Jays Oilers early Preview

Summer is over and hockey is back. Could things be any better? The Oilers made many changes over the summer, some good and some not so good. I will go in depth on some of the moves and what I see happening with the Oilers this season. This is my first blog for Oilers Jambalaya and i have not blogged much the past year so be nice lol.

Letting Cogliano go could end up being the worst thing the Oilers have done the past few seasons. Cogliano is young and has shown he will be a reliable 2-way player. The Oilers seem to have a history of giving up on players when they are still young. One example would be Jason Arnott but there are many more.

Sam Gagner holds his future in his own hands this year. To remain an Oiler he will need to step up his game. Nothing short of 55-60 points will do and a vast improvement on his faceoffs. The Oilers simply have to much depth at center after the free agent signing of Belanger and RNH being drafted 1st overall and Gagner could end up being the odd man out if he doesn’t impress the coaching staff before the trade deadline.

Its much to early to tell but from what I have seen from Ryan Nuggent-Hopkins I can honestly say ive been very impressed. The little things he does on the ice adds up to a lot. Hopkins sees the game better than I ever could of imagined he would at his young age. Yes it is early with only 1 pre-season and 2 rookie games under his belt but he has shown signs that he will be every bit the player the Oilers hope he will be.

Ryan Smyth could be the best thing the Oilers did this summer. Not for his offensive skill but for the way he plays the game and how the young guys will see that and know what needs to be done to win. Smyth plays 100 percent every shift every game. He is willing to take a beating in front of the net and never scared to make the hard play. If even 1 or 2 of the young guys learn something from Smyth then bringing him back will have proven to be a success.

Anton Lander is another guy who has really impressed me early on. He is a guy with good hands who is willing to do what it takes to win. As Dan tencer tweeted “Lander hates losing as much as anyone ive ever talked to.Guy despises it”. Is that not the attitude we need to see more of in Edmonton?

Defence is what scares me about the Oilers. There was a time when fans thought we had to many puck moving defenseman and a short few years later we are now begging for one. I cant help but think that if we would have kept Grebs two seasons ago he could be that guy.

There are some young guys who look like they will eventually step up on Defense but as we all know it usually takes years to develop a defenseman so a trade may be the best option here. I will say however that I was impressed with Petry at times last season and with Tulupov getting an invite he could work himself into the rotation by seasons end. The Oilers also have a couple other young guys who could step up.

Another big question about the Oilers comes in goaltending. Can Khabibulin have a bounce back year? Is Dubnyk ready to be a starter? I see Khabi having a good year yes but he will only play 40 or so games this season with Dubnyk getting the remaining starts. I just don’t see Dubnyk ever becoming a true number 1 but I have been wrong before. I see him becoming a good back-up and feel the Oilers need to go after a true number 1 after this season.

Overall my way to early to tell prediction would be the Oilers finishing in tenth or eleventh spot in the west right behind or ahead of the flames. I see Petry earning a spot on the roster while Lander, Tulupov and Hartikinen getting early call ups due to injury.

You can follow me on twitter at @Friesennhl

"Split Decision"

What if the fate and the future of the Edmonton Oilers was in your hands? What if it was up to you, to decide the next decision as owner, President or General manager of the team? Would you use the wisdom of the scouts, coach's and manager's in making big decisions? Or would you give the fans a chance to voice their vote, give their opinion?  After all, we know the fans can't be wrong. Or can they?

Well, it was a interesting night on many accounts. Got a chance to take in the one game at 'Rexall Place'  tonight and came out happy to see hockey again. I will admit, after the first period, I was just glad to have hockey back, but was starting to get that feeling of 'here we go again'. Turned out, the Oilers got back into the game and started really making some things happen. All in all, it was a good night. Enjoyed the folks around us, talked lots with Oiler fans, filled them in, on  lesser known players and even got to cheer after seeing some goals scored.

I planned to listen to the radio broadcasts on the way home to get updated on anything from the Chicago game in Saskatoon and then catch the game replay from streaming video online. Upon getting home, I find out I can't see the replay of the video feed. Also found little information was given. In fact I had more information from twitter then I did anywhere else, including sports radio coverage. For me, the Oilers dropped the ball on this one. Felt more like this was about working on the team game for the players and less about the fans. I can get it, but one problem with that....'the fans pay the bills".

