While the Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes are swinging for the fences in the wide-open Eastern Conference race in the Western Hockey League (WHL), Kirt Hill’s Edmonton Oil Kings, while firmly in the picture, will likely settle for a few singles.
With the trade deadline on Thursday, they’ll be sniffing around. Looking at their defence, while strong at puck-moving, maybe they’ll add some offensive pop back there, somebody who can score because they only have 10 goals from their back-end. But the big names are gone.
They aren’t going all-in like the Tigers, who just traded for Nashville Predators first-rounder Tanner Molendyk or the Hurricanes, who just got Seattle Kraken third-round blueliner Caden Price for a truckload of draft picks and young players.
“Maybe just tinkering deals, seeing what’s out there,” said Hill.
Edmonton Oil Kings winning the lottery?
Why not keep up with the arms race?
Because the Oil Kings are sitting with two first-round 2025 bantam draft selections and both will likely be lottery picks (bottom six teams, three in each conference are in the lottery). They could easily get the first pick in the spring WHL draft because they have Moose Jaw’s and Seattle’s picks, last in the Eastern and Western conferences.
“They could get the first pick and the second. They could get (Maddox) Schultz and (Liam) Pue … they would be on their way if that happens,” said a scout for an NHL team.
The two forwards are dynamic.
Schultz (Regina Pat Canadians) is playing U18 hockey at 14-years-old and has 52 points in 27 games (24 goals), which leads his Saskatchewan league in scoring. He also dazzled in the Circle K international tournament over Christmas and might be granted exceptional player status in the WHL to play at 15 like Connor Bedard.
Pue (Langley Hockey Academy), also 14, has 19 goals in 17 games, also playing U18 in B.C. He’s tops in goals in the Junior Prospects League. Last season Pue racked up 104 points in 31 games, playing U17.
While the Calgary Hitmen also traded for Canadian junior defenceman and 2023 Vancouver Canucks third-round draft pick Sawyer Mynio, and a high-end 20-year-old goalie Daniel Hauser (Wenatchie Wild), the Oil Kings are taking a safer approach.
“I like the way our group’s playing (five out of six points against Lethbridge in a three-game set last weekend), sometimes it’s the old adage…the best trades you make are the ones you don’t,” said Hill, whose team hit rock bottom in 2022-23 (10 wins) after a trip to the Memorial Cup, with a successful rebuild.
The Oil Kings don’t have a true offensive defenceman, though.
“There’s guys out there, the Molendyks and Prices of the world, but they come with significant cost. To get into those conversations, you’re giving up a first-round pick, if not two,” said Hill, before both were traded to rivals for just that, plus a bundle of other picks or prospects. “The two first-round picks we have now, they’re both in the lottery. They could set up our organization for a long time.”
The Western Conference Everett Silvertips, coached by Steve Hamilton, are the class of the WHL right now, with phenom 15-year-old defenceman Landon DuPont (exceptional player status), but the Eastern race is wide-open.
“With our group, it’s evaluating if there’s a real need,” said Hill. “Just to go and load up on guys because they played in the world juniors or they’ve had good careers in the Western League, I don’t know if it’s an all-in situation for us now.”
As of Tuesday, Saskatoon Blades, even in sell-off mode to rebuild with draft picks, lead the East with 48 points. Medicine Hat, with star centre Gavin McKenna and Calgary, with Flames first-round draft pick Carter Yakemchuk, have 46.
Lethbridge has 44 and the Oil Kings, who have Czech World Juniors forwards Miroslav Holinka and Adam Jecho returning now after missing 10 games, have 43 points along with Brandon. Prince Albert has 41. So a logjam.
“Our D corps’ offence is by committee right now. Do we have a true power-play quarterback? No. Maybe (Blake) Fiddler could grow into that or (Ethan) MacKenzie,” said Hill. “But our power play is still top half of our league. We find ways to produce goals (second most in the Eastern Conference) in other ways, good net-front presence down low.”
But, Hill’s history at the trade deadline is he always makes a deal or two or three.
So, if he makes a smaller deal for an offensive defeceman with a big shot from the point, moving other pieces around, don’t be surprised.
Is it better to add than subtract at the deadline?
“You really have to pick your spots, if you think you can win a championship and go to the Memorial Cup, you have to make two or three big trades,” said Hill, who isn’t there yet, but doesn’t sell his team short.
“Yeah, I think we can win our (Central) division (Medicine Hat, Calgary, Lethbridge, Red Deer and the Oil Kings). We’ve got a resilient group with a lot of offence. I see the way our kids are playing, (Joe) Iginla, the young (Lukas) Sawchyn.”
The sting of a rebuild
Hill had to move several veterans the last few years at the trade deadline, and it stings even if that’s the way it works in junior hockey where you’re either rebuilding or in the hunt.
“Certainly it’s tough to say goodbye to players who’ve been in the organization a long time. Those are difficult decisions (giving away veterans for draft picks in rebuilds),” said Hill. “I remember conversations with Jakub Demek (Vegas draft pick, playing in the AHL) and (Logan) Dowhaniuk, guys who were impact players for us. Even last season when we traded (forward) Rilen Kovacevic (to WHL champion Moose Jaw; that got the Oil Kings the 2025 first-rounder). That was a tough one.”
“We had to trade Kovacevic so we could also do the (Gracyn) Sawchyn deal with Seattle. That’s when we took off and we have a new group of players now,” said Hill, who gave up Greg Pilling’s grandson Nathan and seven draft picks, also getting Sawchyn’s brother Lukas in the blockbuster trade.
Gracyn Sawchyn, the 19-year-old Florida Panthers second-rounder and best Oil King, has 51 points in 34 games. He’s small (160 pounds) but plays in traffic and has tons of competitive fire to his game.
ON THE BENCH: Jecho (seven points in seven games) and Holinka (four points) are back with the Oil Kings, all smiles, with their bronze medals for finishing third in the World Juniors.
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