The Oilers Hockey Battle at Hawrelak Park

On twitter right now, Oilers hotshots Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall are talking trash about setting up a shinny game for 4pm today at Hawrelak park. I can only Imagine this will draw a fairly large crowd. They have mentioned names like Nail Yakupov, Ryan Whitney, Nugent-Hopkins and newcomer Justin Schultz participating. We can only imagine most of the team showing up to play in this "unorganized" pick up game.

So if your not busy today around 4pm, head down to Hawrelak park and snap some photos. Your going to experience what hockey is all about. Just pure, fun hockey. Wish I could be there.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

NHL Lockout is Affecting the Oilers in 3 Good Ways

Please stand by while greedy people fight.

If there is a sliver lining for this NHL lockout, it's that the Edmonton Oilers have three things in this NHL lockout going for them!

Number one;

Letting Taylor Hall have more time to recover, because if the NHL season would have started on time, he might have been rushed in a little bit to fast then he would have liked.

Number two;

Developing their farm team by getting their players that will hopefully be in Edmonton someday to hang out and play with some of the great young faces of the Edmonton Oilers. Hopefully most of the kids playing in OKC will be playing someday with guys like Ebs, Hallsy and RNH on the Oilers. This is great experience to have them "gel" ahead of time.

Justin: Thanks for signing me

Steve: No problem. It's fun locking out people after I sign them. Yakupov, Hallsy, Eberle and now you.

Number three;

Getting Schultz time in the AHL so it's not as big of a step from college to the NHL. That's a big leap and if I may say my thoughts on him, what a player he is turning out to be. He's better than anyone could have thought, even with the high expectations people had on him.

This article is written by Noah Fuchs.

High Skill Isn't All You Need / OKC Barons Need Some Help

What nice Jerseys eh!

The OKC Barons have lots of skill on their team brought about by the work stoppage and there has been HUGE expectations for this team early on.

In my opinion, they really haven't hit their stride with Taylor Hall (coming off injury), Jordan Eberle, RNH, and Justin Schultz. At this point, they should be better. There are reasons for this and its not all because of their young guns not putting up the points. Schultz is leading the league in scoring with Eberle trailing not far behind.

The Barons biggest weakness is defensive depth. Especially with the veteran defensemen. I think, because of the hype of the young guns, the forward depth players have been passengers instead of adding secondary scoring. Even the young guns have on occasion, made some errors defensively which is bound to happen. The only cure being more experience.


Hopefully we will see the trio of Hall, Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins on Rexall ice soon. But when its all said and done in OKC, this team is doing well. But they could still do more with all their talent.

I hope they make some kind of AHL trade for more experienced D.

-WRITTEN BY NOAH FUCHS-

The Future Is Getting Locked Up

After the huge Taylor Hall signing yesterday, - he signed a 7 year extension at $6 million per year - we are all waiting for the next announcement.

Jordan Eberle is the next one to be signed long term by the Oilers and it's good timing to be doing this now with the new CBA negotiations going on right now.

It's possible Eberle will get about the same type of deal that Hall has. I have heard it could be a little less than Hall's coming in around $5.5 million a year over 6 years. But we won't know till the deal is done.

These two contracts will setup the future for the rest of the Oilers. Don't expect Nugent-Hopkins or Yakupov to ever get paid more than Hall is now. That's the benchmark going forward and rightfully so. The kid is future captain.

Even if all 4 players have roughly the same contracts, the Oilers should be OK down the road with staying within the cap space.

I like the Hall signing and I'll like the Eberle one as well once it's done.

The future of this team gets better every single day we wake up. Get ready Oil Country. Our time is near...

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

The Edmonton Oilers... Destination #1? Schultz Says So!

The past is the past for the Oilers now. Long gone are the days of not wanting to be in Edmonton to play hockey with the Oil.

The advantages of coming here are at a high.

Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Magnus Paajarvi, Nail Yakupov, Anton Lander, Teemu Hartikainen, Jeff Petry, Oscar Klefbom, Martin Marincin, Devan Dubnyk, Tyler Bunz.

Now the Oilers have free agent Justin Schultz to add to the list.

I'd hope and expect the Oilers to land a few more good players to compliment the kids listed above. With all this youth and excitement, I have no doubt the Oilers will be Stanley Cup challengers sooner, rather than later.

Our door is open in Oil Country... we welcome those who want to join the fun.

GOILERS!!!

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

The Edmonton Oilers... Destination #1? Schultz Says So!