So with saying all that, I just want to let you know, I have very little information from what happened in Saskatoon except the limited highlights. The game itself here in Edmonton carried a lot of mistakes from both teams early on. Once the players started getting their legs going, the cob webs started to unsettle and it started looking like a NHL hockey game. We all know it's the first game of the year, players are trying to get their legs going and establish chemistry with line mates, not to mention just get their timing down. It was exciting to see the 'All Swedish Line' do well. Sure they took 4 penalty's but again it's pre-season, it's the time to get that all out of the system isn't it? Fedun played another great game until taken out by a boarding hit by Powe. Hordichuck laid a crushing check and had to face Kassian in a fight to the ice. He held his own even though he was definitely out sized in this one. What was his secret to staying in the fight and not getting his face messed up? Throw way more punches then you receive and don't stop til it's over. Seriously, he may have lost the fight, but besides his helmet sent flying by a big punch by Kassian, he was speed bagging (except rarely hitting much) Kassian.

Would have been exciting to see a overtime match the first game of the year with real competition but you can't have it all on the first night can you? In Saskatoon, the 'Nuge' along with Smyth and Eberle stole the show by the sounds of it. Except for Josh Green who would not be upstaged this night. He appeared to do well on the scoreboard despite his limited time on ice. Smyth looks to be a ageless wonder (let's hope that continues) Eberle looks to still have the 'Midas Touch' and RNH continues to show why he was selected #1 over all in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Coming back to my opening comments. What if, it was really up to us fans to decide who stays up and who does not? The reason I bring this up? Well, after reading blogs all summer, see all the comments by fans,  read the opinions by scouts and the so called experts, I really do believe that many of us believe we can make decisions for this team better then management. I am not saying this to get your hair up and to start a debate, but c'mon Oil fans. Actually, it's not only us Oiler fans, it's the MSM as well.

The problem that I am seeing is, the opinions are not balanced both ways. (ok, I know, that's my Opinion) Let me explain. If someone plays well in pre-season, people get all excited and start believing their the next ( fill in blank). Of course , some will say, wait and see. let's see if this player can carry this through to the regular season. OK, that's fair, let's do that. But what about the other way around? What if they struggle early on? Could that not be the actual player just shaking off the dust from a season off? Can't we give them till the regular season and see where they are at? I guess what I am saying is, how can we jump all over a player cause of one bad game, yet in the same breath , praise another player cause of a good game? Is it not a wait and see for them both? Now granted, based on practice, based on previous years and background, we may already (management I am meaning, not fans) know their potential ceiling or lack of. However if someone is not known to fare as well in their past history, yet has one good game, should that not be considered?

Past history tells us a lot about a player. If a player is known to show signs they are lacking in a area of their game and it shows in the pre-season game, chances are good, they have not improved enough to warrant a continued look. On the other hand, should a player show continued improvement and elite level skills throughout their career to date, a good showing in a pre-season game, could be a sign that player is showing exactly the player they were thought to be.

Confused yet? I think I am almost confusing myself. My main point as a fan is, 'why do we think we know more then the actual management, coaching and scouts?' I have no problem someone arguing a point that has some merit and thought process into it, but let's be realistic here. There are many factors to making a decision as to who will be in the Edmonton Oilers roster for the duration of the year.

The best example I can use is the 'Nuge'. Tonight at the hockey game I had a discussion with some folks about the possibility of RNH staying with the Oilers or being returned to Jr's. Either way, he WILL be a Oiler. If not this year, then next year for certain. It doesn't matter to me either way, however some are already sending him back to Jr. My only question at this point is why? If you told me, we will wait and see how he fares against tougher competition, I would be ok with that argument, but to say he has to go back, because he is too small? Really? Is that all you got? I have already covered some of the argument to that in a earlier blog called "Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ready for PRIMETIME?"

(check out what Oiler staff,players and coach's have said about RNH and his size)

How do you decide if someone is too small? Because their too Short? Too Slender? Too Lanky? They look like a teenager? 'Sorry kid, back to Jr's for you!' What if they are a better player then your other option's? You still send them down? I understand Entry level Contracts, One way contracts etc...What I don't understand, is why some so adamantly believe they know better then the professionals who make a living doing this. Give me good meaningful reasons why RNH or anyone else for that matter should be sent packing at the end of camp and I am all ears. Just use reason and logic, not senseless thought statements. The one statement given to me tonight on why RNH needs to go back to Jr's (you know who you are, Mr.Hemsky fan) was, "A friend of mine who works in the medical field says RNH is TINY, no way he can take a hit without being crushed. He has to go back and get bigger". Maybe he is right, maybe he needs to build up his core strength more. I don't know, all I can say is, til this point, he has looked pretty good. The 'Nuge' has shown nothing to the Oiler staff that he needs to go back to the Red Deer Rebels. Now that could change within a game or two, but right now, he continues to perform and perform well.  All hail "the NUGE"!

p.s. (I gave this wonderful Oiler fan our website address and told him to please comment in here if I am wrong and RNH does not remain with the Oilers for the season. My question is, 'will he comment in here if I am right?')

