The Pages Of Oilers Jambalaya
Sunday, October 2, 2011
The Oilers Loss, Is The Barons Gain
Today is no different. Some cuts were made today like Ryan O'Marra and Teemu Hartikainen. I like both of those players and I'd like to see them full time in an Oilers uniform. But as of now, that's not going to happen.
However...
My other favorite team just gained some kick ass talent. Both players played in OKC last year and both were welcomed to the city with open arms. My friends in OKC have had nothing but good things to say about them. I'm sure they will be welcomed all over again this season too.
On a hockey side, the Barons gained 5 quality hockey players today. O'Marra, Hartikainen, Josh Green, Gilbert Brule and Ryan Keller.
Keller has proved he can play in the AHL and his experience is going to help propel the Barons into the playoffs. He showed the Oilers he can be effective and no doubt he will in OKC too.
Josh Green, the former Oiler, is a classic case of veteran leadership. He's been in the show, and he's played enough in the AHL to know how it goes. He going to help the young kids adapt to being a pro and that's valuable. If I was coach Todd Nelson, I'd give serious consideration on making Green the captain of the Barons.
There's two ways this is going to work for Gilbert Brule. Option 1, this will light a fire under his ass and he's going to lead the team in points. Tambellini says he needs to find his game, and I can't argue with that. Option 2, this demotion crushes his feeling and he fades away to the point of not being able to produce or be worth of ice time. The Stockton Thunder can use a forward.
Let's not forget that this team already has a good group down there, adding these five guys is a good thing for the Barons. Like I said. The Oilers loss... is the Barons gain.
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Oilers Jambalaya's Top 25 Prospects List
Read the article by Derek HERE. Thanks for including my point of view Derek!
1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C
2. Jeff Petry, D
3. Linus Omark RW
4. Anton Lander, C
5. Oscar Klefbom, D
6. Teemu Hartikainen, LW
7. Martin Marincin, D
8. Curtis Hamilton, LW
9. David Musil, D
10. Tyler Bunz, G
11. Colten Teubert, D
12. Tyler Pitlick, C
13. Dillon Simpson, D
14. Ryan Martindale, C
15. Olivier Roy, G
16. Travis Ewanyk, C
17. Jeremie Blain, D
18. Chris Vande Velde, C
19. Alex Plante, D
20. Ryan O'Marra, C
21. Johan Motin, D
22. Samu Perhonen, G
23. Frans Tuohimaa, G
24. Tobias Rieder, RW
25. Cameron Abney, RW
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

"UNLEASHING" Hartikainen
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
For 2011/12, Remove Jacques and Fraser, Insert VandeVelde and Hartikainen
Fraser has been pitiful this season and he never really did improve at all. I waited for it, but it never happened. In 67 games played he only has 5 freaking points?!?
Jacques... well... he's just not very good. At all. And to think that Stortini was shafted by being placed on waivers for this slug. Good grief!
Enter VandeVelde and Hartikainen. Both guys have made strong cases for themselves to be here next season. They play with hustle, heart and grit. They back down for nothing. They are beyond hungry for an NHL job and they are proving themselves to us with each passing game.
VandeVelde has been playing tough and he's been great in the faceoff dot. The last 5 games he went, 52.9%, 68.2%, 85.7%, 44.4% and 50%. That's damn good compared to the other Oilers players who played most of the year. Sure O'Marra has some wicked games on the dot too, but VV has been pretty consistent so far. Either way, O'Marra or VV is a huge upgrade over a disappointing Colin Fraser. I'm OK with either.
Teemu Hartikainen had a little hype when he was called up and so far he's impressed. He uses his big frame to pound guys and he even scored a nice goal the other night. As each game is played he's far more comfortable with the puck. I hope he plays out the year with the Oilers. Sorry OKC. I want to see more of Hartikainen.
Maybe it's just me, but that's how I feel.
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Friday, March 4, 2011
The Future Of The Edmonton Oilers
-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Saturday, September 18, 2010
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.
Friday, July 23, 2010
The Poll Results / Who Makes The Oilers This Year?