The past is the past for the Oilers now. Long gone are the days of not wanting to be in Edmonton to play hockey with the Oil.

The advantages of coming here are at a high.

Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Magnus Paajarvi, Nail Yakupov, Anton Lander, Teemu Hartikainen, Jeff Petry, Oscar Klefbom, Martin Marincin, Devan Dubnyk, Tyler Bunz.

Now the Oilers have free agent Justin Schultz to add to the list.

I'd hope and expect the Oilers to land a few more good players to compliment the kids listed above. With all this youth and excitement, I have no doubt the Oilers will be Stanley Cup challengers sooner, rather than later.

Our door is open in Oil Country... we welcome those who want to join the fun.

GOILERS!!!

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

Bickering Amongst Teammates Leads To...

It's been reported that there was some bickering on the Oilers bench the other night. Captain Shawn Horcoff fully admitted this and it should be no surprise that this happened. Losing sucks. I'd be pissed off too.

The big question should be, who was doing the bickering and over what?

So many things went wrong during that game (and previous games), it would be hard to pin point it and where it started. I personally, hope it was the young guys on the team like Hall and Eberle that were giving the tongue lashing to the vets. I see it on so many different levels that the kids are going to sub plant the vets sooner rather than later as the leadership corps. For most of the veterans, their time here is almost up.

If it was the vets (like Horcoff, Belanger, Jones, etc) that had the beef with the kids, then I have an issue with that. If anybody with a decent amount of NHL experience on the team had the drive to win like Taylor Hall does, this team could make the playoffs now. But they don't.

On a couple of occasions we seen Hall try and make a save to try and stop an empty net goal. He was never successful in stopping the puck either time, but admiration from Oilers fans and alike grew. We seen right there how bad he wants to win. He'd do anything for the W. That screams leader to me. Give the kid a letter ASAP.

Then we have mr. clutch, Jordan Eberle. He wants to score the big goals. He wants the puck on his stick. He wants to win. Two more guys like him on the team and the Oilers are Stanley Cup champs. Forget mr. clutch. I'd love it if by next season he wore the C and we could officially call him Captain Clutch. He's that good.

But back to what I started with...

I sure do hope it was the kids chirping the vets. The kids are leading this team and they deserve respect. The vets IMO have no room to speak. They've as a collective unit, have sucked.

A new era isn't just coming, it's here.

GOILERS!!!

-written by Smokin' Ray Burnt-

RNH SHUTDOWN FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON!

That's the headline that should be on every website, newspaper, any other media outlet and most importantly, from the lips of the Oilers management.

Last season the Oilers management made a decision that they knew full well, was going to be extremely unpopular. With approx. 20 games remaining and they're prized 1st overall pick freshly on the shelf with a sprained ankle, Tambellini and company SHUTDOWN Taylor Hall, rather then risk any further injury that could jeopardize the future of the Oilers and Hall. It was brave, bold and something no Oilers fan has come to expect, SMART.

Which brings me to here and now. When drafted anyone and their dog would tell you, "He's too small to play with men."

Well after bringing the Oilers faithful and most of the NHL out of there chairs on a nightly basis for half the season, maybe we are now seeing that he may have been too small. His HOF hockey sense and vision were almost enough to overcome his waffer thin body, but after suffering one and then two, shoulder injuries it makes no sense to me to bring him back into the lineup.

The Future...

The 'Nuge has nothing left to prove when it comes to his abilities. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence can clearly see he was the rookie of the year. None of the other rookies captivated the league the way 'Nuge did. Besides, the Oilers have how many Hall of Famers...6....and how many Calder Trophy winners....0. Sure it would be nice, but if Gretz, Mess, Andy, Kurri, Coff and Fuhrsy didn't need it to be great then the 'Nuge doesn't either.

This is also a great chance to both reward Anton Lander for being the good soldier on the 4th line all season, and to see just exactly what he has to offer if given top six minutes and PP time......and Paajarvi too for pete's sake! I mean why not give them a shot with Ebs or Hall???!!!

In the end the Oilers should do the right thing for their and Ryan's future. Here's what should be said...

"Ryan we are shutting you down for the season. Heal up, rehab the shit out of that shoulder, hit the gym and come to camp ready to go at 178-182lbs. See you in September."

So come on Tambo, K-Lowe, or Katz, make that same BOLD, BRAVE, UNPOPULAR, and most impotantly, SMART decesion again. Hopefully it's the last time it will have to be made.