If the Oilers were in your hands, what would you do? What is your logic behind your decision? What about Hartikanen? How about Lander? Tough decisions that can affect the future of your club if not handled properly. For me, I will leave that up to the Oilers management and continue to sit on my soapbox, yelling and judging every decision the Edmonton Oilers make. In the meantime, and in between time, that's it, for another addition of 'hockey tonight'!

Edmonton Oilers 2011 Pre-Season

1 WIN 1 LOSS = 2 POINTS

For continued information on Oiler and Barons news and 2012 NHL draft watch, you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/revingev

EdmontonOilers.com Is Now iPhone And iPad Friendly

I tried watching the Joey Moss cup the other day on my iPhone and it wouldn't play the video. I was pretty sad about this. Until today...

EdmontonOilers.com is now iPhone and iPad friendly. You can watch the videos and they now have an app for your phone or iPad. Simple to use and very user friendly. I can't thank the Oilers enough for doing what they had to do to make this happen. Our lives just got easier.

**THERE IS NOT AN APP IN THE APPLE APP STORE YET** Go to EdmontonOilers.com to get the mobile iPhone version.

All we need now is an Oklahoma City Barons app. FYI, there is a Stockton Thunder app for the iPhone.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Both Lines Combos For Tonight's Oilers Games

Edmonton Game vs Wild

Hall - Belanger –Jones
Paajarvi – Lander – Omark
Eager – Pitlick – Keller
Martindale – House – Cornet

Cam Barker – Tom Gilbert
Martin Marincin – Kiril Tulupov
David Musil – Taylor Fedun

Nikolai Khabibulin
Tyler Bunz


Saskatoon Game vs Chicago

Smyth-Nugent-Hopkins-Eberle
Tyrvainen-VandeVelde-Hartikainen
Petrell-Brule-Hordichuk
Green-O'Marra-Hamilton

Smid-Peckham
Chorney-Petry
Davidson-Potter

Dubnyk
Roy

"Let the Games begin"

Ladies and Gentleman, Boy's and Girls, get ready for

Oil Country to go Crazy mad hockey on you!

With the Joey Moss Cup now behind us for 2011, the season is about to start. The Oiler's first two pre-season games take place tuesday night September 20th/11 with split squad games. One at home and one game away. It's showtime! While the team's opening roster has not been fully decided yet, the action begins and this will be the first competition of the season for the Edmonton Oilers Veteran's and Rookies. This is where, the rubber meets the road. It's where boys become men, or they go home. There is nothing like the fresh smell of sweet Oiler hockey to get the juices flowing.


Got the chance to get out to the Joey Moss Cup and see some of the players for myself tonight. Was a enjoyable game to sit back and see some hockey once again. Hitting was limited, but it gave you a early indicator of where fitness wise, skill wise and game ready the team as a whole is right now. Some players will soon be sent back to jr hockey, some will maybe just be let go, others will be assigned to the Stockton Thunder and others to the OKC Barons. The remainder will get ready for the regular season. In the meantime some players are going to show the coach's and management exactly what they got. As much as the game was a early sign of some of the skill sets the players possess, it also is too early to read too much into what was seen. A game against another team is what the dr is ordering if your looking to really see where this team is compared to last year.


I am sure if your reading this post (many hours following the game Sunday afternoon) you have already saw highlights on the net, on tv or read the many articles that have already hit cyberspace. Interesting thing about watching player's and then giving your evaluation? You can sometimes hear two different opinion's yet they saw the same game. It's all perspective sometimes, other times it can be difficult to follow so many players at the same time, so you may have only caught a glance of the play that actually occurred. Some players I was unable to cover as I just couldn't possibly get enough notes down to cover everyone.

