Oil On Whyte » Prospects http://oilonwhyte.com An Edmonton Oilers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More Wed, 15 May 2013 18:39:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Oilers Trade Tobais Rieder To Phoenix For Kale Kessy http://oilonwhyte.com/2013/03/29/oilers-acquire-kale-kessy-from-phoenix-for-tobias-rieder/ http://oilonwhyte.com/2013/03/29/oilers-acquire-kale-kessy-from-phoenix-for-tobias-rieder/#comments Sat, 30 Mar 2013 02:30:24 +0000 Jeffrey Chapman http://oilonwhyte.com/?p=6476 I remember it like yesterday. There I was, sitting at Bocktown Beer and Grill in Coraopolis PA for day two of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. I had about a thousand and one Unibroues at the bar, and things were going just fine. Sitting next to Copper and Blue Editor Derek Zona (and having just [...]

Oilers Trade Tobais Rieder To Phoenix For Kale Kessy - Oil On Whyte - Oil On Whyte - An Edmonton Oilers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> I remember it like yesterday. There I was, sitting at Bocktown Beer and Grill in Coraopolis PA for day two of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. I had about a thousand and one Unibroues at the bar, and things were going just fine. Sitting next to Copper and Blue Editor Derek Zona (and having just witnessed the third round), I told him that it wasn’t all bad that the Oilers drafted Travis Ewanyk. I mean, hey, the guy might turn into a solid bottom six, right? That ain’t so bad, right? (Spoiler- I was probably wrong about that being the right pick at that moment).

Fourth round comes up and the Oilers take Tobias Rieder. A centre who would go on to score 85 points with Kitchener of the OHL. Fourth round picks are a lot more difficult to determine whether or not they’ll pan out, but Rieder has a shot to be an NHL player.

Today the Oilers dealt Tobias Rieder to the Phoenix Coyotes for Kale Kessey, the man drafted three spots before Rieder. What’s the big deal? Remember the 85 points Rieder had in 2011-12? Kessey had 16 in 49 games for Medicine Hat. Kessey will never light up the score sheet in any league, and it’s clear that the Oilers were looking to acquire a different sort of player than Rieder when this trade was all said and done.

I think I understand what the Oilers are going after here. The thing I don’t understand, is why they would make this trade, as it appears that the Oilers have severeal incarnations of this player in the system already. Rather, I don’t understand why they’d deal Rieder (who has a shot for at least a cup of coffee in the NHL) for a guy who Corey Pronman suggests has the potential  to be a fourth line player someday.

“tough as heck, decent skater, no offense, 4L potential”.

Tambellini, you genius.   You mean to tell me that you traded away a guy who might become an NHL player for a guy who might be able to play on the fourth line?  You magnificent human you.

Honest to God, it’s a wonder that 29 other general managers don’t call you months ahead of the trade deadline trying to schedule a springtime barbecue at your joint.  Why?  They’d have you funnelling Kokanee so fast that you’d invest in four hundred hectares of Grit City.

KESSY ON FILM

Here comes the grit bus.

Both Kessy and Rieder get to re-enter the draft if they’re not signed to a deal by June 1st.

Assuming Tambellini wanted to sign him, are you okay with this guy possibly being the 50th contract?

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]]> http://oilonwhyte.com/2013/03/29/oilers-acquire-kale-kessy-from-phoenix-for-tobias-rieder/feed/ 0 The Progression of Daniil Zharkov: A Q&A with Phil Phillips of ohlwriters.com http://oilonwhyte.com/2013/03/18/the-progression-of-daniil-zharkov-a-qa-with-phil-phillips-of-ohlwriters-com/ http://oilonwhyte.com/2013/03/18/the-progression-of-daniil-zharkov-a-qa-with-phil-phillips-of-ohlwriters-com/#comments Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:09:12 +0000 Jonathan McLeod http://oilonwhyte.com/?p=6400 Daniil Zharkov was selected by the Oilers as the 91st overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft and is currently in his second season with the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League. Phil Phillps covers the Bulls for ohlwriters.com and answered a few of my questions about Zharkov’s progression. ME: Zharkov has been blessed with [...]

The Progression of Daniil Zharkov: A Q&A with Phil Phillips of ohlwriters.com - Oil On Whyte - Oil On Whyte - An Edmonton Oilers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Daniil Zharkov was selected by the Oilers as the 91st overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft and is currently in his second season with the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League. Phil Phillps covers the Bulls for ohlwriters.com and answered a few of my questions about Zharkov’s progression.

ME: Zharkov has been blessed with size (6’4″, 212) and skill. Why hasn’t he been able to translate that into greater offensive production?

PP: Last season Daniil came to the Bulls as an unknown to the fans. He was laid out in training camp and didn’t get to start right away. But once he returned to the lineup, he scored 15 goals in his first 17 games. But what happened then I believe is the rest of league as a whole figured him out and started targeting him and found a way to shut him down. This season it’s been the same thing just in reverse. When Daniil returned this season after being drafted, he certainly wasn’t a secret anymore. The end of last season and the being of this season, in my opinion, was Zharkov learning how to adjust to the style of the OHL. He’s starting to come into his own in the 2nd half of the 2nd half.

ME: Zharkov doesn’t seem to lack confidence. At the NHL Draft, he said, “It’s my goal to be better than Yakupov.” How would you describe his personality?

PP: Zharkov seems very confident and really friendly. You can tell for sure that he wants to be in North America and is eager to learn the game here and the culture.

ME: It was a surprise to many that Zharkov was given a spot on the Russian World Junior team. What did you think of his play in the WJHC?

PP: I don’t think it should have been a surprise. He played pretty well in the Subway Super Series, and he knew Team Canada’s roster as well as anyone there, including their goalie. I thought he played well at the WJHC. Since coming back his game has been at a different level.

ME: From September to the end of 2012, Zharkov had only 8 goals and 3 assists in 30 games. Those were extremely disappointing numbers. But after returning from the WJHC, he tallied 17 goals and 15 assists in 29 games. To what would you attribute this increase in production?

PP: Someone or something motivated him at the WJHC. Maybe it helped to be in the spotlight. And some of it I think has been linemates. He has played very well with both Joseph Cramarossa and Alan Quine.

ME: Zharkov was quoted as saying, “I’m a physical player. I actually call myself not Russian but more of a Canadian player. And I think that I’m really physical in the way I skate and shoot the puck.” Do you agree that he’s a physical player?

PP: He is physical and can hit. He is also kinda of cheap, maybe even a bit dirty, and mouthy. He is one of those guys who can really fire up another team’s bench and building. In Ottawa they despise him. But in saying that, they would love to have him.

ME: How much time does Zharkov get on the power play and penalty kill for the Bulls?

PP: He gets plenty of PP time, and he can kill penalties but isn’t a regular on the PK unit.

ME: Last season Zharkov was -5; this season he’s +12. (This might not mean much since this season’s team has a much better goal differential, going from -21 to currently +61.) Has Zharkov improved his defensive play during his time in Belleville?

PP: His play without the puck has been his biggest area of improvement since coming to Belleville. Coach Burnett demands it.

ME: One criticism of Zharkov is that he’s not a good distributor of the puck. How would you evaluate his passing?

PP: He can pass, but he’s a shooter. He has an NHL-ready shot.

Other posts in this series:

The Progression of Tobias Rieder: A Q&A with Kitchener Rangers Reporter Josh Brown

The Progression of Jujhar Khaira: A Q&A with Tech Hockey Guide’s Tim Braun

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