-WRITTEN BY PAQ TWINN-

Apples and Oranges or a Juicy Steak?

There have been many comparisons done between the Oilers and Blackhawks rebuilds. Here's my take on which pieces the Oilers have in place. These are not position for position but more player type and role analogies.

Blachawks(Cup Winners)     Oilers(Now)

Toews                                       Eberle

Kane                                   Nugent-Hopkins

Hossa                                        Hall

Sharp                                      Gagner

Keith                                        Smid?

Seabrook                                    ?

Niemi                                     Dubnyk?

I believe those were the key pieces to the Hawks Stanley Cup team. There were other guys that stepped up and had big games and/or moments that also helped, but these guys were the keys.

I also believe the Oilers have most of these pieces in place. Providing Smid continues to progress as a shutdown d-man and Dubnyk can continue his recent play on a more consistent basis. I also think Gagner has an important role on this team. He has really come into his own over the course of this season and I personally think the Oilers Nation has Mr. Pat Quinn to thank. If it wasn't for that rough ride he gave Gags back in 08, would Gags be the multi dimensional, "crusty" player that he is today? I don't think so.

We still need that PP QB, maybe he's in the system, maybe not. Either way, this team looks like a great steak. Just needs one more spice and some marinating time. The more patience the better the flavor. Enjoy Oilers fans!

-WRITTEN BY PAQ TWINN-

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

With the kids jingle belling...

Nah, screw that! It's hockey season once again folks! Not just the beginning of the 2011-12 NHL season (which was a few days ago now), but more importantly, Oilers hockey season!

So... What's changed in the world since 2010-11?

Firstly, a new look: As soon as I saw Ryan Nugent-Hopkins pull on a vintage Oilers road jersey (albeit with the Reebok EDGE style collar), I knew one thing was certain: we'd OFFICIALLY dumped the Midnight Blue & Copper colours. Thank God we have, I hated them! The Oilers website looks fresh, it looks good, and it's got all the Blue & Orange touches I could ever dream of! The wallpapers there are also excellent. If you've not seen it, I recommend you go to the Oilers website (no link provision necessary) and download Marcel Schoenhardt's Taylor Hall wallpaper - it's bitchin'!

Secondly, a re-hashed line-up. I think the Oilers franchise made some very good off-season acquisitions, headlined by the "Return of #94", the one and only, Ryan Smyth! (acquired from LA for Colin "Crap" Fraser) Smytty's EXACTLY what this franchise needs right now - a leader (and I don't mean Horcoff) who can show these blossoming kids (Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Omark, Nugent-Hopkins etc...) exactly what it means to be an Oiler and play in front of these Diehard* fans.

*Pay close attention to that word, "Diehard", I'll be using it again towards the end of the blog...

We also made a excellent move by acquiring Éric Bélanger (accentuated name and all) from free agency; because, let's face it, the Oilers have stunk at winning draws in the faceoff circle for the last 5 years or so... There's also Ben "Hothead" Eager flanking our 4th line LW and new D's "BIG... Did I say BIGGGGGG?" Andy Sutton (acquired from ANA for Kurtis Foster) and Cam "trying to get my career back on track" Barker shoring up the Oilers blueline. I still think we're missing a top-end D-Man to pair with Ryan Whitney (when he returns from injury), but maybe he's there just waiting to be discovered in Oklahoma City, or Prince George, perhaps?

Whilst keeping within the same point, we're going the other way now with new additions that have come in the form of people like Anton Lander (very excited to see what he's going to do for us), who solidly edged out Gilbert "Bye, have fun in OKC!" Brulé from the Oilers roster, Lennart Petrell (excellent PK guy - he's a bit of a bitch for having a clause in his contract which states "If I don't play NHL, I'm going home to Finland..." My retort: "Grow up, you fucking child!"), Jeff Petry, I had said around various other websites he'd get an NHL job this season and Corey Potter, who's a bit of a dark horse, but had an excellent showing throughout camp, Potter's a necessity for us right now, because of our defensive injury crisis (Already!? Yes, already!) and finally... Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who'll get his 9 games this season for sure, will he get anymore? You're damn right he will! Not only can he find the back of the net, but he's an unselfish playmaker too, who'll have no problem finding a Hall or an Eberle in the right spot waiting to slot it home.