Some of my take home thoughts on what I saw today in the Joey Moss Cup

'blue/white scrimmage'

-  Linus Omark
needed some time to get his legs under him. Was not that noticeable until near the end of the first. Worked hard on the back check which was an important area he was needing to improve on in defensive zone coverage. On a couple occasions played some with Nugent-Hopkins in a give and go, but otherwise a quiet night. Renny sound pleased in his post game interview with Omark.


-  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
I would actually say that I felt Ryan Nugent-Hopkins looked to have the best game of the group if not for a 3rd period giveaway that almost resulted in a goal. Otherwise he looked good in the faceoff circle (I estimated he was 5 for 8 in the dot) as well did a superb job on the PK on a couple occasions. Late in the third with team white pressing RNH took on Hall one on one and held him at bay. If anything, he is looking good at his defensive zone coverage. This was an area he did well at already, but few have given him credit for. He made a few nice offensive plays, however he didn't seem to find much chemistry with the two swedes. He displayed his brilliance and skill at puck retrieval on the forecheck today which had some "ahhs" from the crowd. Definitely is good at slowing the play down. Interested to see how he does tuesday night when the speed picks up more, the checks start coming and he really starts competing for the centre spot.


-  Magnus Paajarvi
Played a great game and as usual, was reliable defensively and strong on the forecheck. Makes the game look quite smooth and seems to be ready to go for the year. Hopefully he carries right on from where he left off last year.


-  Tyler Pitlick
Great game as he continues to start really ramping up things. Has seem to really get his feet under him and played very well in the centre spot today. Looked to win more faceoffs then he lost and definitely will be trying to make it hard to play him.


-  Ryan Keller
showed some good foot speed early on. Can tell he has played the game awhile as he seems to find the holes needed to get into for scoring opportunities. Looks tough to play. Should be a excellent replacement in OKC this year. A player to get excited about if your a Barons fan.


-  Antti Tyrvainen
This guy doesn't seem to know the meaning of 'Quit'. Tough on the puck, skates hard, tries to find the open lanes but will battle hard in the corners. Was hilarious at the end of the game where O'Marra had an open net to shoot into, except Anttti furiously slapped his stick on the ice to give him the puck for the empty netter. Basically stole OMara's goal. I can see the two working as a fourth line in OKC this year.


-  Gilbert Brule
wow, is all I can say. How can Los Angeles actually say he was not fit to play and void that trade? If I was them, I would be kicking myself for turning away on that deal. I know, there are other reasons that probably came into play, but it was a mistake in my opinion. Brule was flying today. He was good on the forecheck, on the backcheck, shooting from all angles and digging hard in the corners. You can tell, he is not giving up his spot without a fight. From what I saw tonight? If Brule stays healthy, he will be playing opening night (I know, it's only a scrimmage game)


-  Lennert Petrell
Deceptive quickness out there on the ice. Was very noticeable early on in the game but looked to fatigue some as the game wore on. Not really agile on his edges, but definitely likes to get in on the forecheck. Not sure he will have much of a chance to play in Edmonton, but definitely will get some good opportunities to get noticed in OKC.


-  Cam Barker
From my eye, made one big give away in the offensive zone early but was probably one of the better defenders in the game though. Very smooth skater and excellent puck mover. Was able to get the puck up to the forwards with ease. This is his year to impress, so let's all cross our fingers he lives up to his draft and early career hype once again.


-  Taylor Chorney
Taylor looks to be still getting his skating legs under him. Made a few errors throughout the game and mostly in the defensive zone. Have a hard time seeing him supplant Petry in the opening night roster.


-  Kirill Tulupov
Really like his game. Works hard in the corners but today's scrimmage makes it hard to show his tight checking game. Nailed Eager in the corner with a good check at one point. Eager had a few words with him following, but with being on a PTO , I am sure he is more worried about impressing. Could be a player who pushes hard from OKC this year if he is able to get in and be signed to a contract.


 - Taylor Fedun
Along with Barker, Fedun really showed well. His poise with the puck and ability to think the game with maturity was a delight to see. I like his game. Looks to be a excellent prospect. Another great find for the Barons this year.


-  Alex Plante
Great big wingspan that covers alot of the ice. he did well positionally when I was following his play but his foot speed still does not seem up to what he is going to need to be at, to be successful in the NHL.

