Stockton Thunder / Training Camp Time! / #StkThunder

Training Camp Time!

09/17/2010 4:34 PM -
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OILERS: Complete 2010-11 Training Camp coverage
SHARKS: Complete 2010-11 Training Camp coverage

VIDEO: Bryan Pitton's pregame comments before Wednesday night
VIDEO: Jordan Bendfeld and "Fight Club"
VIDEO: Mike Benton joins Worcester Sharks head coach Roy Sommer
MORE: German connection hits Sharks camp

Summer is finally over. Both affiliates, the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks, hit the ice beginning Saturday to open 2010-11 main training camps. The Thunder has you covered to keep in the know of all things Oil Country and Team Teal.

Both the Oilers and Sharks finished 2-1 in the round robin format of the 2010 Vancouver Canucks YoungStars Tournament in Penticton, B.C.

Bryan Pitton, shown practicing
with the Oilers, is one of two
players with Thunder experience
in NHL Training Camp.
(photo by Andy Devlin/EOHC)

Two players with experience in a Thunder uniform, goaltender Bryan Pitton and defenseman Jordan Bendfeld, are participating in NHL Training Camp starting this weekend.

Bendfeld, 22, was selected in the seventh round (193rd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by Edmonton and has skated in 69 career games for the Thunder over the last two seasons (2008-10), scoring 13 points (1g-12a) while posting 116 penalty minutes. He recorded five points (1g-4a) and a +10 rating in 15 Kelly Cup Playoff games last season.

Bendfeld had 15 penalty minutes in two games, against Calgary and San Jose, during the tournament for the Oilers.

Pitton, 22, was selected by the Oilers in the fifth round (133rd overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and is 18-28-6 with a 3.18 goals-against-average and .901 save percentage in 56 lifetime games with Stockton. Last season, he earned two separate recalls directly to Edmonton and left the ECHL on Feb. 1 on a recall to Springfield of the AHL by ranking second in the league with a .921 save percentage.

Pitton stopped 26 shots on Wednesday against San Jose, his only apperance of the tournament.

The 6-foot-2, 176-pound goaltender broke a Thunder playoff record last year with 49 saves in Game 3 of the National Conference Final, a 1-0 win in triple overtime against the Idaho Steelheads for his first career playoff shutout.

Thunder radio play-by-play announcer Mike Benton, on-site for the tournament's webcast coverage, contributed with reports for the Sharks website, http://www.sjsharks.com/.

-Written by the Stockton Thunder-

Hold The Phone! You Want This Guy?

With all the excitement surrounding Mike Commodore all over the Oilogosphere the last few days, I ask you this. Do you really want this guy? (see below)

Signed A Large Contract Did We?

Really?

While in the one hand, we finally get to get rid of Sheldon Souray. The other hand, is holding this guy*.

No thanks.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A Bear

In my opinion, Souray is still a good capable hockey player. Regardless of what has happened with the Oilers (past and present), he's worth more than that guy is right now. Commodore just isn't that good.

Souray will be paid $4.5 million this year with another season after this one on the books. Commodore is a (an average) $3.53 million a year, for a year longer than Souray. So is this really a salary dump? Not really, considering your on the hook one more year longer than if you just kept Souray and made him play.

Paying out Souray on the books for the next 2 years is $9 million. Having Commodore for 3 years will cost the Oilers $10,650,000 over that span. So if you want to get technical, it is a dump so to speak. But like I said, an extra year of having a marginal player on the blue line isn't helping the cause. At all.

I say, stay away from this guy and wait till a good (OK, a better) trade comes along. He's weird (look at the pictures) and he's not worth the cash (also look at the pictures).

Although... if I had only two choices, I'd gladly take Commodore over this bum below. He's worth $1 million, and is getting paid $6. Ouch! STAY AWAY TAMBELLINI!


$6 Million Dollar Man

*EDIT: I had written douche, but to be fair I don't know him personally so I changed it to the word guy.

 -Written by Smokin' Ray-

Edmonton Oilers Send Kids Packing / Cuts Have Been Made

**This is the Edmonton Oilers Press Release**

Oilers trim roster by twenty

Eight players to report for Barons training camp in Oklahoma City

Monday, 20.09.2010 / 6:30 PM / Training Camp Report
By Edmonton Oilers Press Release

Edmonton Oilers General Manager Steve Tambellini announced today the club has assigned the following eight players to their respective junior clubs today:

Jeremie Blain (D) assigned to Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)
Tyler Bunz (G) assigned to Medicine Hat (WHL)
Drew Czerwonka (LW) assigned to Kootenay (WHL)
Brandon Davidson (D) assigned to Regina (WHL)
Curtis Hamilton (LW) assigned to Saskatoon (WHL)
Martin Marincin (D) assigned to Prince George (WHL)
Ryan Martindale (C) assigned to Ottawa (OHL)
Kristians Pelss (LW) assigned to Edmonton (WHL)

The Oilers have also released the following four players from their amateur tryout contracts and assigned them to their respective clubs:

