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Oilers CHL prospects update

Written by: Guy Flaming on 11/25/2005

The Edmonton Oilers have a total of ten players listed across the three Canadian Major Leagues and for the most part, they are all having seasons the organization was hoping they would.  Through the early stages of the schedule, several of the players were leading their teams in scoring and even now two months later, three continue to do so.

 

The Very, Very Good

Rob Schremp, C – London Knights (OHL)

Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIMs
London	18	24	36	60	9	20

After almost cracking Edmonton’s NHL roster in September, Schremp was reassigned to the London Knights.  The decision to cut Schremp was a tough one, but by the end of training camp the talented sniper had not produced on the scoreboard as much as hoped for.  Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe said that a lot of things made their way into the decision-making process including the scenario of burning a year off of Schremp’s contract at a time when his contribution in the NHL appeared as though it would be limited to special teams.

“It factors in, no question,” admitted Lowe.  “It’s not big enough in itself, but it’s one of a number of things.” 

“With Schremp, and I’ll be frank, the risk and the reward is how much will he develop here and how much would he develop in junior,” Lowe continued.  “Once you get in the season if it turns out he’s in a little bit too much over his head, does it hurt his confidence to send him back to junior again?  We’ve been analyzing this all along.  He’s here knocking on the door; he’s come a long way from the guy teams passed on.  He’s got to get bigger and stronger and does that happen better in junior or here?”   

Privately the Oilers were very concerned with how their future star would respond to the demotion; would he go down and work his butt off to address the concerns the club had or would he head to London and pout?

Clearly, Schremp is doing everything but moping.

With 60 points in just 18 games, the 2004 first round pick has been tearing up the OHL.  His scoring pace of 3.33 points per game would be the third highest every recorded in the CHL alongside Pat LaFontaine who ended 1982-83 with 234 points for Verdun.  That torrid pace is only behind Mario Lemieux (4.03) and Pierre Larouche (3.75).  Bobby Smith’s mark of 192 points (2.82 per game) set an OHL standard back in 1977-78 that has not been equaled since.

By comparison, 2004-05 scoring champ Corey Perry (ANH) had recorded 41 points after his first 18 games.  Schremp was named the OHL’s Player of the Month for October. 

“In terms of what is happening offensively, I don’t think he’s even being challenged this year to be honest with you,” said Geoff Ward, Edmonton’s Developmental Coach.  “He scores at will against a lot of the goaltenders because they don’t have a chance to react to what he’s doing.”

With the bulk of his point production coming with the man advantage, some critics have expressed concern over his even strength play. 

“That’s a bit misleading,” countered Ward, “It’s easy to take a look at all the numbers he puts up on the power play and think that he needs to step up five-on-five, but right now until the junior guys adapt to the new rules, and the refs, we’re going to continue to see it.”

Still, there are certainly issues for Schremp to focus on including his conditioning and his defensive play.

“He’s got to get stronger and quicker, he has to get better defensively with his reads like all young players do in terms of getting back in his zone, not turning off checks, all those things,” continued Ward.  “If he doesn’t do that, what you’re going to find is that he doesn’t have the opportunity to play with the puck that much because in the pro game you create offense with your defense by turning the puck over and going the other way.  If he’s not capable of playing defensively, he’s not going to get the puck and the opportunities to do those things with it.  He’s going to have to stay motivated in a daily basis to try and work on those things.”

 

Slava Trukhno, LW – P.E.I. Rocket (QMJHL)

Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIMs
P.E.I.	21	11	27	38	0	37

There were those in the Edmonton organization who quietly held the opinion that recently drafted Russian Viatcheslav Trukhno was headed for great things this year in PEI.  The Rocket made offseason changes to their coaching staff and incoming bench boss Yanick Jean had voiced his intentions to lean heavily on Trukhno.

The proof is in the pudding, or on the score sheet, and obviously Trukhno has risen to the challenge to become a force for his QMJHL squad.

“He’s the main catalyst on that team,” said one area scout.  “How he goes, so does the team.”

“He’s a bit of an enigma like a lot of Russians, but he’s spent enough time away from Russia in Denmark that now, after a year and a half over here, he’s learning what it takes to be a team guy and a player,” said another scout.

One instance that seems to confirm the scouting report came during a game where a line brawl broke out between his team and a squad that took advantage of the smaller, weaker Rocket line on the ice.  Trukhno had to watch the fisticuffs from the bench, but decided to address the situation a short time later.