Although it's exciting to see how RNH handles his 1st NHL season, what REALLY excites me is Taylor Hall, he's the true Oilers franchise player. In 10 years time, if you're asked to name an Edmonton Oilers player straight off the top of your head, the first name you think of should be Taylor Hall, because he's this generation's Mark Messier; the embodiment of hard-work, leadership and having the ability to take charge and change a whole game at the snap of his fingers. (Remember Hall's first NHL hat trick when we played Atlanta? That's exactly what I'm talking about!)

Thirdly, not really Oilers-related, but kind of is; my wife is pregnant again with her 3rd (my 2nd) child - a girl, who we're going to name "Jasmine Leah Jericho". She's due in early February 2012, but she'll likely arrive sooner like her older sister (Alexa) did. Another Oilers fan in the world is a GOOD thing, not a bad thing!

Right... It's now time for some plugs:

I haven't designed any artwork for a while, but I'm waiting on some decent media to come my way, before I get started. I have, however, changed my Twitter handle. I can now be found HERE.

Remember the word Diehard? Good! You were paying attention. If you're on the ol' Facebook, be sure to check out the "Edmonton Oilers Diehards" group. It's a "closed" group, we don't let anyone just walk in - but if you're here to spread Oilers love without trolling other members, then it's all good. We don't allow Flames fans, or Canucks fans etc in; they'd make the group look bad (á la the Oilers Official Facebook page) when spreading their hate.

Erm... I think that's all I got for now. If there's anything you guys think I've missed, do drop me a comment and I'll post something up.

New Taylor Hall Oilers Wallpaper by @SAVEMEX29

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Edmonton Oilers Will Pick 1st Again

WoOoOoOooOO! The Edmonton Oilers will select 1st overall at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Exciting times for this team. Last year the Oilers took Taylor Hall with that elusive 1st overall pick. Who will they pick this year? Nugent-Hopkins? Larsson? Landeskog?

Either way, the Oilers are set for years to come. This really is it. The Future Begins... Now!

GOILERS!

- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY -

Taylor Hall and Ryan Whitney On Twitter? You Betcha!

Joining Jim Vandermeer (@Jim_Vandermeer), Ryan Jones (@jonesry28), Linus Omark (@limpanomark), Jeff Petry (@petryj), are two new Oilers to join the twitter craze.

Welcome to Taylor Hall (@Hallsy04) and Ryan Whitney (@RyanWhitney6). If you haven`t joined twitter yet, well you should. This is a very cool way to interact with your favorite Oilers players.

While your at it, follow me too for all the Edmonton Oilers updates and news. @OilersJambalaya.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

The Future Of The Edmonton Oilers

I`m working today and I`m a little bored. I started thinking this morning about the Oilers and what lies ahead. The more I thought, the more I got fired up. Forget last year and even this year. The future is where it`s at. I know... that has been promised for the last 10 years. But the future is close. Last night watching the Taylor Hall revelation, I couldn`t help but think he`s finally arrived. It`s been a long time since I was sold on a young player so quickly. But how can you not embrace what he represents? The kid wants to be a winner and you know what? I believe him. Combine Hall with the other young players and you get a gnarly young core group to lead this team to Lord Stanley`s cup. Want to know the future? Here it is. Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Lander, Dubnyk, Peckham, Teubert, Petry, Vande Velde, Hartikainen, Omark (plus other players not named) and the two 1st round draft picks from 2011. Now if that doesn`t set this team up for years to come, then really.... nothing will.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

The Awesome Taylor Hall

If you watched the game last night then you seen Hall`s 1st ever Gordie Howe hat trick. It was a thing of beauty. Not so much the fight itself, but the fact that he dropped the gloves in the first place and took charge. Gotta love his gumption and his will to be the best. I can see why he was chosen 1st overall. Maybe it`s just me... but can`t you just see Taylor as the next Edmonton Oilers captain? There is a couple of good articles posted at OilersNation.com by Gregor and Lowetide that I agree with 100%. Go read them. -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN RAY-

Oilers Postgame: Game 61 @ Colorado

Scoring Summary:
1st: EDM Dustin Penner (14:17) PP; Assists: Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky
2nd: EDM Sam Gagner (7:08); Assists: Magnus Paajarvi, Ryan Jones
2nd: EDM Taylor Hall (15:49); Assists: Jordan Eberle, Tom Gilbert
2nd: COL Milan Hejduk (17:36); Assists: Matt Duchene, John-Michael Liles
3rd: EDM Jordan Eberle (11:08); Assists: Andrew Cogliano, Theo Peckham
3rd: EDM Kurtis Foster (12:55); Assists: Tom Gilbert, Taylor Hall