Dallas Ehrardt (D) assigned to Moose Jaw (WHL)
Chase Schaber (C) assigned to Kamloops (WHL)
Dominik Schlumpf (D) assigned to Shawinigan (QMJHL)
Nolan Toigo (D) to UBC (CIS)

The following five players have been assigned to Oklahoma City (AHL):

Jordan Bendfeld (D)
Philippe Cornet (LW)
Milan Kytnar (C)
Matt Marquardt (LW)
Bryan Pitton (G)

The following three players have been released from their amateur tryout contracts with the Oilers and have been invited to Oklahoma City on a tryout:

Jesse Gimblett (LW)
James Livingston (LW)
Mike Thomas (RW)

-Written by the Edmonton Oilers-

A Night At The Rink / Red Deer Rebels vs Medicine Hat Tigers

Ahhhh... the sweet smell of fresh ice.

I decided to take my 2 year old daughter to what I thought was an exhibition game between the Red Deer Rebels and the Edmonton Oil Kings. Turns out the local paper got it wrong -- or something changed since it was printed -- and the Rebels actually played the Medicine Hat Tigers.

So we head to the rink -- I couldn't believe they charged me $5 for a toddler. Crazy! -- and it's pretty packed. This game was being played in Stettler and there's about 5000 people live here.

We grab a drink (no beer) and some popcorn and we find a seat. The anthem is being sung and the game is getting ready to begin. The sound of the skates on the ice was like music to my ears. I've missed that sound.

GAME ON!

The crowd is pretty amped up and the atmosphere is buzzing. The first real excitement was a cheap shot a few minutes into it which led to a fight. Well, the fight peaked my daughters interest too. "Daddy, they were fighting. Ohhhh... they're tough!", she said.

Well that was it. Every 5 minutes she'd yell, "FIGHT!" I'd laugh and say, "Not yet."

There was no goals for the first two periods. Just a bunch of penalties. Boring. Speaking of penalties. The referee's were tiny. Both guys were like 5'5". They looked funny in the middle of scrums. At least the linesmen were 6'0" and over and they dealt with the rough stuff.

I don't remember how many penalties I tweeted, but it wore out my phone. The battery died just as the 3rd period started. That's when the action picked up (of course).

With about 5 minutes left in the 3rd -- both teams pressing hard all period long -- the Rebels score to finally make it a 1-0 game. The crowd goes nuts. Once again, my daughter yells, "FIGHT!"

"No sweetie, they scored and that's a celebration.", I said as I laughed my ass off.

With 49 seconds left, the Tigers score to tie it up. Overtime it is.

Overtime was back and forth but no real chances. So the game goes to the shootout.

The Rebels' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the first one to go. He scores a beauty. The Tigers have a shooter go (don't know who) and he shoots wide. The next Rebels shooter scores and it's 2-0. The Tigers need to score or it's over.

They don't and the Red Deer Rebels win the game at a score of 2-1. Good times, good times.

THINGS I NOTICED AT THE GAME

- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is ranked 6th overall (right now) for the 2011 NHL entry draft. He should have been the best (or close to it) player on the ice, but he didn't stand out at all. He scored the winning shootout goal and he plays a solid two way game, but he's no #6 pick. IMO. I don't see superstar quality there. He will be good, just not great.

- Brennan Hunker. Remember that name. The kid is 15 years old but you wouldn't know it (other than his full cage he wore) on the ice. He's a decent sized defenceman and a good one at that. He fit right in with the rest of the players. For a 15 year old, he made no mistakes. None. I can't wait to see if this kid makes it. I'm betting he does.

- You know when the NYR salute the crowd at MSG with their sticks raised up high? That's what it looks like in a Junior hockey game when there is a scrum. Every scrum. The kids all come together and the sticks go up. Is it because they are "protected" with the visors they wear? Do they feel overly safe?

- I couldn't believe the amount of cheap shots. Whistle blows... cheap shot.

- The Rebels captain #6 Colin Archer is a very good defenceman. He plays with an edge to his game and he really did look like the best defenceman on both teams out there.

- The lack of goals tonight was strange. I'm thinking the tight quarters had something to do with it. The Stettler rec center ice surface isn't that big. I don't know the sizes of the Stettler, Red Deer or Medicine Hat's arena's, but I'm going to assume they are bigger than Stettler's. Some WHL teams play in NHL arena's.

- I have never been a guy who likes the mascot idea. For the most part I think they are dumb. But my daughter thought he (Red Deer Rebels Buffalo mascot) was pretty neat. All game she asked me, "Where's that buffalo Dad?". Then they finally met face to face. When the buffalo reached out his hoof for a high five, my daughter literally climbed over me in fear of him. He walks away and she's asking me, "Where's the buffalo going? He's not scary right Dad?" lol. Kids are great.

So can I admit I was wrong? The amount of kids I seen following that buffalo around all night made me realize, even if I hate mascots, the kids love them.

They do have a purpose? Who knew?

Well that's it from me. It was nice to get out and watch a game. Live and in person.

The best part of this whole experience? My daughters last words before she closed her eyes in bed, "Dad? I want to play hockey."

*tear in eye*

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

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.