-  Olivier Roy
Played the second half of the game. Let in a top glove hand shot, but held strong the rest of the game. Very stable and confident in the crease as he was able to keep his focus and not get lost in all the excitement. This is an area, that Olivier has struggled so this was a good sign to see today. Pretty sure he will be playing with the Stockton Thunder this season but I think he very well may be ready for back up duty in the AHL. Many people are talking about him falling on the prospects list for goalies, but I wouldn't count him out. He has a lot of fight in him and looks to have matured quite a bit over this last year.

-  David LeNeveu
Had one questionable goal scored on him but played fairly good. Seems to be really good with his leg work, with kick saves and all. Looks to maybe be a goalie that can cough up a few too many rebounds possibly.

-  Taylor Hall
Had his legs on him today as he was flying. Could tell he was still trying to get his timing down on the plays. I'd be interested to hear what he has to say about being chased down on the PP late in the game by Nugent-Hopkins. Eventually he lost the puck to him but was a good battle. Hall is the type of player who builds momentum. The further along we go, the more people like what they see in Hall's game.

-  Anton Lander
Lander seemed a little lost out there with Hall and Eberle. It's not that he did anything terribly wrong, but was caught a few times out of position chasing the puck. I am sure it's a big adjustment coming to a new country and starting to settle in some and get used to new systems. Again , as I mentioned before, I know it's early, but I see Lander taking some time in OKC to hone his game some. He is a quick learner, so if that happens, I expect him to exceed expectations.

-  Jordan Eberle
What a player. Thinks the game real well. Was really snake bitten Sunday afternoon though. Had several chances that he couldn't quite bury. The hands will come, it's still real early. Still hoping to see Eberle play with RNH. I really think they would feed well off each other well.

-  Ryan Smyth
The guy doesn't seem to age. He plays the game the way he has been taught. He knows where to go, how long to stay, when to let off the forecheck, when to get on the forecheck. Tough in the corners and on the puck and can still get to the puck well. His speed doesn't look any worse for wear either.

-  Eric Belanger
Belanger looks like he likes it here. Reminds me lots of Jason Strudwick in his demeanor. Nice guy, and very confident with the puck. Set up the nice goal with Hartikanen. I like those two together, they would have some chemistry it looks like.

-  Teemu Hartikainen
Scored a sweet goal on a nice feed pass from Belanger. Teemu seems to have taken over where he finished off at the end of last year. He was quite noticeable out on the ice most his shifts and for good reasons. Hartikanen is going to really be pushing for a spot on the NHL club. Should he not be able to break the loaded forward line-up, the Barons will be more then happy, to get whatever time they can with him in OKC.

-  Ben Eager
man, this guy can skate. many times bigger guys don't look quick on the ice but still do well in getting from point A to point B, but Eager looks quick. Looks like a pretty big boy flying out there, and has some decent puck skills to boot. Looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table each night.

-  Chris VandeVelde
Chris had a lacklustre game to me. I like him a lot but he did himself no favours in securing a centre spot on the Oilers with this audition. Barely noticed, except when losing face-offs. Hopefully since he starts slow but comes on later, all guns will be firing as each practice and game continues.

-  Tanner House
Tanner played a decent game. Did not notice any mistakes in his game and seemed to execute the plays well. Is very confident with the puck and really likes to control the play. Scored a beauty goal with a nice top glove hand shot. I see Tanner doing quite well in OKC this year. The Barons are going to have some nice talent in their line up with skill like Tanner offers.

-  Ryan Martindale
Played his time on the wing Sunday afternoon. Great big body presence he brings. Here is hoping he doesn't go back to jr but right to OKC to get started on his pro development. At this stage , I see no need to send him back. he needs to development at a pro level with pro coach's.

-  Jeff Petry
I know many have called for Petry to be sent down to OKC instead of someone else because he has waiver eligibility. I can't see this happening. Petry has started strong and looks to only continue. I know it's the first scrimmage but he looks miles ahead of some others in his development at this point.

- Yann Danis
Let in a couple in a a half games work. Can tell he is a smart goaltender who has learnt to play a more simple game. Good positionally and had good lateral movement.


All in all, a good fun time was had at the Joey Moss Cup. Next up? First pre-season games Tuesday evening. With the good young talent we have been drafting, the veteran presence that is being brought in and the growing stable already in place, 2011/2012 is looking to be a year of forward progress. So if your ready...."Let the games begin!"

2011/2012 Season Preview

For continued information on Oiler and Barons news and 2012 NHL draft watch, you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/revingev