Welcome to another edition of the Edmonton Oilers’ Prospect Roundup. Each week, we breakdown everything that you need to know about the best and brightest stars in the team’s system.
This week, Philip Broberg’s strong performance earns the spotlight. Let’s dive right into it!
Welcome to the TOR Edmonton Oilers prospect update. Each week, we’ll take a dive into how the Oilers’ prospects have done in their respective leagues. We have defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games, and is younger than 25 years of age. All data is from EliteProspects. We also use an NHLe calculator built by Christian Roatis (@Croatis) which is used to estimate a player’s equivalent point total in the NHL based on how they are performing in their respective league. The calculator uses the difficulty of the given league combined with the ease at which a player puts up points to determine the NHLe.
As it pertains to the Oilers system, the biggest news of the week is the triumphant return of Philip Broberg. After failing to make the team out of camp, along with a somewhat mysterious upper body injury that saw him miss weeks of action, the defenceman has finally started suiting up for the Bakersfield Condors on a regular basis. In three games this week, Broberg put up four points.
This is definitely the play of the week from Broberg, showing off his skating skills. Although we shouldn’t expect much of this end-to-end rushing from Broberg at the NHL level, it does show his confidence and that he is quite near the point of being beyond the AHL altogether. Like Darnell Nurse, it is quite unlikely Broberg receives much work on the Oilers power play, though there is a considerable amount of offensive skill to his game.
Another goal from the same game, Broberg shows his skating and willingness to join the rush. This is not necessarily the flashiest of goals, but it does show Broberg’s command of the ice at the AHL level.
No doubt some fans are upset or disappointed that Broberg is not an NHL regular already, but there should not be too much panic in this regard. This improved level of play at the AHL level shows that Broberg continues to make progress with his body, skills, and mind. With this level of play, this will be his last season in the AHL, pairing nicely with his last season waiver exemption.
It would still be meaningful to see Broberg maintain this level for a prolonged stretch, which might really cement his progress and confidence. A good over/under for a call up to the NHL might be the start of the 2023 calendar year.
This and That
AHL
The Condors did lose all three of their games this week, including two lopsided defeats at the hands of the Calgary Wranglers. The Condors have lost the likes of Mattias Janmark and Klim Kostin to NHL promotions recently, but the returns of Tyler Benson and Justin Bailey certainly help offset those losses.
With so many AHL rookies playing key offensive roles, some inconsistencies should be expected from the Condors. More than anything, the hope should be for the likes of Xavier Bourgault, Carter Savoie, Tyler Tullio, and perhaps others like Filip Engaras and Raphael Lavoie to show some progress throughout this season. Setting themselves up for legitimate top six AHL roles next season is the year long goal, and should be the focus through tougher weeks like this past one, where there is not much production to speak of.
Some positive news would be the promotion of Ryan Fanti. He is a year older than Olivier Rodrigue, and had a lot of success in college, so his brief stint in the ECHL might have been as surprising as they brought questionable numbers. Regardless, Fanti was clearly the top choice for his ECHL team before his call up to the Condors.
Fanti started one game, allowing three goals on 40 shots to the Wranglers, and a relief appearance, stopping 15 of 15 shots in the third period of another loss to the Wranglers. Fanti should be pushing Rodrigue on the depth chart, but it is encouraging to see that both have had a level of success in the AHL this season.
WHL
It was a quiet week for Reid Schaefer, with an assist in his one game played.
Meanwhile, Jake Chiasson added three points this week.
This is a nice shot, scoring from the high slot on the power play. Big shoutouts to the reserved and contemplative team celly.
Finally, Max Wanner continued his strong play. Approaching a point per game in the WHL this season would be quite the accomplishment for the physical defenceman, whose game is more about physicality and defence. All the same, the manner in which Wanner is getting these results might be even more promising.
Forgive the game-long highlights, but early in this pack (first period, 1:00 into this video) we see some of what has made Wanner so effective offensively. His willingness to step into dangerous offensive ice is notable, unafraid to venture into the slot. His first shot is blocked, but he has the composure and agility to regain the loose puck and fire a backhand off the post and in. Some might call it a tad fluky, but maybe we’ll see Wanner evolve this into a willingness to cut into the middle on his backhand in the future.
Wanner plays with Denton Mateychuck, a really strong prospect as an offensive defender. It is a good sign that Wanner’s defensive conscience pairs well with Mateychuk, as it is that his offensive game is an asset.
OHL
Matvey Petrov added two points in two games this week. After earning Player of the Week nods across the OHL two weeks ago, Petrov is at five points over five games. Some might consider the pace underwhelming, and though more offence would certainly be nice, the key this season is for Petrov to round out his game and begin transforming into more of a pro-style player.
