The 14th annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase is set to begin on Sept. 4, at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia. And Oilers fans will be happy to find out their organisation will be represented at this year's event.
As per Michael Mazzei of Oilers Nation, goalie prospect Olivier Rodrigue will be in attendance. Before anyone comments that one representative for the Oilers doesn't sound too impressive, consider that, as per Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, only 33 players have been invited in total.
Regardless, what we will say is that Rodrigue is a worthy representative for the Oilers, after coming off his best professional season yet. He set a whole host of career bests with the Condors in the AHL, including 37 games, a team-high 19 wins, a 0.916 save percentage and 2.73 Goals Against Average (GAA).
Number one in Bakersfield
At one point during the 2023-24 AHL season, the 24-year-old took over as the Condors' number one, albeit in part due to Jack Campbell's struggles. In any event, he continued to show the talent and potential which saw the Oilers select him in the second round of the 2018 NHL entry draft.
As a result of his excellent form, Rodrigue was rewarded with a much deserved one-year, two-way contract extension through the end of the 2024-25 campaign. The deal has a guaranteed salary of $150,000, and is worth $775,00 at the NHL level and $125,000 in the AHL.
Plenty going on for Rodrigue last season
This past season was certainly an interesting one in general, for the Saguenay, Quebec native. At one point there was speculation about calling him up to the NHL to showcase what he could do for the Oilers, with a view to potentially trading him.
At the time we stated that this would be a bad idea, but eventually it came to nothing anyway, with Rodrgiue still waiting to make his regular season debut with the Oilers. He has a lot of promise, including excellent mobility which encompasses his sound lateral movement.
For his AHL career in total with the Condors, the goalie has played 90 games, has a 43-36-8 record, a .908 save percentage and 2.82 GAA. It will be interesting to see how he performs at the 2024 NHLPA Rookie Showcase, as he takes his next step towards eventually (hopefully) playing in the NHL for the Oilers.