Resources
Boxscore
Oilers Time on Ice
Scoring Chances

Game Highlights

Taylor Hall, Tom Gilbert, Devan Dubnyk, Tom Renney

Paul Stastny

David Jones

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Christmas Day aka Opening Night for the Oilers

After a very long off-season for the Edmonton Oilers and her fans, we are ready for hockey in Oil Country.  It's game day!!  Three Oiler draft picks (Eberle, Paajarvi and Hall) will take to the ice in their first NHL regular season game.  I hope fans keep their expectations in check and not put too much pressure on the kids or the team.  This is the start of a rebuild.  Yes it is exciting.  Yes we have hope.  But be patient.  This is not a contender.....yet.  Let's face it, this is a team that will struggle at times during the year.  If they can't win, please let it be entertaining!! 

There still exists major problems in goal:  Khabibulin has not looked very good in the preseason and they will start the year with three goalies once again.  Boozy has not played since November and is recovering from surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back.  And he looked okay in one preseason game but absolute shyte in the other.  Khabby needs to be solid and give this team a chance to start the season on a winning note. The kids should rejuvenate Hemsky, Horcoff and Penner.  This team will score goals.  I think they will need to score quite a few each night since the goaltending is questionable to start the year.  

Lineup to start the year (I don't think Jones will dress, they'll want Smacintyre in the game to smack some Lames around):

Hemsky - Gagner - Penner
Hall - Horcoff - Eberle
Paajarvi - Brule - Cogliano
Stortini - Fraser - MacIntyre (Jones)

Whitney - Gilbert
Smid - Foster
Vandermeer - Peckham (Strudwick)

Khabibulin (Dubnyk/Deslauriers)

I predict an Oilers victory tonight over the Lames.  It will be 5-3. 

Update:  As per Dan Tencer, Jones will play tonight in place of MacIntyre.   Honestly, I do not understand this at all.  Why have MacIntyre on the team if you won't play him against teams with heavyweights and teams who have pushed our Oilers around in the past?  Waive him!!

OJ/OFH Weekly Round Up

Eberle, Hall, and Paajarvi(Courtsey of EdmontonOilers.com)

This week Oil fans got their 1st taste of the future of the organization. The "Baby" Oilers won 2 of the 3 tournament games, and saw the renewal of "The Battle of Alberta". The Oilers put the Canucks down with a 4-1 win, as Mangus Paajarvi had two goals in the game. And showed why he was an excellent pick for the Oilers, with his presence in front of the net paid off. Jordan Eberle got his 1st goal as an Oiler, with an assist from Taylor Hall late in the 2nd period. And 2010 pick Tyler Pitlick put the nail in the coffin, as he scored a empty net goal in the 3rd Olivier Roy showed why he could be the future netminder for the Oilers. He stopped 28 of 29 shots, and he made some spectacular saves. Vande Velde and Hartikainen made their presence known by crashing the net several times, even though they didn't score any goals.

Game 2 was especially fierce as the Oilers took on Flames, and there was no love loss between the two teams. The lack of Hall, Eberle, and Paajarvi in the lineup, didn't slow things down. As the Oilers put literally put the smackdown on Flames in a 5-3 win. And several good scraps during the game, including Cameron Abney v. Chris Breen(video below of the fight). 5th Round draft pick Tyler Bunz was put in net, and didn't disappoint anyone that night. Even though He let 3 goals slip by him, but he stopped an onslaught put on by the flames. Future OKC Baron Chris Vande Velde got his first goal at the 9:21 mark in the 2nd period. With assists coming from Kristians Pelss and James Livingston. The Oilers hung on to win by getting an empty netter from Alex Plante.




Game Three was the complete opposite of the two previous games. Even though that the Big 3 were put back into the lineup. The coaching staff decided to experiment by moving Hall into the Center position. From what I saw of the game on the internet. Hall looked out of place being at center, and couldn't get the offense going against the Sharks. Sharks prospect Michael Sgarbossa came out of the game with a hat trick, and also getting an assist too. But Oiler fans had some reason to celebrate as Taylor Hall scored his 1st goal as an Oiler. But it just wasn't enough as the Sharks chewed up and spit out the Oilers. And Oilers goaltender Bryan Pitton showed why he isn't going to be resigned after this season. Cause he got lit up like a christmas tree, but there just wasn't any flow to the game for the oilers. At least Cameron Abney sure tried motivating his teammates, by taking a tilt with Samuel Finn.




