to change Souray's attitude and keep him on the team, at least to start the year.

J.D.D VS D.D: Battle for the Back up

Posted By: Hongkong Philly

Ahhh decisions decisions. After hearing Khabby's fate we know that one of J.D.D or D.D will be hitting the waiver wire. Khabby should be ready to by late October and that's also including the conditioning sting he will have with the OKC Oil Barons. As we have seen in the previous years that the 3 headed goalie monster was not a successful expirement. So Oilers management and coaching staff will be stuck with the tough decision.

J.D.D

Stats: GP    W     L    OTL   SO      SV      G.A.A

                                         48     16    28     4        3       .901      3.26

Pro:

• 6"4 200lbs
• Beast of an Athlete
• Flexibility
• Great Attitude
• Flashes of Brilliance
• Battles every night
• Quickness
• Gamebreaker Save ability

Con:

• Inconsistent
• Very Raw
• Rebound control
• Gets rattled after early goal
• Puck Playing abilites
• Glove hand

D.D

Stats: GP    W     L    OTL   SO     SV    G.A.A

                                           19     4      10      2       0      .889    3.57

Pro:

• 6"6 194lbs
• Technically Sound
• Covers alot of the net
• Rebound control
• Playing the puck
• Smooth

Con:

• Very slow and lethargic
• Takes long to adjust to game speed
• Confidednce
• Closing games
• Unrpoven at NHL level
• Unathletic

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Very interesting things I see here. It's almost as they are totally opposite players. You have the streaky athlete who one day will be outstanding, and the next day look like an AHLer. Than you have the more consistent technical player which you know what you are going to get from him, but what you're getting isn't that impressive. If we were going for a cup run today, i'm taking JDD. If we are looking 3-5 years down the road i'm taking D.D. He is 2 years younger, has better potential, and cheaper. At this point i think what you see is what you get from J.D.D and it doesn't get any better than that.

This pre-season they will be battling it out, and i suspect D.D will take the back-up job, and J.D.D being placed on waivers and getting claimed by NYI. Dipietro being very injury prone, and Roloson nearing the end of the road, i believe the Islanders will take a chance on him for a year. It worked out for them when they snagged Schremp from us for nothing and he had a very good year. Giddy up!

Out With The Old, In With The New

Posted by: Hongkong Philly

Potential is a word that is thrown around the NHL like turkey on Thanksgiving. The Oilers have 3 POTENTIAL stars coming into camp. As you've probably guessed they are Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Magnus Paarjavi. I can think of three young guns that were supposed to be a solid mould for the Oil a couple years ago. Nilsson is gone, Cogliano is getting ran out of town by the fine people of Edmonton, and Gagner which many people have said that he has hit a stunt in his development. Gagner (although his stats haven't shown it) has gone from a kid learning the game, to a man who has leadership qualities and captaincy ability. He's only 21 people, and he's the second most productive player from his draft year. On the other hand we Bobby Nilsson. Drafted into the NHL with boat loads of skill and was thought to have a promising career poised to follow in Daddy's footsteps. Nilsson is presently...........I actually have no clue what he is up to these days, probably scooping ice cream on Whyte Ave. Cogliano is in the doghouse and seems to be regressing. He skates well enough to be a top six forward, but he just can't seem to put it together. There has been conflicting issues with his new contract and Tambo seems hesistant to sign him. Even if he doesn't get signed i'm sure that Cogs will be traded for a young defensive prospect. My guess is NYR for Ryan McDonagh. My point is we had a 33% success rate on that crop and we are hoping for a 100% on our new crop. Out of the big three, the player that I believe is going to have the most successfull NHL career will be Jordan Eberle. The kid succeeds at everything he does, takes the spotlight at every stage, and his hockey IQ is as high as they get. The thing that I love most about this kid, is that he knows he's good and has that arrogance. As Soulja Boy would put it he, "Hops out of his bed, and turns his swag on." (That sounded way cooler in my head by the way) That is exactly what is needed around here, that swag and confidence that allows championship teams to thrive. Which brings me to Taylor Hall, back to back Memorial Cup MVP's,  back to back Memorial Cup rings. That's not a bad resume if  you ask me. His bones may be made of rubber, but his heart and drive for the game are just a few characteristics that are going to allow Hall to be the leader of this team in a few years. I love what Hall said on TSN's special Oil Change, "I came onto a team (Windsor) that wasn't very good, and rebuilt it, and that is what i want to do in Edmonton." Brings tears to my eyes people, tears of joy. I don't need to give my opinion on thisone because i'm sure all of you know this kid will be something special and i don't want to repeat what all Oilers fans are thinking. Last but not least is MPS, 6"2 205 lbs of big Swede coming at you fast, and when i say fast i mean it. "I score lot's of goals." The first time i heard this i almost ran over an old lady on the side of the rode because i was laughing so hard but that's not the point. It sets in that this kid wants to make an immediate impact on this club. Most experts think he is the most NHL ready and is a leading candidate for the Calder trophy. The drive and heart I see in these players sends chills down my spine, and unlike Nilsson and Cogliano (yes i've given up on him), they will become support beams for the soon to be Edmonton Oilers dyansty. Happy getting over the hump Wednesday! Giddy Up.