January 12, 2024 by Spencer Pomoty

Following the Christmas break, the Edmonton Oil Kings were involved in a massive trade, acquiring 18-year-old Gracyn Sawchyn, his younger brother 16-year-old Lukas Sawchyn, and right-shot defenceman prospect Tracen Ashley from the Seattle Thunderbirds Nathan Pilling and seven total draft picks on December 27.

This is a bit of a head scratching move with Edmonton still sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference standings, sending out a ton of picks for players usually doesn’t work in a rebuild scenario. But if you can get the younger Sawchyn to step away from the USHL’s Chicago Steel and join his older brother in Edmonton, the team could take a big step forward in 2024-25, and an even bigger leap if the Florida Panthers’ prospect is still in the WHL for his 20-year-old season in 2025-26.

Another reason why I don’t mind this trade is because the picks of the higher picks that were traded none of them were the Oil Kings original selection, the 2024 second-round selection was from the Kamloops Blazers, the 2025 third-round pick was from the Moose Jaw Warriors, and the ’26 first round pick was acquired from Seattle last year. Here are the other picks that were involved in the trade and coming directly from the Oil Kings placement 2024 seventh-round pick, 2025 fifth-rounder, a conditional second-round and third-round pick in 2027.

This is going to be a massive year at the draft table, with Joe Iginla looking like a star in the making they will have to fill the cupboards with a bit more prospects. I have liked how Presley Kerner (2022 third-round choice) has looked in his games this year when called up, but other picks than Iginla from the 2023 class will have to keep trending up for this trade to play out as well as I think it could.

Edmonton just finished up a seven-game road trip, in which the newly acquired Sawchyn took part in the final six games. The Oil Kings went 3-2-1 in those six games and the right-shot Grand Prairie product had four goals and two assists. In his first home game with the club, Sawchyn collected three assists in a 6-5 win against the Tri City Americans bringing his point total to nine points in seven games. Any time you can add a high-end player to your lineup, you should see a positive bump in play and that is true in this situation. The former Thunderbird steps in as the teams first line center and the best player on the roster, this allows for Adam Jecho to slide down to the second line for more favourable matchups in his favour.

Speaking of the second line the, trio of Jecho, Gavin Hodnett, and Skyler Bruce have been excellent since being put together. Since the trade to the Oil Kings, Bruce has posted 11 goals and 22 points in 21 games. The electrifying Hodnett now has eight goals and 34 points in 31 games while only shooting only 10.0% on the season. He’s been racking up the assists, but should see some positive regression in the shooting department in the second-half. The first-year draft eligible keeps impressing me on the number of chances he can create for himself and mostly the plays he creates for his teammates.

Jecho compliments both Bruce and Hodnett well, carrying the puck through the neutral zone using his massive frame and high-end skating helps push back opponents for both of his wingers to get just a bit of extra space in the offensive zone. But its also his ability to track back and help defensively that continues to impress me. Watch for this trio to continue their strong play heading into the back half of the season.

As for 2024, the goal should be to continue to build for next season and the season after. They have looked average and above average ever since the acquisition of Sawchyn, but you still need to have next year in mind and continue to develop all the young skill you have developing. The rest of the new year is going to be interesting, but I’m excited to see the potential growth this team can have and see what type of expectations we should have for the Oil Kings next year.