Oilers GM Steve Tambellini told reporters that disgruntled player Sheldon Souray was "Persona Non-Grata" at Oilers Training Camp. This came after what seemed like that Souray had a change of heart, that he was excited with the renewed enthusiasm in the locker room. This mess with Souray has taken more turns then a roller coaster at an amusement park. There are several assumptions of what could happen to Souray, including sending him down to the Barons. But given the fact that Tambellini doesn't want Souray to be a distraction. Hopefully that Souray is just told that his services are no longer needed, like former Canadiens' player Geogre Laraque.

In Oklahoma City this week, the rink was painted, logos laid out, and the ice was formed this week. Also the Barons' Mascot has been out at the State Fair of Oklahoma. And our own Eric Rodgers(@AHLBarons) was able to capture the 1st picture of Derrick the Mountain Lion. The Barons' also announced that former Blazers' play by play broadcaster Jim Byers is going to be the play by play broadcaster for the Barons. Former RoadRunner and Oil King assistant Rocky Thompson was hired to be an assistant coach for the Barons.

Barons' Mascot: Derrick the Mountain Lion(Courtsey of Eric Rodgers)

 

The Oil Terminal podcast will return next week with a full recap of what has gone on with the Penticton Tournament. And we'll look at who looked good at the Oilers main camp. And get you up to date on the latest news from the Barons. So Stay Tuned to OilersJambalaya.com and OilFieldHockey.com. We are your Number 1 source on news and opinions on the Oilers, Barons, and the Stockton Thunder. We would like to thank Shawn McMann (@bulletacdotcom) for all the tweets from the Penticton Tournament.

Taylor Hall Twitter Account / Now You See It, Now You Don't

Late last night Dan Tencer tweeted that Taylor Hall had a twitter account. WOOT!

He said that Taylor's account was @TaylorHall_91.

However, by this morning, it was deleted. BOOOO!

Dan did say he was told by a reputable source that that was indeed Taylor's account and I believe him. I had followed and retweeted his tweet and was really excited to be able to see more from Taylor.

Twas not to be...

So did he get tired of his phone beeping last night from added followers and shut it down? Doubt it.

Did the Oilers shut him down? We all know how the Oilers feel about Twitter and the Bloggers. Hall with a twitter account would have given us too much access to the golden kid. So this seems likely to me.

So many questions and so little answers (yet). But as you know, OilersJambalaya.com won't rest till we find out. Or until tomorrow's game and we forget about this all together.

It's too bad. Here I thought the Oilers were turning a page and were finally going to embrace the fans by allowing a player to have a Twitter account. Wouldn't that be refreshing?

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Paajarvi Starts Off Fast / Oilers Rookies Win First Young Stars Game

No need for a parade yet, but it sure was damn nice to watch an Oilers game again. The win was a bonus. The Oilers rookies beat the Canucks rookies 4-1 with 2 goals from Magnus Paajarvi. Tyler Pitlick and Jordan Eberle each scored one goal. For those wondering, Taylor Hall had the assist on the Eberle goal.

Well the feed for the game was terrible. Gene Principe sounded like he was yelling all the time and his yelling was squealing. Ugh! It was ear bleeding terrible. But to see the Stockton Thunder's Mike Benton there with Gene was cool. Mike is a good guy and it was nice to see him included in the Young Stars tournament.

At one point the Canucks website said to clear your cache and the stream would work better. I tried it and it did work better. So remember that for Tuesday's game against the Flames.

Paajarvi was very good. His speed made him hard to contain. This guy is going to make the team for sure this year. He looks determined and ready.

Tyler Pitlick was also good tonight. Very noticeable. Great draft choice by the Oilers.

Alex Plante played in all types of situations and didn't look out of place. He's very much improved from the last time I seen him and is looking like he's going to be a force with the OKC Barons this year.

Eberle and Hall garnered a lot of attention from the Canucks but still managed to hook up for a goal. In the early part of the game Hall looked like he was in a playoff game but faded near the end of the game. Good chemistry with Eberle. No doubt they play on the same line when they make the Oilers.

Olivier Roy made some huge saves, but the goal that the Canucks scored was a terrible softy. While Roy did play well and looked good, he was shaky on the soft low shots.

Last thoughts. I found it dumb that Hall wasn't wearing #4, that Eberle isn't wearing #14 and Paajarvi didn't wear #91. Why not? It's their numbers.

Can't wait till Tuesday. Make sure you come back and enjoy the TweetCast vs the Calgary Flames.

-Written by Smokin' Ray-