Jets Rookies 2, Oilers Rookies 0
They call of the players in the Penticton tournament “rookies”, but some of them are rookie-er than others. Case in point, the Edmonton Oilers, whose three lettered players — Jayden Grubbe, Matvey Petrov and Max Wanner — were all 21 years old with a single season of (minor) pro experience. Just two skaters on the squad older than that in Ethan de Jong and Carl Berglund, and both NCAA grads spent 75% of 2023-24 in the ECHL. At the other end of the spectrum, 10 teenagers on the squad, 8 of them with 2006 birthdays.
On the Winnipeg Jets side of the ice, a healthy percentage of 22-25 year olds. Moreover, a healthy roster that allowed them to change out 5 players from their last game. The Oilers had defender Beau Akey and forward Brady Stonehouse listed among their 22 skaters, but neither dressed in any game, leaving just 2 extra skaters. The lack of extra troops meant that 14 Oilers skaters played 3 games in 66 hours.
Give them credit, the overmatched crew put in a decent effort, but was unable to put the biscuit in the basket. Just 1 goal in the entire event, in regulation losses to Vancouver (2-0), Calgary (3-1 with an empty netter) and today Winnipeg (again, 2-0). Those players who might be expected to carry the offensive torch — Matt Savoie, Matvey Petrov, James Stefan — were firing blanks when they were firing at all, and with a lone exception the whole team followed suit.
A few words on each player who participated today, be they in the system or camp invites.
Forwards
C Carl Berglund — Might as well lead off with that exception, who lit the lamp early in Saturday’s contest vs. Calgary. Alas, he didn’t even last that long in this one, as he was absolutely crushed by an open-ice hit by Mark Liwiski in the early going, left the ice and did not return. His absence for the last 55 minutes shortened the bench and messed up the line rotations at times.
RW Matt Savoie — Had a slow start to the game and never really got it going. Fired a decent shot on net at the first period buzzer. Couldn’t quite jam home Edmonton’s single best chance from inside the blue paint with a defender draped all over him and Milic diving to swat it away. Symbolic of a game in which the puck and his stick didn’t seem to be on speaking terms.
C Sam O’Reilly — I learned during the broadcast that in the last few years he converted from defence to wing and later to centre, which might explain why he looks pretty comfortable in all areas of the ice. Especially so low in the defensive slot in this one. Did a nice job of sticking to his man right to the goal mouth and disrupting what might have been a good chance. Got beat at the blueline and took a reactionary hooking penalty. Made a fine play to bat down an airborne puck inside his own blue paint and swat it to safety. Excellent stick lift at the edge of the goal crease neutralized a dangerous chance. Some decent cycling in the o-zone but nothing to show for it.
W Connor Clattenburg — Physical winger met his match early when he got drilled in the corner by Liwiski, a 23-year-old who had 310 PiM in the ECHL last year and another 26 in 7 AHL games. Later was heavily boarded by 25-year-old Dylan Anhorn, survived the crash, got up mad and proceeded to fill in his opponent with some solid punches. Made a good play to win the puck with an aggressive forecheck and feed it to a mate in the low slot, the type of sequence that will need to become a trademark if he is to make it in the pros.
C Dalyn Wakely — Again showed a propensity for getting behind the defence. Decent shot on a 2-on-1 rush. Snuck behind the D for a partial break and fired a high backhand drive that tested Milic. Got loose on the rush yet a third time to find a Grade B shot from the top of the circle.
W James Stefan — Nice play to stop up just inside the Jets blueline and find Wanner all alone in the high slot for a shot that clanked the crossbar. Good instincts in the o-zone. Found soft ice a couple times, but the puck didn’t find him.
W Matvey Petrov — Flashed a good defensive stick a time or two. Made a couple of slick passes, especially a centring pass to Grubbe for a close-in shot, and looked confident with the puck on his stick. It just didn’t seem to land there a whole lot.
C Jayden Grubbe — Easily his best game of the three to these old eyes. Had his feet moving and was aggressive on the puck and on his opponents. Passed the puck sharply except that one grenade he threw into a mate’s skates that led to a 4-on-1 the other way. Made a terrific drop pass to Nicholl for an open slot shot. Picked off a loose puck in his own zone on the PK and showed a nice burst of speed to jump into open ice and fire a decent shot on net. Stoned on a close range shot off a Petrov feed. Took something of a soft hooking call for simply being all over his man after a (lost) d-zone draw, which had the double whammy of benching a top penalty killer. The 1-0 goal followed. Later was crosschecked off the puck in the nape of the neck and didn’t get the call that time either. Finally got one in the third when he was drilled into the boards from behind during a line change. Dropped the gloves late after a faceoff altercation.
