As the start of the NHL season draws closer teams such as the Edmonton Oilers are starting to get into the swing of things. While unofficial captain skates are going on right now, official team activities do not start till tomorrow when rookie camp starts. To help get us ready for the camp the Oilers announced the rookie camp roster today.
Check out the #Oilers Rookie Camp roster! pic.twitter.com/dBHyKNl3M6
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 9, 2024
If you take a look at the list of players that are coming to the rookie camp, there is a mix of players who have high ceilings and players who are hoping to make an impression so they can leave a good mark for next year's camp. On this list, though there are three players I am going to keep my eye on because they could be making a mark sooner rather than later for the Oilers.
1. Matt Savoie
Matt Savoie was brought to the Oilers in the Ryan McLeod trade. Being the 9th overall pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft, Savoie is around the age where a player should be making the jump to the NHL. For that reason, in this rookie camp, he should be a standout in the rookie camp. Of all the players in the camp, he is the one most likely to make the NHL club.
2. Beau Akey
The Edmonton Oilers 2nd round pick in the 2023 entry draft, Beau Akey had a good camp and preseason last year, but still needed to learn a couple of things so going back to the minors was the right move for him. For me this rookie camp I am going to see if he has improved his game from spending an extra season in the minors. Hopefully this season, he will stick around a long time and gain extra experience in an NHL camp.
3. Sam O'Reilly
After swapping first round picks the Edmonton Oilers moved into the first round this year to draft Sam O'Reilly with the 32nd pick. While O'Reilly is a very deep 1st round pick, all 1st round picks have a lot of pressure to succeed, even more so in a place like Edmonton. This is why I know there are going to be lots of eyes on O'Reilly. With the Oilers trading for this pick just to draft O'Reilly a lot of Oilers are expecting to see some good things.
As we get closer to the start of NHL camp, things like the rookie camp give us a glimpse of hockey. While it is unlikely any of these players will be playing for the Edmonton Oilers this season, there is a chance that they will be playing in the NHL in the next couple of seasons and it all starts with this rookie camp.