Edmonton Oilers Development Camp Notes
By Zane Tomich
The Edmonton Oilers prospects reached the conclusion of Development Camp after playing in the Billy Moores Cup, which was held on Monday, July 6th at Rexall Place.
Team White had the upper hand in the end as Connor McDavid and company came out on top with a decisive victory over Draisaitl’s Team Blue. The final score was 8-6.
The young up and comers were graced with the privilege of playing in front of a Rexall crowd of over 10,000 spectators. Loyal Oiler fans flocked to the legendary house that Gretzky built to watch the stars of tomorrow perform. The atmosphere was electric. It is funny how it’s only July and the Billy Moores Cup was nothing more than a simple scrimmage, yet the building was well over half full.
Nonetheless, the Billy Moores Cup was an excellent turnout that showcased a wide range of talent within the Oilers prospect pipeline. We also got to see that McDavid kid indulge in his first bit of action in an Oilers uniform.
I watched the game online and there were definitely some players on both the blue and white team that I felt made an excellent impression.
McDavid, Draisaitl and Nurse are in a class of their own. They are clearly at a different level than the rest of the prospects that were out there. They possess valuable pedigree as high first round draft picks and they absolutely dominated in camp. The ice was literally owned by these three young men and they are extremely close to landing full time NHL jobs.
Here are my top 5 players that I felt were the best in the Billy Moores Cup:
1. Connor McDavid (Team White) – I think his 5-goal performance in the game can speak for itself. With that being said, you have to realize that the scrimmage was non-contact so basically the Billy Moores Cup was just a fancy pond hockey game. However, there is no doubt that McDavid displayed world class skill, finess and was by far the most dynamic player out there. His playmaking ability is out of this world and he has the quickest, softest hands I have ever seen. It is ridiculous how fast of a skater he is. Nobody can catch him once he gains the extra stride. It will be interesting to see how fast he can adapt and transition his dominant game to the NHL level.
2. Darnell Nurse (Team White) – He is a man amongst boys. A force in physicality and strength. It was VERY rare to see a player in camp burn him on a one on one or a simple rush. Nurse is quite fast and very mobile for a man of his size. He likes to jump up in the rush and push the play forward to get an offensive attack in motion. His skills with the puck are good and he thinks the game well. During the Billy Moores Cup, Nurse displayed superb two-way ability as a defender and showed how strong he was by out- muscling his opponent when they tried to skate past him. He is very competitive and will almost certainly get his shot in the future to become the Edmonton Oilers number one defenseman. I see a reincarnation of Chris Pronger when I watch Nurse play. He is ferocious.
3. Leon Draisaitl (Team Blue) – Another man that simply looks like he is playing amongst the big boys. The big German is a prized possession. His amazing combination of size and skill provides sky high value and usefulness that will greatly contribute to the Oilers efforts of competing against the powerhouse Western Conference. As I have watched him play, I notice just how strong he really is on the puck and how hard it is for players to muscle him off of it. He has slick puck skills and incredible playmaking ability. In terms of strength, skill and large frame I see a lot Jaromir Jagr in Leon. However I also see Anze Kopitar in Leon as well, because he can play a strong two- way game and he has an incredible ability in which he can dish the puck to players from every angle on the ice. During the scrimmage on Monday, he was dangerous. He had lots of quality scoring chances and made some very nice plays. Leon looked like a veteran out there.
4. Joey Laleggia (Team Blue) – The 23 year old was one of the older players at development camp. He is a very skilled defenseman. After watching Laleggia’s game on Monday, I came to the conclusion that he plays a game style quite similar to Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug. Laleggia is a very good skater. He can carry the puck end to end and smoothly transition the play up the ice. He also displayed strong, creative puck skills and passing in the scrimmage. The goal he scored during the game was a nice way to stand out as well. Although undersized at 5”10, he is proving to be a more than capable defensive prospect. The University of Denver graduate showed at this years camp that he is worth considering for the future. He will for sure turn pro this year and play for the Oilers new farm team in the AHL.
5. Greg Chase (Team White) – Considered a steal in the 7th round of the 2013 NHL Draft, Chase has shown that that statement could very well be true. He is a very skilled player that can play a 200 foot game. He has excellent puck skills, a great shoot and terrific passing ability. I noticed during Mondays scrimmage that he can get the puck on his teammates stick even in the toughest areas of the ice or pass through traffic in front of the net. Chase had a goal and a few assists in the game. I like how he is a feisty player that plays with an edge. He is known for being hard to play against. I see a little bit of David Perron in him in terms of skill and being a thorn in opposing teams sides. His combination of skill, offensive ability and agitating style makes him an intriguing player for the Oilers to consider in the future. He is already signed to an entry level contract so he is on the right track in his road to the NHL. Chase will turn pro full time this year.
This years development camp showed how much deeper the Edmonton Oilers have got in the prospect department and the quality of young players they have within the organization. Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli had a very successful draft this year and he has put the wheels in motion for a new and affective way to evaluate and identify good prospects for the future.
With a fresh new scouting staff and former Memorial Cup winning Edmonton Oil Kings architect Bob Green at the helm of scouting and player development, I believe we will see a lot more success with drafting and developing players. It is a step in the right direction after decades of draft busts and wasted draft picks.
This upcoming season, I think we will definitely see some highly touted prospects in the system take a step forward in their development.