“A couple minutes later, the guy who starts the line brawl comes out of the penalty box and Trukhno lines up right next to him and smacks him on the shin pads and says ‘OK, let’s go’ and fought the kid and beat him,” a scout recounted.  “A guy I was there with said ‘That’s Trukhno!?’ and I laughed because it surprised the heck out of me too!”

“He just came out and decided ‘OK, nobody’s going to push my guys around,’” the scout summed up.  “It was very good to see.”

Trukhno has battled through a pair of injuries he sustained right at the start of the season.  Having hurt his shoulder and pulled a groin, the 18-year-old has managed to miss very little time and his production obviously has not been affected much.  Through 21 games had accounted for 38 points, just under two per game.

“He has to show a little more urgency in his game, but when he has the puck he can dominate.  His skating has improved and his emotion has improved,” commented one Oiler scout.  “We didn’t draft him because of his physical play but he’s certainly showing up and taking care of his own battles.”

 

Stephane Goulet, RW – Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)

Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIMs
Moncton	25	21	14	35	7	36

Nineteen-year-old Stephane Goulet has picked up where he left off last season and more.  In his first year with Moncton after a tumultuous campaign with Quebec in 2003-04, Goulet more than doubled his offensive output to a decent 47 points.  Already in 2005-06, Goulet is within spitting distance of a personal best.

“He’s on the top line, the top power play, so he’s getting a lot of ice time,” said one QMJHL scout.  “He’s one of the leading scorers on the team and even after (Adam) Pineault (CLB) and some other guys came back from NHL camps he’s still playing a prominent role.”

Goulet was scoring goals at a point per game clip until very recently.  Fourteen of his 21 markers have come while on the power play, third highest in the QMJHL.

“I saw such a difference with him at our training camp in regards to his work ethic and it looks like he’s carried that right back with him to junior,” complimented one Oiler scout.

Considered a NHL/AHL ‘tweener’ by most, there are now some who feel that Goulet is proving he deserves much loftier expectations.

“He’s taken the steps that he needs to take to turn himself into a NHL player,” insisted an Eastern scout.  “Last year I would have said he was a borderline guy who could come in and contribute on a fourth line.  He still needs to work on his skating and his lateral mobility, but he’s doing a lot more with the puck and he’s doing everything he needs to do to be a guy who can challenge for a top 3 line spot.”

There are still concerns about Goulet’s mobility because in some situations it’s just not up to par.

“Straight away in open ice he’s fine but it’s the quick little lateral changes where he reacts to the puck moving that he struggles,” the scout continued.  “If he works on that and gets his feet quicker, does some power skating, he’ll have a good shot as a late round pick that can turn out.”

 

The Good

Bryan Young, D – Peterborough Petes (OHL)

Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIMs
Peterborough	21	0	3	3	8	57

“He’s a horse.”

That’s one scout’s opinion given to Hockey’s Future recently to describe Peterborough blueliner Bryan Young.  After an impressive training camp in Edmonton where he clearly opened some eyes of coaching staff and upper management, Young returned to the OHL and has continued to develop along a sharp upward curve.

“You know what you’re going to get from Bryan night in and night out,” said Geoff Ward.  “He’s a guy that plays a very aggressive style but it’s a controlled style so he’s not taking a lot of stupid penalties.  He plays hard, he’s great in front of the net, he does an outstanding job on the penalty kill.  He’s a real leader for the Petes in that department.” 

“He makes smart simple plays to move the puck out of his zone and he’s capable of stepping up and making the big hit and he likes to do it.”

Young is one of the OHL’s best-kept secrets in that he rarely gets any media attention and yet he’s one of the most respected rearguards in the league.

“Defensively, he’s very strong and he’s probably one of the best one-on-one defensemen in the OHL,” suggested Ward.  “At our camp we saw that it was difficult for the NHL guys to beat him one-on-one.” 

With the December camp for the World Juniors quickly approaching, don’t be shocked if Young gets an invite to strut his wares for Brent Sutter and his coaching staff.  Team Canada head scout Blair Mackasey had Young’s name brought up to him recently and stopped in Peterborough in part to check out the blueliner.  Admittedly biased, the Oilers feel Young could be someone the national team would benefit from adding to the mix.

“They’re comfortable with what they have, but they still have holes there, especially with how they’re going to gear up in a gold medal game against the Americans,” said Prendergast.  “The Americans are loaded, they’re like Canada was last year.” 

