THE GRADUATE: "The Jeff Petry Story"

Jeff Petry may not be that physical shutdown defenceman Oiler fans have come to love over the years but he very well may become a defensively aware offensive defenceman the fans of the Oil drop can love for years to come.

Petry has athletic pedigree. His father was a famous baseball player in his day. Jeff also has a incredible hockey track record that may not awe you, but will definitely grab your attention. Jeff for certain is no slouch and I believe a player who has a skill set that the Oilers have not had for many years. Jeff is a athlete that has a drive to do well. He may at times appear to be down, but then there he is....coming back with a vengeance. Follow his hockey career and you will see, he is determined.

In 04/05 Petry was an All-State Honorable Mention, an All-Area 3rd Team All-Star, member of the CHSL All League team. He lead St. Mary’s to its first State Championship and scored 5 goals and 13 assists in 29 games. In 05/06 Petry played for Team East at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game and won the Clark Cup with the Buccaneers where he had 2 goals and 5 assists in 11 games, which was tops among all Des Moines defenceman. Later in 06/07 Jeff had 18 goals and 45 points in 55 appearances with the Buccaneers. He won  USHL Defenceman of the Year and was named to the All-Star Game. Jeff was also USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year. 

In 07/08 had 24 points through 42 games,received  CCHA All-Rookie Team honors for his play. On top of being a CCHA Rookie of the Year finalist,  named MSU’s Outstanding Defensive Player and best freshman.

So all was looking good. After leaving school, he spent the last 8 games of his 08/09 season with the AHL affiliate in Springfield and took the off-season to get ready for the beginning of his pro career. Jeff went into the 2010 development camp looking good. His game was mature, media liked him, coach's liked him. Renny gave caution to the media, telling everyone to be patient with the player and let him develop at his pace. As history would be told, Petry went to camp, did ok but eventually would end up in OKC. He did get a call up due to injuries to play with the Oilers. He started strong, but started to fade some and would eventually be returned back to the AHL to continue working on his game. Petry worked hard in OKC and would eventually get another chance to play in Edmonton. He would end up playing 41 games in the AHL and 35 with the NHL. By season's end Petry was maturing well, and handling himself quite fine.

Petry may falter at times but the determination to succeed will always be what separates him from many other players who have come and gone over the years. In fact last year Jeff showed his compete level in one game specifically where he made that extra effort to stop a puck that would have most certainly been in the net, if not for his goal line save

 Which brings us to this season. Will Jeff Petry play this season with the Oilers on opening night roster? Will this be the year he firmly plants himself in the top 6 defenceman role for the Edmonton Oilers? Or will he need some more time to refine his game in the AHL? Lots of questions but best evaluated by looking at his history (which we just did), the circumstances on the Oilers blueline, and the skill set he has to offer the Oilers.

Circumstances:

Most agree the Oilers have a long ways to go in becoming a stronger defensive team to play. The situation Jeff Petry finds himself in, is a numbers game. Not only with # of defenceman under one way contracts but a numbers game with waiver eligibility as well. Currently the Oilers have Whitney, Gilbert, Smid, Barker, Peckham, Sutton and Chorney. All of whom must clear waivers should they be sent down to the AHL to start the year. The Oilers will have 7 defenceman to start the year, so assuming all these men stay up, Petry will need to be sent down to OKC to start the year.

There are other possibilities to ponder. Sutton could be sent down with a hefty salary and buried in the AHL. Another team may pick him up, but at his salary, it is unlikely. Thing is, he brings a big body on defence the Oilers could plug in for a game here or there. Chorney is a possibility as well to be sent down, but would have to clear waivers as well. He very well may clear waivers as many oiler fans believe he would , but is it a chance the Oilers would want to take? They have a history of taking the safer route. Barker, Gilbert, Whitney, Smid and Peckham are going no where, so that leaves only two roster spots really available.

So the race for the final two spots left (one being the 7th defenceman, who I believe will be Andy Sutton) is between Chorney, Petry and Potter. Potter is a AHL vet with some NHL experience and could push well for that last spot as well. Should Potter make it, I would think it would be as the 7th defenceman role. The only thing that changes this scenario is a injury or a trade. Unlikely a trade will happen early on and we know the history when it comes to Oiler defenceman and injuries.

Skill:

Smart two-way defenseman who is an excellent skater with good mobility. plays with an edge and can lay out good hits. Will battle in front of the net.  Petry has a cannon for a shot, but often will use a wrist shot so that it does not get blocked. Excellent accurate passer out of the zone, will skate the puck up himself when no outlet pass available. Has good mix of size, skill and awareness. Uses his stick well in blocking the lanes and taking away the pass or shot.

Forecast:

What I think should happen and what will happen are probably two different things. Let's say all the defenceman play to their potential. I doubt the Oilers send Chorney down through waivers to the AHL and risk losing him. It is also possible with Whitney still not certain on his injury condition, he may not start the year on the opening night roster. I am hoping Whitney is ready, but no need to rush him in early and cause serious long term damage.