These were the results of the 120 people the voted. Multiple answers were allowed (Thank You!);
Taylor Hall 114 out of 120 (95%)
Jordan Eberle 97 out of 120 (80%)
Magnus Paajarvi 100 out of 120 (83%)
Teemu Hartikainen 6 out of 120 (5%)
Linus Omark 33 out of 120 (27%)
Someone Else 8 out of 120 (6%)
None 0 (0%)
Votes so far: 120
Poll closed
A stunning 95% of people picked Taylor Hall to make the team. No doubt he will. He can't go play with the OKC Barons, so it's either Oilers or the Spitfires. I think he's beyond Juniors and he will play with the Oilers.
Now the votes were very close between Paajarvi and Eberle. Paajarvi edges out the new Captain Canada by three votes. Most fans believe that all three of these guys will make the team this year. I still have my doubts, but I'm sure the fans will be right.
Linus Omark did garner 33 votes and tha's not bad. I'm willing to bet that Omark starts the year with the Barons and not the Oilers. What? I like the easy bets too.
The surprising fact, 8 people actually voted for someone else to make the team. Whom may that be I wonder?
Thanks for voting everyone!
-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Friday, July 9, 2010
Edmonton Oilers Rookie Development Camp 3 on 3 Tournament LIVE *TweetCast*
It will pick up the following hashtags; #Oilers, #OilersCamp, #OilersJambalaya, #OilFieldHockey.
Include those hashtags in your tweets and it will be included in the Tweetcast.
The tournament will start at 9:00am.
GOILERS!!!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Oilers Development Rookie Camp Update (Thanks @_gelsomino )
These were the tweets that @_gelsomino sent out so we could follow along.
- Eberle is a better skater then Hall.
- Some pretty decent skaters and some not so good skaters.
- Petpeeve; When people start dissing on player and the team when they have NO idea what they are talking about.
- First half of the camp, all power skating. Second half, 3 on 0's, 3 on 1's, etc. And finished up with a quick game of rebound.
- Overall Eberle looked stronger then Hall today. Hall looked kind of tired actually.
- Ones to watch for: Hall (19), Eberle (25), MPS (28), Petry (5), and Pitlick (21).
- They didn't do a whole ton of puck work today. Lots of skating.
- No parachutes today either.
- I'm guessing it (edit* the players numbers) means nothing, there was a bunch of forwards with goalie numbers. I think they were randomly assigned.
So there you have it. Thanks to Jasmine for the updates and she will be tweeting all week so follow her on Twitter. She loves her Oilers and so do we. Come back tomorrow for more updates.
-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Saturday, June 5, 2010
NHL Equivalence Numbers

I enjoy stats, so I figured I'd take Behind the Net's Gabriel Desjardins' NHLE on my day off and come up with what we could expect to see next year if they were to play the full season in one league. I highly doubt that will happen, but it gives a good idea. Keep in mind that I just used the regular seasons for these numbers. Math isn't exactly my strong suit, so if I messed up, please call me out on it.
Linus Omark
2009-10 KHL: 36 points in 56 games = .643 Points per game
2010-11 AHL Projected: 97 points in 80 games = 1.21 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 44 points in 82 games = .533 PPG
Magnus Pääjärvi-Svenson
2009-10 Elitserien: 29 points in 49 games = .591 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 83 points in 80 games = 1.04 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 38 points in 82 games = .461 PPG
Teemu Hartikainen
2009-10 SM-Liiga: 33 points in 53 games = .623 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 61 points in 80 games = .764 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 28 points in 82 games = .337 PPG
Jordan Eberle
2009-10 WHL: 106 points in 57 games = 1.86 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 64 points in 80 games = .800 PPG*
2010-11 NHL Projected: 46 points in 82 games = .558 PPG*
(*Question you probably have right here is, why does Eberle have a lower projection in the AHL but a higher in the NHL than MPS and Omark have. The NHLE numbers have a specific conversion rate for the CHL leagues that skewed the numbers a little bit.)
Toni Rajala
2009-10 WHL: 63 points in 60 games = 1.05 PPG
2010-11 AHL Projected: 36 points in 80 games = .452 PPG
2010-11 NHL Projected: 26 points in 82 games = .315 PPG
Like I said, let me know if I messed something up please.
-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Monday, January 4, 2010
The Glass Half Full - Edmonton Oilers Prospects and the Junior Tournament
Well now that the World Junior tournament is almost over - minus the medal finals and the relegation games - it's time to look at what happened for the sake of the Edmonton Oilers and their prospects. Not much is really going to change from now till it's over so why not get cracking?
