September 24, 2022 by Ryan Lotsberg

The Edmonton Oilers held a Fan Day at Rogers Place on Saturday. The plaza had lots of kid friendly activities and there was a locker room sale happening in Ford Hall. Jack Michaels, Louie DeBrusk, and Craig Simpson had a talk happening in Ford Hall in the afternoon. The highlight of the day was the scrimmage that was open to fans.

The Oilers training camp is just getting started. This scrimmage was a precursor to Sunday’s preseason opener against the Winnipeg Jets. I was doing a 3 Stars piece after each game of the Young Stars Classic, but I wanted to take a different approach with this game. 

Connor McDavid had a partial breakaway and a nice assist. Evander Kane, Kailer Yamamoto, and Zach Hyman all scored off deflections. Those plays are inconsequential because we all know those guys will make the team. I want to focus on players of interest that we hope will take further strides this year or players of interest that are in a fight for a roster spot.

Jesse Puljujarvi talked about wanting to be a more confident player, especially with the puck. He had a two on one where he was in a prime shooting position but instead chose to try an awkward pass where he had to open up to the potential pass recipient as he was moving away from that player. That pass didn’t connect. 

Later, he had another play where he received the puck below the left faceoff circle and passed it back into the slot. That player passed it back to him, and he passed it back to the slot for a different trailer. I would like to have seen him shoot on those plays, but I also don’t mind that he’s willing to take a couple of creative risks in a game like this one. He had a play where he was able to settle into a soft spot in the left faceoff circle and he ripped a one-timer on net. That’s what I want to see more of from the Bison King.

Dylan Holloway took his time getting into this game. He appeared stifled in the first half of the game, but he started to use his speed in the second half. He drew two penalties and scored on one of the two resulting penalty shots (all penalties were penalty shots in this game because the Oilers clearly didn’t want to limit anyone’s ice time due to special teams play). He got the puck on his stick a few times in the second half, but he didn’t do much with it.

Philip Broberg had a fairly strong game. He did a great job on a Kane rush by rubbing him out and pinning him on the boards to create a turnover. I noticed one other occasion where he separated his man from the puck along the wall behind his own net. Those twelve pounds he gained this summer seem to be helping him. He jumped up in the play in the offensive zone on a few occasions, but none of those moments resulted in dangerous chances. I still haven’t seen Broberg really dial his speed up at all. I noticed one pivot where he looked a little bit awkward, almost like he was protecting himself. I’m totally speculating here and I could be wrong, but I’m starting to think he might be a little bit banged up. He had to beg the team to let him go to Penticton and he hasn’t quite looked like himself yet at camp.

Xavier Bourgault didn’t dazzle with his skill, but he was always in the fight. He found a way to get himself into a lot of board battles and he would escape with the puck quite often. It’s an encouraging sign when a skilled player that isn’t exactly big is able to win board battles and escape with the puck. He drew a penalty and missed on his penalty shot.

Dmitri Samourkov didn’t do himself any favours today. He had a play in the first half where he skated behind his own net with the puck and tried to reverse it back to Ryan Murray, but he gave it away. That turnover led to an extended sequence where his group was trapped in its own end. I didn’t notice him much aside from that play. If anything, we should be hoping that he proves that he isn’t NHL ready right now so that teams don’t line up to claim him. I like Samorukov as a prospect, but I want to see more from him.

Unfortunately, Jake Virtanen actually showed fairly well today. He didn’t get onto the scoresheet, but he was more visible than many of his counterparts competing for a spot on the fourth line. He was physical. He wasn’t afraid to shoot from anywhere, and he made a few good passes on the rush. It was a clean game from Virtanen. There are so many reasons to not sign him and I’m not cheering for him to make the team; but he played well today.

We had a Matvei Petrov sighting today! He was invisible in Penticton, but he gave us a glimpse at why he was able to score 40 goals and 90 points in the OHL last season. He created three dangerous chances for himself using his speed. He’s clearly got soft hands. He didn’t show us that deadly release, but watch his OHL highlights for that. He’s a tantalizing prospect.

Murray looked good. Brett Kulak ripped home a goal off a pass from McDavid. Derek Ryan drew a penalty after getting hooked on a partial breakaway, and he scored on his penalty shot. Tyler Benson looked pissed off today. He was hitting everything that moved. Seth Griffith had a nice chance and looked like he had some jump.

I didn’t really notice Devin Shore or Mattias Janmark. Those are two guys that are in contention to be left off the roster. Shore just looked happy to be there, and Janmark was quiet.

You can only glean so much from a training camp scrimmage on Fan Day, but it’s always helpful to see how the players fare against each other in this type of setting. Enjoy the preseason opener against the Jets!