Edmonton Oilers Rookies 2014 Edition
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Leon Draisaitl poses for a photo with team officials after being selected as the number three overall pick to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Edmonton Oilers finally released their list of invites for the rookies camp starting this Sept 11th with physicals and concluding I believe on Sept 17th with the game against the University of Alberta Golden Bears, current CIS national champions at Claire Drake Arena. Go Golden Bears!
There were hardly any surprises on the list since most of the names have been floated around on several media outlets and blogs throughout the summer. Beyond the obvious excitement to see Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse in action I thought it would be interesting to compare 2013 and 2014 players to their performances at the league they spent the most time in last season and see if the shelves are stacked with quality, quantity, or have emptied out.
Today I will begin with the goalies, then d men and forwards on subsequent posts. For goalies I will only look at their sv% for the sake of simplicity and because I think it is the best stat to consider when looking only at the individual.
Goalies:
2013:
| BIO | 2013-2014 STATS | ||||||
| Name | H | W | C | DOB | GP | SV% | League |
| Tyler Bunz | 6′ 1″ | 198 | L | 2/11/92 | 13 | 0.903 | BAKERSFIELD ECHL |
| Philippe Cadorette | 5′ 11″ | 183 | L | 4/07/95 | 52 | 0.904 | Baie-Comeau QMJHL |
| Franky Palazzese | 6′ 1″ | 160 | L | 5/28/93 | 60 | 0.916 | SUDBURYOHL |
| Ty Rimmer | 6′ 1″ | 175 | L | 3/23/93 | 39 | 0.906 | QUAD CITY CHL |
Tyler Bunz. Drafted in 2010 by the Oilers, he seems to be on his way out of the organization. He was probably the worst affected by the goalie carousel the oilers had last season and a late season injury didn’t help matters. For comparison, Olivier Roy wasn’t in the prospect camp last year and is already out of the Oilers system (he was dealt to the flames and is currently a FA).
Philippe Cadorette. Made first All-Star Team in the QMJHL and seems to be having a solid junior career. Went undrafted the last two years, seems to me like a better bet than Keven Bouchard, even if he has a smaller frame.
Franky Palazzese. Solid Junior career, undrafted. Currently FA.
Ty Rimmer. The happiest story out of last year’s rookie camp. He came as a FA and left with a pro contract. Saw him play against the Golden Bears last year and I thought he was very capable and very competitive. He re-signed with the barons on an AHL SPC (standard player contract). He doesn’t count against the 50 man list and he is in the system. Great asset management by the Oilers organization.
2014:
| BIO | 2013-2014 STAT | ||||||
| Name | H | W | C | DOB | GP | SV% | League |
| Laurent Brossoit | 6’3 | 200 | L | 03/23/93 | 35 | 0.923 | BAKERSFIELD ECHL |
| Keven Bouchard | 6’3 | 205 | L | 04/19/96 | 27 | 0.887 | VAL-D’OR QMJHL |
| Ty Rimmer | 6’0 | 170 | L | 03/23/92 | 39 | 0.906 | QUAD CITY CHL |
| Frans Tuohimaa | 6’2 | 194 | R | 08/19/91 | 19 | 0.894 | FINLAND LIIGA |
Laurent Brossoit. Big fan of this guy since his time with the Oil Kings. Came to the Oilers in the Ladi Smid trade last season, very solid at the ECHL level. Was the official pinball last year, playing all over NA. This is his year to make a solid case for the Oilers’ goaltender of the future.
Keven Bouchard. Not quite sure why the Oilers picked him. He played back up to an outstanding goalie in Val-d’Or, posting mediocre numbers. Seems like a wasted pick from a distance.
Ty Rimmer. Back for more. I like this guy, he plays with passion and posted decent, if not spectacular numbers in his pro debut. He already earned another pro contract. I see him as a better prospect than Keven Bouchard, although with a 4 year difference, Bouchard still has plenty of time to catch up.
Frans Tuohimaa. The mystery Finn. His numbers are decidedly underwhelming on Finland’s top league. He was brought to this side of the pond late last season to OKC and showed ability, but the sample size is too small to really tell what’s going on. Looked more like a front office move to burn his entry-level contract faster and make way for a more solid prospect. This is his last chance to impress.
These are the prospect goalies in the current cupboard of the Edmonton Oilers. It seems the team decided to focus on in-house product, a product much bigger in size but similar in skill. The depth at this position is very shaky, with only Brossoit in my eyes as a solid option and Ty Rimmer as a bet worth making. As I wrote before, I think Tyler Bunz is on his way out, if not by trade, by end of his contract this season. Tuohimaa is on the same boat, although it seems the organization is still making up its mind about him. Overall this year there’s 4 guys who are actually in the oilers system in one capacity or another vs last year when Bunz was the only actual prospect. Both Cadorette and Palazzese outplayed Bouchard, but Bouchard is bigger, so maybe that is why today one is an NHL prospect and the other 2 are FAs.
Perhaps there is no outstanding quality in this crop of rookies, but there is certainty. Baby steps, but I think the position has been improved, and for the Oilers, any step forward is a huge win. What do you think?