It was the AHL All-Star Weekend last week so I decided to wait two weeks into February before writing this update. As per usual, the update will only be on the prospects that are in the AHL for the Edmonton Oilers.
Forwards
Before I begin this, there is one factor that has not helped the Oilers forward prospects at all. I will get to it at the end of the forwards review.
It hasn’t been as smooth sailings for Carter Savoie in the last five games as he’s only scored one goal and he has been a -1 during that stretch. He’s created some good plays off the rush and off of down low play. Savoie has gone a bit quiet on the power play so he will have to pick up some points in the coming games if he wants to remain on the top unit.
Xavier Bourgault has also started to struggle in the last five games as he has not amassed any points. He’s been creating chances but he has also been put on every line so far for the Bakersfield Condors as his confidence has started to decrease ever since that strong one goal, one assist game against Texas. It is surprising since it seemed like a breakout game for him. He played fourth line minutes for the Condors last game (they won 5–3) which is not a great sight to see. Bourgault’s name has come up in trade talks now as well since the deadline is so near. He’s hardworker and a great penalty killer, but it is his offensive game that has had trouble adjusting. He is not a primary scorer and he is not a driver. What I can say with definity is that Bourgault can play at his best when he is with a driving offensive player on his line. He is still very young though so he does have time to develop more with experience.
Rookie Jayden Grubbe has continued his rugged and straight line play with his crashing the net antics and smart defensive play, but he has gone cold in terms of luck and finding the net. He’s gone pointless as well in his last five games. This was to be expected as he is still learning the professional game so I am not surprised to see this.
Matvey Petrov has continued to shoot the puck and has continued to keep his play consistent in terms of his defensive play. But he’s lost a bit of confidence because he hasn’t found the net in the last two weeks. Perhaps he will find his scoring in his next game.
Ty Tullio has been a constant. What I mean by that is he’s been a constant threat on the ice against the opposition! He has scored two goals in his last two games and has three goals in his last six games. In his 24 games, he has five goals and five assists. He’s on pace for a very good season for the Condors. He has been very smart and tremendous on the penalty kill. But mostly, it is his 5v5 play that has been great. He’s been a constant forechecking threat and presence for the Condors and his hockey sense shines through all over the ice. The Oilers have a real good thing going with Tullio and, like I said before, he will be an NHL player soon.
Speaking of being an NHL player soon, Raphael Lavoie continues to shine. Mr. Consistency continues to shine through offensively. With his top PP time and his top line minutes, Lavoie has amassed 15 goals and 12 assists in 36 games. In his last five games, he has two goals and one assist. The only words we have to ask are when and where?
Like I said earlier, there is a constant factor in all of these forwards except for Lavoie. This factor is Colin Chaulk. In my opinion, he has done a poor job in using and developing these forward prospects. Chaulk has been giving lots of ice time, especially on the power play, to the AHL veterans the Oilers have signed in Bakersfield. This is not a good recipe for successful development and it has definitely begun to show. Hopefully, Jeff Jackson picks up on this during the offseason.
Defence
Philip Broberg. Need I say more? He is NHL ready and he has become the #1 defenceman in Bakersfield. He is ready for the show and he should already be up there. If 19 points in 29 games with almost 25+ minutes of ice time is not enough to warrant a call up, then I do not know what is. It is too bad he got injured in the last game. But, thankfully, the injury is very short term and he will only miss two to three games.
My favourite prospect, Max Wanner, has started to grow some confidence in the offensive zone. Now, he has one goal and two assists in his last six games and has a two-game point streak. This is nothing but great news for the kid as he is starting to display what his great hockey sense can do in the offensive zone when his confidence continues to grow. I am very excited to see how he progresses during the second half of the season.
Goaltending
The top prospect of the last two weeks has been Olivier Rodrigue. If you remember back, Rodrigue had started a bit of a slide near the end of January. Well Oiler fans, Rodrigue is now back to top form and he has started to pull his team out of the fire. Yes in his last five games he had two games where his save percentage was less than .900. But the saves he had to make to save his team from losing were tremendous. A lot of shots have been of the high danger chances quality and Rodrigue has been there to save them. In the last two games, his save percentage has been greater than .940 and he is the reason the Condors are close to grabbing the third spot in the division.
It is now the second half of the season. Let us see how the Oiler prospects handle a full AHL schedule… especially Olivier Rodrigue.
