September 27, 2023 by Mike Dirsa

My son Noah and I drove from Grande Prairie to Edmonton for the Edmonton Oilers Fan Day and pre-season home opener on Sunday. As we entered Rogers Place, we felt the excitement of seeing the players back on the ice. We watched them practice and scrimmage, and we were impressed by Beau Akey, the Oilers’ second-round draft pick in this year’s draft. My first impression of Akey is that he has good size, hands, speed, and offensive instincts.

We also enjoyed seeing the top lines and pairings in action in the intrasquad game on Saturday. Team Blue featured Connor McDavid centering Connor Brown and Evander Kane with Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard on the blueline. Leon Draisaitl was in between Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent Hopkins with Cody Ceci and Brett Kulak on the back end.

The McDavid line scored the opening goal of this scrimmage. The goal by Kane was a masterpiece of speed and skill. Nurse started the play by retrieving the puck and banking it to Bouchard behind the net. Bouchard quickly passed it to Brown, who made a clever lead pass that sprung McDavid past Kulak. McDavid then fed Kane, who tapped it in behind Stuart Skinner. It was a brilliant display of things to come. Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, and Hyman were a formidable force as well, but they had trouble getting past Nurse and Bouchard. Ceci scored the only goal for team white with a wrist shot that beat Jack Campbell.

Campbell made a nice glove save before Ceci beat him with that wrist shot. Some people criticized him for that goal, but I think he played well. All four goalies did. Derek Ryan scored the winner for team blue, who won 2-1. Raphael Lavoie, Dylan Holloway, Drake Caggiula, and top prospect Xavier Bourgault were some of the young players who caught my eye.

In the pre-season game against the Winnipeg Jets, Akey was paired with Ben Gleason, and looked confident and mobile with the puck on his stick. The 18-year-old played over 17 minutes, including a shift late in overtime. He took a penalty, had a hit and a block, before getting sent back to the Barrie Colts in the OHL on Monday. He was a standout this weekend, and he has a bright future as an Oiler. Philip Broberg was quieter, but he was steady with Vincent Desharnais as his partner. He had some good moments on Saturday, but he faded as the game went on. Broberg was steady against the Jets on Sunday. He’s still a promising young player, and it’s unfair to compare him to Akey. They have different styles and strengths. The Oilers have two great young defensemen in their system.

Kane, Hyman, and Nugent-Hopkins were the best line on Sunday for either team in the preseason opener against the Jets, but they couldn’t beat Collin Delia, who stopped everything for the Jets except Hyman’s power-play marker. Kane’s shot looked powerful and accurate, and he was not shy to use it which is good news for the season as he’s building strength after his horrific wrist injury last year. Hyman scored the only goal for the Oilers, who lost in a shootout. Holloway delivered a huge hit that rocked a Jets defender, but it was clean, and no one retaliated. Oliver Rodrigue played the whole game for the Oilers and only allowed one goal in regulation and one in the shootout. He was solid and composed. The Oilers’ defensemen were impressive, especially Akey, Bouchard, Nurse, Desharnais, and Broberg. Akey looked ahead of the curve for his age, Bouchard was dangerous with his shot, Nurse was steady and reliable, Desharnais was smart and made quick outlet passes, and Broberg was calm and consistent. The Jets’ first goal was a mistake by Gleason, but he recovered after that.

It was a thrill to watch the game go to overtime and a shootout, and to see more hockey action. The best part of the weekend for me was seeing McDavid and Draisaitl face off and play again. They look determined to lead the Oilers to glory this season. I loved being back in Rogers Place and feeling the crowd’s excitement when McDavid was about to fly up the ice. He had instant chemistry with Brown and Kane, and I felt like I was living vicariously through my son’s eyes. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think this team has a chance to win it all if they stay healthy and get good goaltending. Noah and I might be celebrating a lot next June.

Fingers and toes crossed.