“If you’re not paying attention you don’t know that he’s out there, but he just keeps getting better all the time,” Prendergast said of Young.  “He’s got a professional mentality, he knows what his limits are and he just plays within them.  He’s a good team player.  We feel he’s got a really big upside.”

Troy Bodie, RW – Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIMs
Kelowna	25	13	11	24	7	40

Considering the regrettable AHL situation Edmonton has, there could be far worse places for Troy Bodie to spend the 2005-06 season than Kelowna.  Having to return to the WHL as an overager wasn’t Bodie’s preference obviously, but the fact that the Rockets are again one of the powers in the WHL makes things a lot easier to accept.

Bodie broke out of the starting gate and had an exceptional first two months of the WHL season compiling 18 points in 17 games.  For the better part of that time period he was the leading scorer on the club.

After 24 games, Bodie has only been on the negative side of the plus/minus ledger in five contests, an indication that the 20-year-old’s dedication to his two-way game is continuing to progress, at least at the junior level.

The upside of the placement is that with Kelowna, the possibility of reaching the Memorial Cup for an incredible fourth time is a good one.  The obvious downside is that his growth as a player will not be as fast compared to the development he would have had playing in the American League.

 

Devan Dubnyk, G – Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	SPCT
Kamloops	23	13	10	0	2.52	.910

 

After another slow start to his WHL campaign, goaltender Devan Dubnyk is once again saving the day for the Kamloops Blazers.  Kamloops is not nearly as poor a team as they were a year ago, but they’re still far from being a good team and that fact means that on any given night, Dubnyk is going to have a tremendous workload.

Perhaps the worst stretch of the season thus far for Dubnyk came at the end of October when he and the Blazers dropped three consecutive games in disastrous fashion.  In games against Medicine Hat, Calgary and Vancouver, Dubnyk allowed a total of 16 goals, seven to the Tigers alone. 

To his credit, Dubnyk rebounded and in his next three consecutive starts he allowed just one goal in each game.

Asked why he felt he struggled at the start of the year after a strong performance at the Oilers main camp Dubnyk explained, “It’s an adjustment you have to make and I just tried as hard as I could in practice to get used to the lines and the markings and stuff and the fact that guys shoot a lot more in the NHL whereas guys hold onto the puck a bit more down here.”

“He’s an impact goaltender at that level,” said Geoff Ward.  “He has tremendous athletic ability and right now he’s a guy that has an opportunity to take Kamloops a long way.  He has the mental make up to be a strong goaltender; his concentration skills are good, his anticipation and reaction time is good. 

“Surprisingly he’s not really flexible and that’s one thing he can improve on.”

Dubnyk is in the WHL top ten for keepers in regards to goals against average and his save percentage as well as having the third highest total of wins.

That alone won’t solidify Dubnyk as the starter for Team Canada at the 2006 World Junior Championships though.  Dubnyk is still going to have to go through the December camp and earn the job himself while battling off a wide-open field of other challengers.

“The thing about Canada is that there’s so many goalies so you’re never going to think your way onto a team and you’re rarely going to get onto a team because another goalie plays badly,” Dubnyk told HF recently,  “You have to make it on the team yourself by the way you play.”

“I think Devan right now is probably rated as the No. 1 guy, but he’s going to have to prove it at the camp that he can do the job,” echoed Prendergast.  “There might be a concern that his puck handling ability is a bit of a problem, but it’s simple, just don’t let him handle the puck.” 

“They’re going to need a goalie that can win games for them and I think he’s a goalie that can do that,” Prendergast continued.  “He’s a mature kid, he’s big, mobile and I don’t think playing in Canada will bother him, I think he’ll welcome that opportunity.  It’s up to him, he’s got to go into their camp in December and do the job.”

One thing that might be on his side compared to netminders from the OHL or the QMJHL is that with head coach Brent Sutter operating out of Red Deer, Canada’s bench boss is already very familiar with what the 6’6 Kamloops goalie can do.

“I think it helps that Brent is in the WHL and so he continually hears about him and sees him head to head so he’ll have a pretty good feel for what he can do,” added Ward.

Dubnyk will try to take advantage of the ADT Challenge when he plays against the touring Russian team.  The two-game series is a tune up for the World Juniors and having a strong performance there could make Sutter's decision easier.

 

The Average

Liam Reddox, LW – Peterborough Petes (OHL)

Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIMs
Peterborough	21	7	20	27	4	24

Another habitual slow starter is Peterborough forward Liam Reddox.  After leading his team in scoring the past two seasons, Reddox by comparison is struggling back in fifth spot on the list this year.  However, November has been a rebound month for Whitby, Ontario product.

