EDMONTON OIL KINGS REPORTS:
|Dylan^Guenther^#11|- Dylan Guenther is off to a hot start in this shortened season. He is an elite scorer
on the Oil Kings roster. On the ice he uses a combination of quick feet, and speed, a high IQ and a
devastating shot to be a potential difference maker every time he steps on the ice. We really like
Guenther’s foot speed. His ability to create separation and to get to his top speed quickly is what really
sets him apart. He is light on his feet, and shows some deception in the open ice, but for the most part, he
is a straight line attacker, trying to overwhelm defenders with his speed. His shot is excellent as well. He
has a lightning fast release and pin point accuracy. Pucks seem to teleport off of his blade and into the
net. He has a nice one timer as well. On the power play he sets up on his off wing and looks to bomb
away. He can be a little inconsistent with his one time accuracy, but it’s a weapon in his arsenal that
makes the penalty kill open up for his teammates. Guenther isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas. He isn’t a
physically imposing player by any means, but as with every good goal scorer, he understands the where
to be and when. It’s uncanny how the puck seems to follow him and fall on his stick in high scoring areas.
But he puts himself there, His play off the puck is very good. He reads both opponents and teammates
equally well. Despite his sniper reputation, he still continually finds soft spots in the defense where he can
make opponents pay. Guenther also has soft hands. He sends and receives passes really well. He can
make a bad pass look really good with not just his soft hands, but great feet too. He has a real feel for the
puck. Defensively there is nothing that stands out about Guenther’s game. He will back check hard, and
he will cover his zone well with active feet and staying on his toes. He can be guilty of trying to exit the
zone a little early, but that part of his game will become more consistent as he becomes more mature.
Physically he looks slight, and he can at times be held to the outside of the play. This is where we’d love
to see Guenther use a little more East-West to his game, to cut in off the rush and make plays. We
certainly feel he has the ability to do so, just doesn’t seem to be something Guenther is particularly
interested in doing a lot of. Grade: A
|Keagan^Slaney^#47|- Slaney is an undersized defender who uses his quick feet to make plays at both
ends of the ice. Defensively, we see a lot of positives in his game, and some negatives. Positionally he is
strong. He uses his feet to stay in good position, and an intelligent stick to take options away from
opponents. Below the red line and around the net, he has a real nasty streak to him. Down in these areas
he plays aggressive both with his body and his stick. He’ll use his natural low centre of gravity to explode
into guys and knock them off pucks, he’ll uses cross checks and stick hacks, whatever it takes when he’s
engaged one on one to win the puck back. The problem we see is his lack of strength. Even when he
does engage physically, a lot of times it doesn’t deter his opponents from getting to where they want to
go. Slaney will also be over aggressive at times and over commit below the goal line which can either end
up in a massive hit, and turnover, or it can (and often does) end up in a Slaney being out of position. He
can be a little reckless in the neutral zone as well. He reads the play well, but just seems to be a half step
off of making a great interception or big hit in the open ice, and again, leave his team in a dire situation
with odd man rushes. Offensively, Keagan moves the puck really well. He is a solid passer, he skates
confidently with the puck, his head on a swivel, and for the most part, makes good decisions with the
puck. Again, sometimes his aggression can get the better of him. He has quick feet, and good pop in his
stride. He transitions smoothly, and keeps a tight gap on attacking players. He currently is getting
secondary power play minutes, and we are intrigued to see if he starts to get more as the season
progresses. He walks the blue line with confidence, and has a heavy slap shot from the point that he isn’t
afraid to use. He doesn’t necessarily show the patience of a power play quarter back, but we see the
tools for him to be one. Grade: B
|Ethan^Peters^#7|- Ethan is a throwback defender. He keeps his game simple and safe. He has a long
stride, and while he isn’t an explosive skater, or overly agile and fleet footed, his stride still garners a lot of
momentum and power. We like that Peters, even at a young age, seems to already have a really good
understanding of his strengths and weaknesses and that keeps him out of a lot of potential trouble. He is
long, and uses and active stick to keep attackers to the outside. He defends with good angles. He isn’t a
ferociously physical defender yet, he still has a lot of weight to pack on his frame, but he does use his
natural leverage well. The puck is never on his stick long. We’d like to see a little more patience out of
Ethan when he as the puck. Often, we will see that he has time to make plays, but he will often default to
wrapping the puck off the boards in a bid to get the puck out of the zone. On a number of occasions,
these plays resulted in direct turnovers. On the offensive end, Peters doesn’t bring much. Again, he