Petry is on the cusp, should Whitney not start the year, it's likely Petry will play in the second pairing role and remain with the team for the year. By the time Whitney is ready to return, it's very possible another injury to the defence could happen and again there would be no changes needed to those original 8 we were considering for the opening night roster.

In the end, IMO I believe we see all 8 defenceman here in Edmonton with 1 on the injured list. When 1 injured player returns it is very probable another will be going off. I can't see Petry going back to OKC. Sorry Baron fans, but with his skill set and his determination and pedigree, I think and believe he is a oiler for the long haul. Should I be wrong? Well, let's just say, OKC already is going to have one heck of a defence. Imagine Petry playing there as well?

let's bring on the season. It's been a long off season and I am sure Jeff is raring to go and prove that he is the real deal and wants to show that he is "The Graduate"

you can follow me on twitter @revingev

Kirill Tulupov Invited To Oilers Training Camp?

Our good friend at @OilersReport was reporting today that he's heard that former New Jersey Devils draft pick, Kirill Tulupov will (or possibly did) get an invitation to the Oilers training camp.

I did some digging on him and it turns out he was quite the nasty defenceman at the time of his draft. The tale of the tape says he's 6'3" and 220lbs, but who knows what he's at right now. It sounds like he has an accurate boomer of a slap shot and he's not afraid to get his nose dirty. The bright side is he's only 23 years old and is looking for some NHL employment. The Oilers could use a guy like that.

The New Jersey Devils selected him in 2006 in the 3rd round and 67th overall and I don't know why they parted ways.

He played 2 seasons in Chicoutimi (juniors) and 2 seasons in Victoriaville (juniors) before heading back to Europe to play his hockey over there.

Here's what I don't get. Why did he play on 4 different teams last year? Something smells fishy here.

2010/11 PLAYING HISTORY

- He played 4 games with Spartak Moskva in the KHL.  He had no points and just 8 penalty minutes.

- He played 9 games with Krylia Sovetov of the VHL. He scored once and he had 1 assist to go with 18 penalty minutes.


- He played 7 games with Molot-Prikamie Perm of the VHL. He only picked up an assist and 6 penalty minutes with that club.


- He played 6 games with Sary-Arka Karaganda of the Kazakhstan league. He had 1 assist and 10 penalty minutes.

All that change in one season of hockey? Makes you wonder why. If that isn't a red flag for taking a serious look into why that happened and what's wrong with him, then what is?

I guess we will see if he really is/does get invited for a try out with the Oilers. Can/will he impress?

So far, not that great.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Oilers Jambalaya's Top 25 Prospects List

I was asked by Derek Zona from the Copper & Blue website to submit my top 25 Edmonton Oilers prospects, or in other words, the guys who have not yet made the team.  Here is the list and rankings that I came up with.  Agree? Dissagree?

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

How long before Hartikainen will be "unleashed" on the NHL? This man was the "Beast from the East", crushing anything and everything in his way. With his soft hands around the net, his reckless abandon for the puck and his never quit attitude, Hartikainen won many a fan of the Edmonton Oilers faithful. The only question remains, "How long before the beast known as Hartikainen is released?"

I know, I know, I am just trying to soak this for all it's worth. While Hartikainen is not as much a beast as I make him out to be, he is one tough hombre who makes things real difficult for the opposition. I myself was extremely pleased with his play upon being recalled from the AHL. Many had heard good things of him in OKC, some of us saw good things of him in OKC. You can find many great articles written on him and his journey last season in OKC with the Barons, but I don't think anyone really saw what a competitor he was until he arrived here in Edmonton. He literally took the bull by the horns when he got his opportunity at the end of last season and performed well. Personally, I had previously liked what I was seeing from his game, but had no idea of his compete level. As good as this all sounds, there is a problem. Hartikainen is in real tough competition for a opening night roster. I know competition is good, but when your eligible to be sent to the AHL and the other guys your competing against are on one way contracts, the deck is really stacked against you. (I will come back to this and my thoughts on the competition that has been brought in, later during training camp.) So as much as we can guess and play out our version of what the opening night roster should look like, how about we look at the circumstances and the skills that Hartikainen has in his repertoire.

Circumstances:

Hartikainen is a left wing, but can also play the right wing. Smyth was not expected in Oilerville, so that threw the roster plan out the window (or so we think). They needed to add a agitator, tough guy and someone who can play the game and check well. Enter Ben Eager, oh did I mention, he's a left winger? Yup! So that puts Hall, Paajarvi, Smyth and Eager on left wing. I highly doubt one of those players sits in the press box so Hartikainen can play. Well if he can play right wing, maybe he can move to the other side. There must be a spot on the right wing? Actually the right side consists of spots taken by Hemsky, Eberle, Omark and Jones. So where does he fit? Unfortunately for him, it means injuries. IMO he is the very first call up on either wing should a injury occur. Oh yeah, I know, Hordichuk is there to fill one spot, but in all truth, Darcy will be a spot player. The guy is tough, and as rough as they can come at his size, but can't play the minutes or bring in the offence that Teemu can bring.