“When I was in Peterborough, (coach) Dick Todd said he usually doesn’t get going until about November 1^st,” recounted Prendergast.  “The next day he was the first star and got three points and that was Halloween.” 

The problem for Reddox is that he is too inconsistent. 

“He can have one great shift and then you don’t see him for three,” said one area scout.  “There’s no lack of skill but you can’t just rely on your skill set either.  It’s his third year in the league so I expect he’ll step it up a bit more.  He’s still playing in all the key times and getting double shifted though.”

After the same amount of games last year Reddox is slightly ahead of his scoring but the Petes are a far better team this year now that the surrounding cast is a year older and also because they just added forward Steve Downie (PHI) to the mix.

“At the junior level he is an impact player,” Ward described.  “The one thing he seems to be able to do is slow the game down which enables him to make plays and he does that through his smarts.  I think some of the (slow start) has to do with his conditioning level.  As a lot of junior players find out, they aren’t in the best of condition like they think they are.  Many of them tend to spend a lot of time on the weights trying to increase their strength as opposed to looking after their cardio and as a result, for a guy like Liam who is counted on to play a lot of minutes you need to sort of play yourself into shape and I think that contributes to the slow start.”

“What he has to do to make it as a pro is work on his consistency and learn how to play the game with a little bit more patience,” Ward advised.  “When you give him time and space he usually makes dynamic things happen on the ice.”

Like Dubnyk and Goulet, Reddox will line up against the Russians and hope to have a standout performance in order to earn an invite to the December camp for team Canada.  Most consider Reddox to be a very long shot at best but as Christmastime nears Reddox is just getting into his groove.

 

Fredrik Pettersson, LW – Calgary Hitmen (WHL)

Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIMs
Calgary	26	13	9	22	8	12

The Calgary Hitmen are being called an early surprise this year.  After several graduating players moved onwards and upwards it was expected that the Hitmen would be average at best, but instead the Southern Alberta squad is second in the Eastern Conference and trail behind the Medicine Hat Tigers by only two points.

Leading the way for Calgary is Oiler prospect Fredrik Pettersson.  Pettersson was a standout at Oiler camp partly because of his lack of size but moreso for his gutsy play.

“What you see is what you get,” Prendergast simplified.  “He plays hard every shift and plays bigger than he is.  He’s got good hands and he’s fearless and we really like that about him.”

During training camp he caught many larger players by surprise by taking the physical game to them as opposed to trying to dance around or play the perimeter. 

“The thing that impresses me about him is that he wants to take guys on one-on-one, beat them in the corners, take them wide on the rush and for a little guy he’s willing to pay the price,” added Ward.  “Defensively he has things to work at but he moves so well and he’s gritty enough to go to the areas he needs to, to find ways to score.”

Pettersson was on fire to start the year but his production has tailed off a bit through November. That might have something to do with the change in schedule after coming to North America from Sweden. 

“He was really highly motivated early to come over and get a great start.  He didn’t have any language barrier to get over because he can perform so well in English and that’s huge,” said Ward.  “I don’t think we as Canadians think about that until the shoe is on the other foot.  I know from when I was in Europe and needed to learn another language to communicate with players, I learned what kind of a barrier it really could be. 

“In junior he’s an impact player.”   

 

Roman Tesliuk, D – Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIMs
Kamloops	27	7	3	10	3	32

 

Training camp was not a good time for Roman Tesliuk.  Out of shape and not playing with much desire, Tesliuk quickly found himself in the organization’s doghouse and was sent back to Kamloops, reminded of what is expected of him.

Although it’s only been an average year thus far, one positive for Tesliuk is that he is finding the back of the net with that big powerful shot he possesses from the blue line. 

“When I saw him, he scored in three straight games, he played in all situations,” said Ward.  “He had a slow start and we understand why, but we can’t write him off yet.”

The biggest hurdle in front of Tesliuk is with his fitness level and according to onlookers, that is slowly coming along now that the season has begun and the Russian has been playing for a while.

“Roman has to start focusing on his conditioning level, he’s had to start the season and get himself into shape while he plays and that’s a difficult thing to do,” Ward said.   

“He has a ways to go before becoming a pro, but I think he’s starting to learn,” Prendergast said.  “He’s going to be a project, but there are a lot of positives with Roman.  He’s tough for a Russian, he can shoot the puck and he plays well enough in his own end; he’s just got to be more consistent.”

