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September 12, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg
The Young Stars Classic, the annual showcase of prospects for Western Canadian NHL teams, is set to go down in Penticton, BC from tomorrow through Monday, September 14. 25 players from the Edmonton Oilers will be heading to Penticton, including fourteen forwards, eight defencemen, and three goaltenders.
Matt Savoie, the 2022 ninth overall pick that was recently acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade for Ryan McLeod and Ty Tullio, is the main attraction for Oilers fans. Savoie won the Ed Chynoweth Cup with the WHL Champion Moose Jaw Warriors last season. He got 47 points in just 23 regular season games with the Warriors after being acquired in a post World Junior tournament trade with the Wenatchee Wild, and he added 24 points in 19 games in the playoffs. Savoie also registered five points in six games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans during a conditioning stint, and made his NHL debut for the Buffalo Sabres last season.
2024 first rounder Sam O’Reilly will also play in this event. O’Reilly put up 56 points in 68 games for the London Knights last season as an OHL rookie, and he is expected to play more of a feature role for them this coming season. He recently got six points in just two preseason games for the Knights, including a four-point effort last Saturday night. O’Reilly’s teammate, Oilers 2024 seventh rounder William Nicholl, will also be in this event along with fellow 2024 draftees Connor Clattenburg (fifth round) and Dalyn Wakely (sixth round).
I expect Matvei Petrov to rip this tournament apart. This is the 2021 sixth rounder’s third time participating in the event. His first professional season was a bit of a struggle as he got just fourteen points in 53 games with the Bakersfield Condors last season, but his two OHL seasons of 90 and 93 points suggest there is much more production in Petrov.
Another forward to watch is Brady Stonehouse, who earned himself an entry-level contract with the Oilers based on his play in last year’s Young Stars Classic. Stonehouse got 44 points in 64 games with the Ottawa 67s last season. James Stefan was signed as an undrafted free agent this past March. He got 101 points in 67 games with the Portland Winterhawks last season in his fifth season of major junior hockey. Jayden Grubbe will be looking to build on his first professional season where he got fourteen points in 67 games with the Condors.
2023 second round pick Beau Akey highlights the Oilers defencemen participating in this year’s event. Akey teased Oilers fans with his tantalizing skill set during last year’s event. He was limited to fourteen games with the OHL’s Barrie Colts after suffering a season ending shoulder injury, but he’s healthy and ready to go now.
Related: 2023 Young Stars Classic Preview
2021 seventh rounder Max Wanner is the only other defenceman drafted by the Oilers that is heading to Penticton. Wanner continued his rapid ascension last season with a solid rookie professional season. He played in all 68 of the team’s games, and he tied for the Condors team lead in plus minus at +13. He also got seventeen points in those 68 games. Wanner is certainly trending in the right direction.
Connor Ungar was signed as an undrafted free agent this past March. He posted a tremendous .932 save percentage and 2.15 goals against average en route to a 20-6 record with Brock University last season. Brett Brochu signed an AHL deal with the Condors this offseason. He had a 7-11-1 record with a .920 save percentage and a 2.66 GAA with the Oilers’ ECHL affiliate, the Fort Wayne Komets, last season. Brochu was a member of the 2022 Canadian World Junior team that won gold in Edmonton. He also suited up for the Vancouver Canucks in this tournament in 2022. 2023 sixth rounder Nathaniel Day will also be in Penticton. He went 17-10 with a .874 save percentage and a 3.91 GAA with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds last season.
Nine players on this roster are camp invites. Jesse Heslop of the Everett Silvertips got 54 points in 61 games last season, and is draft eligible this season. The same goes for Vincent Desjardins of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, who got 47 points in 68 games last season.
A pair of Edmonton Oil Kings defencemen were invited to this year’s camp. St. Albert’s Marc Lajoie signed an amateur tryout with the Bakersfield Condors last spring on the heels of a season where he got 58 points in 68 games for the Oil Kings. Stettler’s Rhys Pederson got twelve points in 50 games for the Oil Kings last season, and will be draft eligible this season.