W William Nicholl — Impressed throughout this tournament with his elusive skating and sound fundamental play. Did some strong work in the trenches with Grubbe and de Jong to create some close-range looks. Terrific defensive stick to snuff a developing brushfire. Had a very effective 4-on-4 shift with his London Knights teammate O’Reilly, the duo taking the puck due north off a d-zone faceoff win and proceeding to cycle it in the good end of the ice. They also paired up on the PK.
W Ethan de Jong — 25-year-old plays a man’s game along the walls and in the trenches. Don’t sleep on him stepping up to Bakersfield this season.
W Brayden Boehm — Very aggressive on the forecheck and probably not a lot of fun to play against. Won a race to an icing, took a hit but gave as well as he received, with each player getting 2 minutes. Roughed it up in the corner . Took a run at an opponent but missed core contact and took a tripping penalty. Made a nice play to control a puck in his own end, then bust it up ice for a strong shot off the wing. Fired a heavy snap shot from the high slot to follow up a Lajoie rush.
W Vincent Desjardins — Caught my eye with a perfectly-timed defensive play to swat Braeden Jaeger’s stick from an open net tap-in. He and Boehm originally lined up as Berglund’s wingers, and the pivot’s early departure likely cost both some ice time.
Defencemen
D Max Wanner — Took a splendid pass from Stefan in the high slot, walked in past the top of the circles and wired a hard shot that rang the iron. Got away with a careless behind the back pass in to his own defensive slot. Fired another good outside shot, just a quick wrister at the key moment of a momentary screen that Milic saw late. Had a splendid sequence where he got the puck deep in his own zone, shook off a pair of forecheckers and took off, conducting a give and go in the neutral zone, gain the blueline, make another good pass to a teammate whose wired shot rang around the boards; seemingly trapped below the icing line, Wanne somehow recovered to become the first man back and disrupt what might have been an easy breakaway against a less determined player. But then a rough one, turning the puck over in the neutral zone and beaten on a dangerous pass on the subsequent possession. Brochu had his back that time. Finished the check aggressively when appropriate.
D Marc Lajoie — Former Oil King and future Golden Bear flashed a heavy stick at times and a deft one at other times. Did some strong work in his own zone to win the puck, fend off a check and make a good outlet. A bad pinch in the neutral zone resulted in a wide open 2-on-1. Lugged the puck lots, not always successfully. Not shy about getting pucks on net, not surprising for a rearguard who lit the lamp 26 times last season. Alas, he and his teammates were firing blanks in this one.
D Pier-Olivier Roy — Flashed his offensive skills with a terrific stretch pass in the first period, and an excellent o-zone move into soft ice for a dangerous wrister from the circle. Unable to contain Nikkanen’s deflection on the 2-0. I believe the camp invite has now joined goalie Olivier Roy (2009 draft pick) and forward Marc-Olivier Roy (2013 draft pick) to wear the Oil drop in this tournament or its equivalent. Almost as if Olivier-Roy was one of those hypehenated names, but no. Turns out they are but 3 of the 37 (!) Olivier Roy’s identified by Elite Prospects.
D Nate Corbet — Took matters into his own hands fists when he dropped the mitts with Liwiski at he midway point of the first period, landing a few hard lefts at the end. His timing was lousy, as the whistle interrupted a point-blank shot by Nicholl (which was saved anyway). Not quite a turnover but was unable to contain a floating puck, nor the pass that followed, leading to the game’s first goal. His outside shot led directly to the Savoie dangerous chance. Thwarted some wide speed with a deft pokecheck.
D Hyde Davidson — Flashed his skills when he jumped on the puck high in the o-zone, walked the line and quick-released a wrister that found Stefan’s tape in the low slot but didn’t get the bounce.
D Rhys Perderson — The youngest player on the team if not the tournament turned 18 just last week. Long and lean at 6’4, 194, the Edmonton Oil King used his length to advantage to break up some plays. At times the pace of play, and of the puck, seemed to overwhelm him. He wasn’t alone there, not on a blueline that included just 1 drafted player and a quartet of 18-year-olds .
Goalie
G Brett Brochu — Oilers gave a full game to each of their 3 stoppers in Penticton. A 22-year-old on a minor league deal, Brochu posted a .920 Sv% in 20 games with Oilers’ ECHL affiliate Fort Wayne Komets last season, and is likely ehadeed back there in 2024-25. He was left to his own devices early, made a splendid save at the doorstep to keep it scoreless. Made a key save with the knob of his stick to maintain that 0-0 through the end of the first. Put out a few fires described above and a few more that weren’t. A couple of iffy rebounds but a strong game overall. Became the fourth consecutive (think about it) Oilers goalie to allow exactly 2 goals yet lose in regulation.
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