With coaching camp and preseason properly underway, the Edmonton Oilers have began to slim down their rosters. There may be line juggling occurring, determining who performs the place and when, and twiddling down the coaching camp roster because the workforce creeps nearer to the 2024-25 common season. This contains robust choices on a number of prospects who made their manner into the Oilers coaching camp.
Sadly, not everybody could make the opening night time roster and for a lot of, this camp is about getting their first style of the NHL. There isn’t a expectation of protruding your entire preseason.
Already, Kris Knoblauch has needed to make some roster choices for the primary time in his NHL head teaching profession. Who’re the 4 prospects being shipped again to their minor-league groups?
Goaltender Nathanial Day finds himself again taking part in for the Flint Firebirds within the OHL for his third full season. All through his OHL tenure, Day has recorded stable stats. In 94 OHL video games, he has logged a 3.78 targets in opposition to common and 0.875 save proportion. Whereas not jaw-dropping numbers, Day ranked ninth for many wins and sixteenth for targets in opposition to common final season. He appears to be like to develop much more this season.
The a hundred and sixtieth total choose within the 2024 draft, Connor Clattenburg, has been launched from the Oilers coaching camp. Clattenburg is shipped again to the OHL Flint Firebirds with the aforementioned Oilers prospect Nathanial Day. Clattenburg’s attract comes from his bodily play. Being a robust battler on the boards and unafraid to stir the pot. He has recorded 39 factors in 116 profession OHL video games.
Robust Offensive Oilers Prospects
18-year-old William Nicholl rejoins the OHL champions, the London Knights, for his second full season. Nicholl confirmed flashes of high-level offense final season, however his value comes from his tenacity. Like many present Oilers, Nicoll throws himself into sticky conditions like his life is dependent upon it. Nicholl goals to earn a top-six spot with the London Knights this season.
Final however not least, 192nd total draft choose Dalyn Wakely will get shipped again to the OHL North Bay Battalion. Wakely had a breakout season final yr as he recorded some eye-catching stats. In 66 video games, he logged 39 targets and 65 assists for a outstanding 104 factors, the third-most factors of any OHL participant final season. He continued this tempo into the postseason, the place he amassed 23 factors in simply 16 video games. Wakely appears to be like to proceed his tempo and impress the Oilers with a second consecutive jaw-dropping season.
Regardless of not making this workforce, every prospect has what they hope is a vivid NHL future, whether or not that future is with the Oilers or not. With solely so many spots within the NHL, some robust choices are sure to occur. For Kris Knoblauch, this implies chopping some proficient gamers. Nonetheless, the Edmonton Oilers are edging nearer and nearer to having their opening-night roster finalized.
Knoblauch did joke about not having to make one robust name as he feels Connor McDavid is fairly secure and can possible earn a spot on this yr’s workforce. Extra cuts are coming, and the coach is looking for the correct spots for the gamers who stay.
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