Neutral Zone was in attendance at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, on September 23rd for the Oil Kings’ home opener against the Red Deer Rebels. Despite opening the scoring in the first, the home side eventually fell by a score of four to three. Neutral Zone’s scout focused on players in their draft year (born September 16th, 2005 – September 15th, 2006) and players who are not yet eligible to be drafted (born September 16th, 2006 or later). Players have been given grades based solely on their performances in this game and are not an indication of their overall upside or ability.
| Ollie Josephson | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 179 | Red Deer Rebels | 2021 | Victoria, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: After winning gold with Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer, Ollie recorded his first two points of the season (a goal and an assist) and was Red Deer’s best player tonight against the Oil Kings. It is worth noting that there were a number of players on both sides out of the lineup tonight due to NHL training camps being held this week, and thus, the level of competition is not as high as it will be the rest of the season. His first point came on the power play, in which the puck was moved to him along the wall at the hash marks on the right side. The Oil Kings defender pinned Ollie into the boards, but Ollie moved the puck down to Larson, who took it to the net for the goal. Ollie did a very good job of keeping his stick uninhibited so that he could move the puck despite being pinned to the wall. On his goal, the puck was in the Oil Kings’ zone, and it went back to the Red Deer blueline. As the puck was rimmed from right to left, Ollie quietly created separation between himself and the opposing center and found open space in the slot. As the puck was passed to him from down low, he was closed in on, and Ollie spun to put his body between himself and the defenders, which created space for him to attack north towards the goal. With a defender on him and a stick in the lane, he fired a quick shot up top, which beat the Oil Kings’ goaltender. This play showcased Ollie’s ability to identify and find quiet ice, as well as his ability to win pucks and get shots off in tight. Ollie also assisted on a goal that was called off, as he used a spin move to take the puck from below the goal line to the front of the net. This move required Ollie to risk taking a big hit, but he powerfully and skillfully controlled the puck, which led to a scramble at the net and a goal (which was called off as the ref lost sight of the puck). Ollie is an above-average straight-line skater for this level of play, and his skating projects as being average at the NHL level. He accelerated well with and without the puck and displayed a fluid and technically proficient stride. When picking up loose pucks, Ollie head-checked to identify open teammates and to get a glimpse of the defender’s positioning. He protected the puck well under pressure and controlled it well around the net as he displayed quick hands. Ollie was also strong away from the puck, as he was physical and forechecked aggressively. He had an excellent game in the faceoff circle and won 12 of the 15 draws he took (80%). Overall, this was a strong game for Ollie, who will look to be a leader offensively for the Rebels this season.
| Quentin Bourne | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | L | D | 5’8″ | 154 | Red Deer Rebels | 2021 | Lawndale, CA | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Quentin is, first and foremost, a dynamic skater. His feet are always in motion, and he can cut quickly to explode past defenders or create space for himself in limited time. As Red Deer was missing some key players (NHL training camps), Quentin quarterbacked the Rebels’ power play, and he did a good job of distributing the puck to teammates and using his feet to try to break down the defenders’ box. Quentin’s passes were just a bit off, as he often put pucks in places where the receiver had to control the pass before moving the puck and could not one-time it. Despite being a quick and elusive puck carrier, there was an instance where he was caught by a defender down low and was knocked to the ground with a hard hit, which led to a turnover. Quentin’s size (listed at 5’7′) and strength are currently his biggest weaknesses and are holding him back from being a legitimate NHL prospect. There were multiple plays throughout the game where Quentin was out-muscled off pucks or could not defend due to opponents over-powering him. That being said, Quentin’s explosiveness and speed could lead to him having a fruitful career at the USports level and in Europe if he doesn’t add size.
| Matthew Gard | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | L | D | 6’3″ | 171 | Red Deer Rebels | 2022 | Winnipeg, MB | 2007 |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: This was Matthew’s first WHL regular season game, and there were naturally some jitters. At the beginning of the game, the 6’4′ forward struggled to handle the puck and took an interference penalty in the offensive zone. As the game progressed, he began to find his rhythm and settled down. Matthew was responsible in his own end and made intelligent passes out of the zone to open teammates to start the breakout. When in possession of the puck, he was able to get his head up and create space for himself with quick cuts and stops. On one play in the offensive zone, Matthew was in possession of the puck, and rather than force a puck to the net, he passed back to one of his defensemen at the blue line, which created a separation between the puck and defenders and led to a shot on goal. Matthew is not the fastest skater in the world, and this is an area he will hopefully continue to improve upon moving forward to be competitive at the WHL level and beyond. Overall, this was a positive debut for Matthew, who, despite struggles early, showed strong spatial awareness and made smart passes.
