The return of Connor McDavid to the starting lineup, is undoubtedly the biggest news right now in Oil country. However, there was another interesting update surrounding the Oilers organisation a day earlier, on Tuesday.
As announced on social media, the Bakersfield Condors have signed Brayden Tracey to a professional tryout contract and he will wear number 23. Here are five things to know about a young player with a lot of promise:
Star attraction in the WHL
1) Tracey burst onto the scene in his first full WHL season in 2018-19, as he produced 81 points, 28 penalty minutes and a +33 rating in 66 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors. He went on to be named both the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Year and WHL Rookie of the Year.
2) As a result of his breakout campaign, the 23-year-old was highly touted ahead of the 2019 NHL entry draft. In the end, the Anaheim Ducks thought enough of him, to select him in the first round of the draft with the 29th overall pick.
3) Since being drafted by the Ducks, Tracey has spent the majority of his time with their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. In 187 games for the Gulls (including two playoff appearances), he produced 84 points, 116 penalty minutes and a -20 rating.
4) The Calgary native has just one NHL appearance to his name so far, making his debut in Jan. 2022, versus the Detroit Red Wings. He had one shot on goal and recorded a -1 rating, in 9:21 of ice time.
Scouting report
5) Tracey stands at 6 foot and 177 pounds, but could still stand to build up his strength. He has all the potential in the world, with a quick shot, excellent puck handling, good passing and high awareness in attack.
Ultimately, there's plenty to like about Tracey, with him being an extremely low-risk but high reward gamble for the Oilers organisation. At the same time, just because he has intriguing upside, he still needs to prove he's capable of effectively tapping into it more and justifying being drafted so highly in the first place.