Ward has a theory as to why Tesliuk seems to struggle with making plays.

“When I watch him play, I think his stick is too long,” Ward offered.  “It seems to jam in his hands an awful lot and that prevents him from making plays with the puck when he has to reach across his body.  It’s a small thing but it leads to a lot of things in the game.  At the next level, if he takes a couple of inches off that stick I think he’ll find that he can maneuver better and his puck handling will get better.”

Perhaps shaving an inch or two off his stick will help, but clearly Tesliuk has much farther to come in his development yet before he is ready for the next level.

 

Tyler Spurgeon, C – Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

No Games Played

After having offseason shoulder surgery, Tyler Spurgeon has been forced to sit out the first third of the WHL season.  Spurgeon has been back and forth between Kelowna and his home in Edmonton where he’s been a regular on the catwalk in Rexall Place during Oiler games. 

Originally slated to return to the Rockets around Christmas, Spurgeon is ahead of schedule and told Hockey’s Future a week ago that he would be immediately rejoining the team for practices and is expecting to play in very early December. 

“I just want to start taking some hits and test it out already,” said an eager Spurgeon.  “If it feels fine I’ll be ready to go.”

Spurgeon has rejoined the club and has been skating with the team, so playing for real isn’t far off.

The emotional leader of the Rockets, Spurgeon has been chomping at the bit to get back into action and once he does, Kelowna will be all the stronger, which is bad news for the rest of the BC Division.  Having spent the last three months soaking up the NHL and practicing with big league coaches and players, Spurgeon could very well be primed to make an immediate impact upon his return.  However, a period of adjustment is to be expected so don’t be surprised if the Rockets work him back in slowly.

 

CHL Quotes

“Ninety-five percent of junior and college players can’t play in the AHL and 90 percent of AHL players can’t play in the NHL so you do the math.”

-          GM Kevin Lowe making a point about how hard it is to make it to the top.

“Very good camp.  He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s got to improve his skating and quickness but he’s got great hockey sense and work ethic.  We’re very happy with the direction he’s going in.”

-          Kevin Prendergast’s camp review of Stephane Goulet.

“It’s hard not to like him.  He’s an enthusiastic young man, he’s fearless and he’s got hockey sense.  He likes being around people and he’s going to be a fan favorite. He’s already done that in Calgary.”

-          Prendergast talking about Fredrik Pettersson.

“He’s invisible but then when he gets the opportunity he’s going to hurt you.  He gets himself into positions to score; he thinks the game really well.  It’s not that he’s lazy or anything, but he just seems to blend into the game. We sit there after practices or scrimmages and go ‘well, what did Reddox do?’ and then we look and he’s got a goal and an assist.  That’s him.”

-          Liam Reddox as described by Prendergast during training camp.

“He’s very physical and is able to step up and stop the play at the red line.  He wants to learn the game more and he came a long ways from the first camp.”

-          Prendergast on defenseman Bryan Young.

“It’s funny, I saw him in Moncton and he’ll do some things with the puck and then he’ll sleep through a couple of shifts and then he’ll get an assist or score a goal.”

-          An Eastern scout’s description of Slava Trukhno.

“He’s pitching in on about 90 percent on the points that team gets.  On the power play he dominates because he passes the puck so well.”

-          A different scout’s take on Trukhno.

“He needs to start making plays with the puck instead of trying to move it all the time.  He’s getting opportunities where he can step back and allow the forwards to get their speed up and maybe use his defense partner a bit more.“

-          Geoff Ward’s critique of Bryan Young.

“Offensively there is no question that he has the package and has what it takes to be an offensive player.”

-          Ward on Rob Schremp.

“Looking at how he’s playing and comparing him to all the other goalies in junior I have had the opportunity to see this year, he’s got a very strong chance.”

-          Ward in regards to Devan Dubnyk and the World Junior Championships.

“He’s going to find a way to play.  He’s not going to carry the puck and run your power play, but his defensive play has improved so much, his gap control, and boy does he make people pay.  Even with the new rules, he’s not getting called because he’s catching guys in open ice.  I wouldn’t want to play against him.”

-          A scout commenting on Bryan Young.

“What can I say?  I saw him one game and he had six points and never broke a sweat.”

-          Scout on Rob Schremp. 

 

Comment on this story at the Oilers section of the Hockey’s Future Message Boards. Copyright 2005 Hockey’s Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without written permission of the editorial staff.              

Copyright 2005 Hockey’s Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.

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