Pier-Olivier Roy and Frankie Morelli are both left-handed 5’11” defencemen. Roy put up 50 points in 66 games with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL last season. Morelli got 25 points in 60 games with the Ottawa 67’s last season. They will be invitees to watch.
Heavy Hockey’s Spencer Pomoty likes Heslop and defenceman Hyde Davidson the most out of all of the camp invitees. The 6’2”, 170 lb defenceman is small, but mobile. The 18-year old slid through last year’s draft, and he’ll be looking to make some noise in his fourth season of major junior hockey with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Vancouver Canucks
Players to watch: Jonathan Lekkerimӓki (2022 1st round), Autu Rӓty (2021 2nd round), Danila Klimovich (2021 2nd round), Elias Pettersson (2022 3rd round), Arshdeep Bains (undrafted)
Camp invitees: 5
Lekkerimaki is the Canucks’ greatest scoring threat in this tournament. He’s a small forward with a fantastic shot, and he can skate like the wind. The Canucks have a pair of 2021 second rounders that need to start showing a little bit more this season. Rӓty was the prized prospect that was acquired in the Bo Horvat trade. He took a step by putting up 52 points in 72 games for the Abbotsford Canucks last season, but he will need to elevate his game more if he wants to make the Canucks team. Klimovich had an injury riddled third AHL season last year where he only played in 24 games. The Belarusian winger has talent, but he needs to have a great season to remain a relevant prospect for the Canucks. Bains became just the fourth Punjabi player to ever play in the NHL when he made his debut for the Canucks last season. The Surrey, BC product didn’t record a point in his eight NHL appearances, but he did get 55 points in 59 games in the AHL last season.
Calgary Flames
Players to watch: Zayne Parekh (2024 1st round), Samuel Honzek (2023 1st round), Matvei Gridin (2024 1st round), Artem Grushnikov (2021 2nd round, acquired in Chris Tanev trade), Hunter Brzustewicz (2023 3rd round, acquired in Elias Lindholm trade)
Camp invitees: 1
The Flames have been collecting draft picks and prospects recently as the big club sold off assets as part of a retooling phase. They will only have one camp invitee on their roster, which means that their roster is full of players signed to NHL and AHL deals.
Flames fans will get their first glimpses of some of what the team received in return for some its star players. Grushnikov was acquired in the Chris Tanev trade. If I recall correctly, Grushnikov was the reason that the Flames preferred to send Tanev to the Dallas Stars rather than taking the Oilers’ proposed offer of Cody Ceci and a first round pick. Brzustewicz was a part of the return for Elias Lindholm.
The Flames now boast three of the top ten leaders in points by defencemen in the OHL last season including Brzustewicz, Parekh, and Henry Mews. Parekh, the ninth overall pick in this past summer’s draft, is a dynamic offensive defenceman.
Parekh was one of the team’s two first round picks in the 2024 NHL draft. The other was Gridin. The Russian forward has a heavy shot, but there are questions about his effort level.
Winnipeg Jets
Players to watch: Chaz Lucius (2021 1st round), Brad Lambert (2022 1st round), Colby Barlow (2023 1st round), Brayden Yager (2023 1st round), Tomas Milic (2023 5th round)
Camp invitees: 9
The forward group will be the strength of the Winnipeg Jets in this tournament. They are featuring three of their own recent first round picks in Lucius, Lambert, and Barlow as well as Yager, who was recently acquired for Rutger McGroarty.
Milic, who led Canada to World Junior gold in 2023, will lead the way for the Jets in goal. Milic was also a part of Canada’s Spengler Cup team last season.
Wrap
While the Oilers have some interesting players in this event, I suspect that they will be in tough in this event. The Flames are loaded with high end picks, and they enter the event as the favourites in my estimation.
The Oilers schedule for the event is as follows:
Oilers vs Canucks: Friday at 8:30 pm MT
Oilers vs Flames: Saturday at 8:30 pm MT
Oilers vs Jets: Monday at 12 pm MT
The games will be streamed on Oilers+.
