Monday Oilers Prospect Report
January 21st, 2008 by jstainerMondays are usually not everyone’s favorite day of the week. Back to work for many of us, or even the end of a holiday. What better way to brighten up a Monday then to take a look at some of the young guys toiling away on their various teams, whether that be with the Springfield Falcons, the Russian Elite League or the US College programs. The Oilers have a good selection of skilled guys as well as grinders all working towards eventually making the big club. Where are they at and what kind of future can we expect from them? I hope to give at least a little bit of insight into these questions.
Slava Trukhno - After back to back seasons of 96 and 102 points in the Q, Trukhno’s stock had never been higher. As he graduated to the pro game in Springfield there were questions surrounding whether he would be able to maintain his high level of skill in the more physical and skilled league. Known for playing a more gritty and physical game then some of the other more finesse players who had put high point totals, the 20 year old Russian has been slow to adjust to the AHL. With only 5 goals and 8 assists in 33 games, Trukhno is a far cry from the PPG pace that some were projecting for him heading in. The upside is that he is still young and has shown some improvement in the past few games, and should he start lining up alongside AHL All Star Robbie Schremp there is a chance that some chemistry could really lead to some improved play. Slava should spend at least another year in the AHL where he’ll have a chance to become more of a go to guy as some of the others graduate out of the system. If all the chips come together Trukhno could end up being a top 6 power forward. Typically these types of players take longer to develop and it should be a few more years before we’ll see if he’s going to hit that point in career.
Jeff Petry - Voted as the 2007 USA Hockey Junior Player of the year and a member of the All Star team, Petry was ready to step up to the next level as he begun his career with Michigan State. With a booming point shot and no fear of getting his face dirty, Petry has done very well for himself, being one of the top defenseman on his team - as a 1st year player! Clicking along at about a half point per game is impressive for a young defenceman, and only a great depth of defenseman in the Oiler system (Chorney, Plante, Wild, Bisallion) is preventing him from being a lock to play in Springfield next year. It could very well be for the better for Petry to get at least another year of huge playing time on the back end before he comes up. He certainly has the potential to be a top pairing rearguard for the Oil down the road.
Team Update:
After what can only be called an embarrassing loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Oilers responded with a much better game against the recently also-shamed Thrashers. Two teams that have struggled a lot this year and are looking for some consistency both from their top lines as well as the secondary scoring.
The end results was a 4-2 victory for the Oilers with Dwayne Roloson getting the start in goal, and playing quite well. There were a few really bright spots in this game for the team. The top line of Hemsky-Horcoff-Penner, was strong all night long, continuing their fantastic play as of late. The statistics when this line are staggeringly good. In the 20 games that they have all played together (in other words when Hemsky is healthy) Horcoff has 27 points, Hemsky has 24 and Penner has 18. For once it seems that MacTavish has found his #1 line that he has been searching for. If they can keep up this prouduction and get the support from the rest of the team, this team will be much stronger in the last 40% of the season.
Secondly the kid line of Gagner, Cogliano and Nilsson was kept together for 2 straight games, with Craig MacTavish lauding their play. While there were concerns about the viability of such a small line making much of an impact in the league, they have a combined 9 points since being kept together in the past 2 games. With two potential scoring lines, the team could possibly reunite the RPM line of Reasoner, Pisani and Moreau and fill in the fourth line with the rest of the young guys.
On the back end Ladislav Smid’s physical play has really stepped up after a quick chat with the coach not long ago. He’s been involved in far more scrums and physical situations and has also stepped up in the play a lot more. There is still a lot that needs to happen defensively but Smid seems to have slowly been turning a corner with the team. Tom Gilbert has kept up his great play all year long and chipped in with a goal on a beautiful pass from Ales Hemsky. I am sure the team is seriously trying to lock this guy up long term as aside from Pitkanen (when he’s healthy), Gilbert has been the best Oiler defenceman on the team.
The Oilers play Tuesday in Tampa Bay and will be looking to move past the .500 mark on this Southeast Division road trip.
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