After a huge season in the OHL last year, Petrov will look to build on the process more than the totals. In a more senior role on his team, replicating his totals from last season might be a good sign, providing we see him more willing to attack the middle of the ice instead of relying on a dangerous shot from the outside, something that does not translate to the pro levels.
NHLe Leaderboard
NHLe is a metric used to estimate a player’s offensive output at the NHL level from their point totals in their respective league. Here are the Oilers’ current top five (bracketed numbers denote movement from the previous week).
- Matvey Petrov 35.0 (1)
- Reid Schaefer 31.0 (2)
- Maxim Beryozkin 27.0 (3)
- Philip Broberg 26.7 (N/A)
- James Hamblin 25.5 (5)
Overall regular season totals for Oilers’ prospects
Forwards
| Player | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PPG | PIM | +/- | NHLeLeague | NHLe |
| Tyler Benson (LW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 | AHL | 19.9 |
| Maxim Beryozkin (LW/RW) | totals | 28 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 0.46 | 12 | 5 | totals | ||
| Molot Perm | VHL | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.67 | 4 | 2 | VHL | 20.9 | |
| Xavier Bourgault (C) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0.5 | 4 | 1 | ECAC | 11.5 |
| Skyler Brind’Amour (C) | Quinnipiac Univ. | NCAA | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0.67 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Jake Chiasson (C/RW) | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 22 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 0.73 | 12 | -13 | WHL | 18.1 |
| Maxim Denezhkin (C) | totals | 15 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0.33 | 39 | -2 | totals | ||
| Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | KHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | KHL | 0.0 | |
| Seth Griffith (C/RW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 14 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 1.07 | 12 | -1 | AHL | 42.6 |
| James Hamblin (LW/C) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 14 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0.64 | 2 | -2 | AHL | 25.5 |
| Mattias Janmark (C/W) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | AHL | 39.9 |
| Klim Kostin (LW/RW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.44 | 15 | -4 | AHL | 17.5 |
| Shane Lachance (LW) | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | 14 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 0.93 | 8 | -3 | USHL | 20.6 |
| Raphaël Lavoie (C/RW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.38 | 4 | -1 | AHL | 15.1 |
| Jeremias Lindewall (RW/LW) | Östersunds IK | HockeyAllsvenskan | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0.22 | 6 | -10 | HockeyAllsvenskan | |
| Brad Malone (C/LW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0.4 | 16 | 2 | ECAC | 9.2 |
| Tomas Mazura (C) | St. Lawrence Univ. | NCAA | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.33 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Greg McKegg (C/W) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 14 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0.36 | 10 | 6 | Hockey East | 11.6 |
| Joel Määttä (C) | Univ. of Vermont | NCAA | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0.31 | 14 | 2 | ||
| Matvei Petrov (RW/LW) | North Bay Battalion | OHL | 19 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 1.32 | 12 | 12 | OHL | 35.0 |
| Noah Philp (C) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.21 | 4 | 4 | AHL | 8.4 |
| Carter Savoie (LW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.33 | 4 | 0 | AHL | 13.2 |
| Reid Schaefer (LW) | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 16 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 1.25 | 30 | 9 | WHL | 31.0 |
| Tyler Tullio (C/RW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.25 | 2 | 1 | AHL | 10.0 |
Defencemen
| Player | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PPG | PIM | +/- | NHLeLeague | NHLe |
| Philip Broberg (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.67 | 0 | -2 | AHL | 26.7 |
| Vincent Desharnais (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.2 | 17 | 2 | AHL | 8.0 |
| Philip Kemp (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.43 | 15 | 3 | AHL | 17.1 |
| Michael Kesselring (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0.5 | 13 | 2 | AHL | 19.9 |
| Slater Koekkoek (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | AHL | |
| Luca Münzenberger (D) | Univ. of Vermont | NCAA | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0.44 | 8 | -3 | Hockey East | 14.2 |
| Markus Niemeläinen (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | AHL | 19.9 |
| Maximus Wanner (D) | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 14 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.86 | 20 | 11 | WHL | 21.3 |
| Nikita Yevseyev (D) | totals | 26 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.19 | 9 | 8 | totals | ||
| Bars Kazan | VHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | VHL | 0.0 | |
| Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 25 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.2 | 7 | 6 | KHL | 13.2 |
Goalies
| Player | Team | League | GP | GAA | SV% |
| Samuel Jonsson | Rögle BK J20 | J20 Nationell | 14 | 2.16 | 0.908 |
| Olivier Rodrigue | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 6 | 2.71 | 0.913 |
| Calvin Pickard | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 8 | 3.12 | 0.899 |
| Ryan Fanti | totals | 8 |
Which prospects are you most excited about? Let us know below in the comments or on social media.
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