In my opinion, the Oiler kids did great. Much better than I had anticipated. I'm thinking glass half full when I say the future looks bright for this hockey club. Not next year, but I'd say in the next 2-4 years, this team is going to change dramatically and for the better. *fingers crossed*
We seen the dominance/emergence of (F) Jordan Eberle and (F) Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson and that really excited me as an Oiler fan, never mind the other 3 Oiler kids playing in this tournament.
Before any games are played on Monday, Eberle had registered a point in 16 straight games for Team Canada. He is also tied for tops on Team Canada with St. Louis Blues prospect (D) Alex Pietrangelo and second in the tournament in points with 11 in total. In fact, only Derek Stepan has more points in the tournament than Eberle and it's only by one mealy point. Jordan Eberle has 6 goals and 5 assists for 11 points. Not bad for a kid who only played 5 games and was slated for the 2nd line on Team Canada.
"He's (Eberle) not afraid of the big situation," Coach Desjardins said. "He wants the puck. Even the shootout moves and things like that, he makes real strong moves." Watch out Oiler fans, this kid is going to be a damn good player someday for the Oilers.
Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson has also had a great tournament. He's been a force and a leader on the Swedish team and he's a very talented hockey player. I still find it surprising that the Oilers were able to select him with the 10th pick in 2009. This kid is a gamer and I feel fortunate as an Oiler fan that we have him in our system. He had 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 5 games and was a +6. He was a leader for the Sweden team and I'd expect some of the same here in Edmonton when he does finally reach the NHL. As an 18 year old, he's very impressive and I'm sure, like Eberle and his #14, the Oilers have #21 reserved for Pääjärvi-Svensson.
Also on Team Sweden, is (F) Anton Lander. He was the Oilers 40th pick in 2009 draft. He was interesting to keep an eye on because I didn't know much about him before the tournament started. The first thing I noticed as that he must have some sort of leadership skills as he wore the "A" on his jersey. That's a good sign. He is also pretty good at faceoffs as he went 35W 25L for 58.33% and 13th overall in the tournament. Not exactly a high percentage, but at least it's a starting point and has room to grow. If he improves on this, then that might be an intangible that he brings to the Oilers and solidifies a spot for himself on the team. Lord knows the Oilers need better faceoff people.
After 5 games Lander has scored 4 goals and had 2 assists for 6 points. Not bad. He is also sitting at +3 before the Bronze (I wish it was for Gold) medal game. Again, not bad.
So far it's looking good for the Oilers don't you think?
Now onto Team Finland. The Oilers have two players there and they also looked pretty good throughout this tournament. (F) Tony Rajala and (F) Teemu Hartikainen play on a weaker team than the other Oiler prospects, do but both still had a good tournament.
Rajala scored 1 goal and had 2 assists for 3 points after 5 games. He is currently sitting at -1 after those 5 games. Only scoring once is a little shocking considering it came on the PP and he fired 22 shots in those 5 games. Is he another Patrick O'Sullivan? See... that doesn't excite me either. The bright side here? He didn't have a single penalty all tournament. Glass half full.
Teemu Hartikainen was a little better than Rajala by scoring 3 goals (same as MPS) and 1 assist for 4 points after 5 games. He also fired the puck a lot like Rajala did by blasting a team high 27 shots. In comparison, Eberle took 20 shots so far in the tournament and has 6 goals while MPS took 24 shots and had 3 goals. If anything impressed me it was that Hartikainen did so well in goal scoring department. I didn't expect him to be in top 20 and he is at 16th place right now. He just may mature into a better goal scorer then he is now. I'd say Hartikainen is already on his way.
Overall Goals as of the morning of 1/4/10
1st Jordon Eberle (6 goals)
3rd Taylor Hall (5 goals)
9th Anton Lander (4 goals)
16th Teemu Hartikainen (3 goals)
16th Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson (3 goals)
HM Tony Rajala (1 goal)
With the emergence of Eberle and Pääjärvi-Svensson and Lander, I think the Oilers are going to be OK down the road. I suppose if the two kids from Finland pan out, we can consider it a bonus. If we show patience, this team will be good once again. Until then though... it's painful to watch.
Ps. Taylor Hall looked great and needs to be an Oiler. Don't you think?
-Smokin' Ray-