Skills:

You can find the various skill set that Hartikainen possess on many Oiler blog sites and on scouting websites. But after seeing him a couple times in camps,  live at Rexall, several times on TV, hearing some of the games in OKC and reading all the reports....I think his skills are pretty straight foreward. He is a tough forechecker, hard on the cycle, tough to get off the puck and has fairly soft hands for a player his type. Has a compete level that makes your 'liver quiver' and can be found charging the opposition's net, many times a game. The knock on Teemu early on, was his footspeed, however seeing him play last year after the call up to the Oilers, his footspeed was no longer looking to be as much of a concern.

Forecast:

He's tough, tough as nails and I suspect that is one reason the hard working people of Edmonton love him so much. He's got the appearance of the heart and soul player so many people fell in love with, named Ryan Smyth. Hartikainen truly is what the Oilers have been looking and waiting for. The question, " Is he still a project in the making or is he ready to begin his journey as a Edmonton Oiler"? The most likely scenario will be Hartikainen will be the first call up in place of a injury to a winger. Where he goes from there will be entirely up to him.  If he continues to improve on his game, I believe Teemu has top 9 potential.

We all know injuries are a part of playing hockey and you can never have enough players waiting in the wings. Should Hartikainen get his opportunity early in the season, he very well could force Tambo's hands where a trade is required. My question is not ,"will Hartikainen make the NHL roster full-time"?  but "when will Hartikainen make the NHL roster full-time"?

you can follow me on twitter @revingev

"For the LOVE of Teubert"



Stealing the famous words "to be, or not to be"  that is the question.  As you may notice in the above picture, there are player's jersey's that no longer hang in the Oilers dressing room. Gone are the likes of Vishnosky, MacIntyre, Stortini, Reddox, Moreau, and the list goes on. Players come and players go but the real question is....Who is going to stay? For the LOVE of Teubert, I truly hope Colten is the player many are worried he MAY NOT be.


Since the trade that sent Penner to the LA Kings and Colten to the Edmonton Oilers organization, Teubert has been scrutinized by some for being a failed prospect and will at best be a 5th-6th defenceman. Others hold out hope that Teubert will find his game soon enough and become that big tough rugged defenceman who will punish any and everyone who enters the Oilers zone. And then there are those who wait and watch patiently as he continues to hone his game in the AHL.

As mentioned many times by sports media, bloggers and scouting, defenceman are a different breed of player then forwards. Their development most often takes more years to come to fruition. It's not uncommon to see a defenceman develop his game in the minors and turn into one heck of a player in the future. Teubert is one of those players who many are trying to decide where he fits onto this Oilers team. Of course we all hope he turns into that #1 defensive stud that man's our blue line for the next 12 years. But since this is not a blog about fantasy, let's just focus on some of the circumstances he faces and the skill set he has. From that, we can all determine were we personally believe he will eventually end up.


Circumstances:

Like any other prospect, Colten faces the difficult task of cracking a blue line on the NHL club. With players who are quite young in place already and some with good experience behind them, cracking any NHL club's line up on opening night is tough. As tough as it may be to find a spot for Colten Teubert on the Oilers roster come opening night, it's not unimaginable. There are many question marks on our blue line. Teubert's toughest competition for that spot is actually two players, "Taylor Chorney and Jeff Petry". Fortunately for Colten, his game is very different from both these guys. Colten is more a defensive defenceman, so that would mean his toughest competition would be the likes of Sutton, Theo Peckham, Smid and as mentioned by Lowetide , Corey Potter. Sutton? Unless he gets traded or sent to the minors I highly doubt it will be in his place. Smid? Not likely with his experience. Peckham? The way his game developed last year, I find it hard to see him being passed by on the depth chart. Potter? I know Lowetide believes in this guy, but personally, I just can't see it happening. For me , he is a depth position guy on the blue line who is going to help in OKC and a emergency call up should one of the younger prospects (ie: Teubert) not move forward in the development of their game, enough to warrant a opportunity with the big club.


Skills:

Colten is a beast on the ice when he is on his game. This guy can hit and put some fear into the forwards coming down the wing. He is great at covering a good portion of the ice and can follow the play quite well. Colten's foot speed has been said to have improved this last year (this was a concern by some coach's early on for Teubert). Seeing him at 2011 development camp, Colten looked poised in the plays, executed well and seemed to have that extra first step. Coach Nelson likes what he See's in Colten's game and appears to be excited about this coming season and what it holds in store for him


Forecast:

Teubert has a tough road against him in regards to playing for the Oilers this year, but I would think he will get a look see for a few games at some point this season through injuries or trades. In order for that to happen, I personally believe he will need to stay injury free and spot into the OKC line up on a nightly basis. He will need to be their go to defenceman with the tough minutes. Should he keep tracking good progress, he will get his chance. Unlikely he can crack that opening night roster though. For all the Teubert supporters out there, be patient, his day is not to far away. Love him, or hate him, Teubert is coming soon to a rink near you!

you can follow me on twitter @revingev