Showing posts with label Martin Gernat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Gernat. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

"Bring on the KLEFBOM" Oilers Development Camp 2013

At 6'2 and 204 lbs Oscar has becomes the 'Oilers' next great hope. Oscar Klefbom brings a good size presence in the form of a player who has game already. After years of watching Jordon Eberle, Taylor Hall, Magnus Paajarvi, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and last year Nail Yakupov, dominate the attention at Oilers Development Camp, Klefbom and fellow blueliner Darnell Nurse were the ones who were being watched closely this camp.


Klefbom had many eyes upon him last year and before his injury was actually scheduled to be at Oilers training camp in September 2012. As fate goes, he was injured and was not able to attend or even play the rest of the year. This year Nurse was all the ‘craze’ for MacT and the player he obviously was coveting if Monahan was gone at their drafting position. Center and defence is what MacT has preached and so it should be.

This years camp had maybe 75% of the total amount of fans visiting compared to 90-100% capacity at the previous 3 camps held in Edmonton and/or Sherwood Park. It’s a given without the excitement of a #1 OV draft selection, things are not as pretty as they are becoming solid. I have given MacT somewhat of a hard time in regards to what he has done, but selecting Nurse will really stabilize the back end of the Oilers defence for years to come.

This years camp was very little about the forwards (all the young prospects are already playing for the Oilers) and more about defence. With Musil. Gernat, Klefbom, Nurse and Simpson you have a pretty good group of prospects on defence to watch. You can always find ways to pick apart a defence corps in comparison to forwards but this group is looking good for the future.

Notice the size of the Oilers D-men coming down the pipe? They are big guys (maybe not all filled out yet, but will over time) but none stands out as ready as Oscar Klefbom. “The Bom” as I like to call him, stood hands above everyone else at this camp and he should. He has played against men for awhile, is big, solid muscle, good hockey IQ, a leader and solid character guy as mentioned by those closer to him. Not to mention this is his second camp and the 2nd time around is always easier. Just ask Jordon Eberle! 

Sure Oscar made a few mistakes here and there but the drills are made to expose area’s on players to show them what they will need to work on. Be it positioning, stick work, skating agility etc..every player has work too do. I have followed these camps since 2007 and each year even the #1 OV selections struggled on different drills or at different points. This development camp is not about evaluation but about development.

Having said all that, Oscar Klefbom IMO has arrived to the point of readiness. I know many fans say ‘he needs time in the AHL’! How can you make that call, when you have not seen him play against actual NHL players and in game situations. For me, Oscar is ready for that 3rd pairing role already in Edmonton but he should have to earn it. If other players are stronger back there, send him to develop in the AHL awhile but let’s not judge him to quickly. Maybe Oil Country is tired of promises only to see players fall short or not used correctly. I like what MacT is doing by loading up on depth on defence. Klefbom will have his hands full this coming 2103-2014 NHL season competing for a position but I suspect he will be the player who walks out of the battle w=victorious because he is ‘just that good’. I was OK with Oscar and where we selected him but have become even more impressed with what we may have in the future. No pressure on the young guy, let’s just give him a chance before we judge where he should play is all I say.

As far as Darnell Nurse? He showed some promising size, learned some new skills to apply at the Jr level for practice and let’s hope he shows good arrows this year in the OHL. 

NEXT POST: What Possibilities are left for the Oilers?

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Our Prospect Pool at the Juniors

The Oilers have quite a few prospects in the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship. None of them played for our beloved Team Canada but they played some pretty important roles on their respective teams. These players include Oscar Klefbom, David Musil, Kristian Pelss, Martin Gernat and Martin Marincin. Over the course of the tournament I decided to take short notes on what I noticed from each player.

Klefbom - He is one great positional player, he may not be the most physically strong man out there but he knows how to separate the man from the puck, simply with his positioning. Klefbom also has a great read on the play, he is constantly alert and knows where to be. A slight problem of his however is to make good, but fairly chancy plays, that can be costly to his team.

Musil - He is also a brilliant player at reading plays, very alert. Musil is also great with the stick, he is very capable with his poke checks. One thing I had noticed is his unmistakable ability when in front of the net, his physical dominance and shot blocking.

Kristian Pelss - To be honest I have not seen much of his play, but from what I have heard he was one of the best players on Latvia's team.

Martin Gernat - Great skater with great stick work. Aggressive offensively in the attacking zone but can sometimes be a little too offensive. With his size comes a hard shot, but for his size he is also very mobile on his feet.

Martin Marincin - He can very much be like his fellow team mate, Martin Gernat. Another large sized defenceman with a booming shot and great mobility. He can however make some risky plays with his stretch passes.

On another note: I'm proud of Canada, of course we all wanted gold, but the boys played with heart and soul, obviously they didn't want to end up in the bronze game either.

GO Canada GO!

I don't know about you guys, but tonight I'm rooting for the Swedes, I just can't bear to see the Russians win again.

Let's Go Oilers!!!


Two Guys & Hockey Talk NHL News (CLICK PIC FOR LINK)

The Faithful Followers

Oilers Jambalaya is in no way, shape or form associated with the Edmonton Oilers or the Bakersfield Condors. This is a fans blog for fans. We happen to love those teams, so we write about them.