makes quick, safe plays with the puck. He rarely pinches from the blue line. He will walk the blue line
every so often with the puck, looking for shooting lanes, he does have a nice thought process when he
wants to carry the puck, but we just don’t see a ton of that in his game. Grade: B-
|Jayden^Henderson^#16|- Henderson already looks like a man on the ice when we watch him. Not only
does he play a physical game, but he plays a responsible one as well. There were a few times in our
viewings, where Henderson absolutely crushed his opponents with heavy body checks. What we also like
about his physicality is that he doesn’t go hunting for it. When the opportunity arises, he punishes
opponents, but he doesn’t go out of his way to make big hits if there is a possibility that it could result in a
bad play coming the other way. Defensively he collapses low, and is constantly moving around the zone
to take away options away from the puck. When the play gets to him, he is quick to engage with a heavy
stick and strong body. He is quick to fill in for defenders when they pinch as well. Henderson’s stride is a
long heavy stride. He has good top end speed, and when he is accelerating, he has some pop in his step,
but he isn’t an overly explosive skater, or an elusive target. He has an aggressive first stride and covers a
lot of ground with his initial steps. Being on an offensively gifted team like the Oil Kings, Henderson is
being used in a mostly checking role. Offensively he doesn’t create a lot for himself or his teammates. He
relies on getting to the net, and trying to create something with his bullish style of play. He does have a
heavy wrist shot, and in transition, he makes nice plays with the puck. He is aggressive on the forecheck,
and persistent on his back check. What we really want to see is if his offensive game will come around as
the season progresses. Grade: B-
|Jake^Neighbours^#13|- If you are a St. Louis Blues fan, there is a lot to be excited about when it comes
to Mr. Jake Neighbours. We’ve been a fan of his since his bantam days, but even in the early season this
year, it looks like Jake has taken another step. He is more confident in his puck plays, and he’s stronger,
more physical, and faster than almost all of his opponents. Jake plays a physical, in your face style of
game, and doesn’t relent until the final whistle. No matter the score. He gets around the sheet with a
powerful stride. He generates speed with a good knee bend, and explosive stride. He plays in straight
lines, and is relentless in his pursuit of the puck. His physical play has ramped up since last year and he
generates turnovers all over the ice with his aggression and speed. Jake has a heavy wrist shot. The
puck explodes off of his stick. He likes to shoot off the rush, otherwise he is driving straight for the net and
slot area. Neighbours is also starting to develop a more cerebral part of his game offensively as well. On
the powerplay, he is playing on the half boards and point. When he has time and space, he is showing
real patience and vision with the puck. It may take him more time to develop that same sort of patience
five v five, but he has made some real pretty passes on the powerplay. He seemingly is understanding,
that from the half boards, he is a dual threat to pass, or shoot, and he is starting to take advantage of the
time and space that affords him. Grade: A-
|Liam^Keeler^#12|- Keeler was a buzz saw in the first week of the WHL season for the Oil Kings. He may
not get all the headlines, attention, or opportunity that some of his other teammates are going to get this
year, but he is going to be a key contributor to this team regardless. What stands out first to us, is
Keeler’s active feet. He has real zip in his initial stride, and a nice smooth stride that generates a very
good top end speed. He is strong on his edges, and when he forechecks, he sticks to defenders like glue
and will harass them for extended periods. We notice him a lot on the penalty kill as well. He is an
excellent defender. He plays with lots of effort. He get’s his stick down low and takes away passing lanes.
He is fearless in the shooting lanes, blocking multiple shots, and is quick to counter attack when the
moment arises. He is a decent passer. He sees the ice well. He likes to use both sides of his stick blade
to make plays, but sometimes we feel he might be better to position himself for more forehand plays. He
has a quick release to his shot as well. Keeler uses his body well to protect the puck in the corners and
drive to the net. He can buy himself time to make plays with defenders all over him. He isn’t shy to be a
physical player. Grade: B
|Sebastian^Cossa^#33|- Cossa has had a strong start to the season. The 6’6 goalie takes up a
tremendous amount of space in the net. But he doesn’t just rely on his size to make saves. We like that
he attacks shots with his limbs, and shows good rebound control. Despite his size, Cossa plays really
aggressive. A few times, he was caught way out of position on his initial challenge, but was able to
recover with his very strong pushes. He is able to cover a lot of ground quickly with his pushes. He is
flexible, and covers the lower half really well. I’m sure there are a lot of people who’d like to see him
become less active in his crease, less challenging. But he seems to be a goaltender raw with physical
and athletic abilities that could turn him into a very good professional one day. Grade: B+