| Chase Wutzke | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | L | G | 6’2″ | 160 | Red Deer Rebels | 2021 | Debden, SK | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Chase earned his first win of the season in his first start, making 29 saves on 32 shots (0.906 sv%). It is worth noting that with multiple Oil Kings players out of the lineup due to injuries and NHL camps, this was not quite the quality of competition that Chase will face the rest of the season. The 6’1.5′ tall goaltender made an enormous glove save in the first period after a puck was passed from behind the net to an Oil Kings forward in the slot. Chase did a very good of tracking the puck as it was behind the net, as he went post to post and then pushed off to further up in his crease to cut down on the angle. He stayed in a compact and tight position through this sequence, forcing the shooter to shoot the puck into his glove. On the first goal that he allowed, Chase somewhat lost sight of the puck when it was behind the net and thus was not tight in his positioning. Despite making the first save, he was still scrambling a bit and thus was unable to make the second save (his defenceman could have also done more to tie up the stick of the player at the net). The second goal against was the only true weak goal he allowed, as he was beaten under the glove arm off a relatively harmless shot from the top of the circle off a two-on-two rush. His vision should not have been hindered by his defenceman on this play, and this appeared to be a simple miscue by Chase. On the third goal against, Chase gave up a huge rebound off a low bouncing point shot, and the Oil Kings forward, at the net front, batted the puck out of the air past Chase as he stretched to recover the puck. It is hard to find fault in Chase on this play, as the Oil Kings forward showed excellent hand-eye coordination to bat the puck out of the air. Throughout the game, Chase was controlled and technical in his movements. He played the angles well and did a good job of seeing around screens and finding pucks through traffic. On one play, a point shot was tipped in the slot, and Chase made a kick save as he was positioned well and in a good stance to react to the tip. He must work to maintain his technique when pushing around his crease, as he was beaten twice when he started to scramble. Overall, this was a strong showing for Chase, who will hopefully maintain this form throughout the rest of the season.
| Ethan MacKenzie | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | L | D | 5’10” | 154 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 2021 | West Kelowna, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Ethan was paired with Fidler tonight, who was only playing his second-ever WHL game. The second-year defender did a very good job supporting his rookie partner and was forced to be more conservative in his positioning. Ethan borders on being an elite skater for this level of play, and his straight-line speed and agility projects as being above-average at the NHL level. He effortlessly changes directions, and this is both a benefit offensively and defensively. Upon winning pucks in the defensive end, Ethan would get his head up and then make an accurate pass up to an open teammate. He was also very good at rushing with the puck and made smart passes and decisions at speed. Defensively, he used his agility and speed to close the gap on puck carriers and keep opponents outside the ice. Ethan also read the play very well, and was able to step up and intercept a centering pass on one play. Ethan is now listed at 6’0′ tall and is of the size that he could compete at the NHL level in the future. As mentioned above, he has the skating and intelligence to compete at the NHL level and projects as someone who will hear his name called in June.
| Adam Jecho | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | R | RW | 6’3″ | 176 | Zlin, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B+ |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Adam was one of the many players whose play improved throughout the game. The 2023 CHL Import Draft third overall pick is listed at 6’5′ tall and is coming off a pre-season where he scored three goals in three games. Despite not finding the scoresheet tonight, Adam was very noticeable as he centered Edmonton’s top line. Adam is an average straight-line skater for this level of play, and his skating projects as being below-average at the NHL level. That said, he moves very well for his size and generates speed effectively. Adam was excellent at getting open to be a passing option for teammates and was quick to identify when Edmonton was going to transition the puck up ice. He would often take off as a teammate controlled the puck and would almost be up to top speed by the time he was hit with a pass and was thus in a good position to attack. Adam carried the puck with his head up, and he attacked open space. He often made accurate passes to open teammates and stick-handled the puck well. Moving forward, Adam can continue to work on attacking the middle of the ice more, as he often stayed to the outside with the puck and would benefit from getting to the net more. Adam must also work on his faceoffs, as he was 3/9 in the circle. Overall, this was a positive performance for Adam. He displayed excellent spatial awareness, as well as skating and puck skills, which could translate at the NHL level. It will be interesting to see how he progresses this season as he becomes more comfortable playing in North America.
| Parker Alcos | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | R | D | 6’0″ | 181 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 2023 | Port Moody, BC | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Alcos was credited with two secondary assists in this game. His first assist came on Edmonton’s second goal after he made a strong breakout pass from behind the net to Melnyk at the half-wall, who then moved it to Lajoie, who scored. On his second assist, the puck came to Parker at the blue line on the right side of the ice. He quickly moved it over to Lajoie, whose shot created a rebound, which was put home by Finnie. This specific pass wasn’t flat and was somewhat whiffed on by Parker, but it made it to its target and showed Parker’s ability to see open teammates. In terms of his skating, Parker is a very strong backwards skater who also pivots very well. He is an average straight-line skater for this level of play, and he showed good hustle to get back into positioning defensively after rushing with the puck. Parker routinely made accurate breakout passes out of his own zone and overall moved the puck well through all three zones. Parker did rush with the puck on a few occasions and must be more confident with the puck in this position, as he looked tentative with his passing, which led to suboptimal plays. Overall, this was a positive showing for Parker, who will look to stick with the Oil Kings full-time this season after getting into 13 games last season. As he gets more comfortable at this level of play, hopefully, Parker will be more confident with the puck in order to be a factor offensively.
| Rhys Pederson | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | L | D | 6’4″ | 189 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 2021 | Stettler, AB | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Comments: Rhys is an average straight-line skater for this level of play, but he struggled to generate speed backwards at times. He generally positioned himself well in the defensive end and was able to block a shot, stick-check opponents, and be physical. Rhys protected the net front well and engaged physically with the opposing forward at the net front to lift his stick to try to prevent tips and rebound chances. On Red Deer’s second goal, Rhys was a bit aggressive along the wall as he was killing a penalty. He attempted to rub out his opponent, and the puck was moved to a Red Deer forward, who scored on the play. This wouldn’t have been a bad idea at even strength, but when down a man, it is always risky to engage in physical play along the wall, given the numbers disadvantage. As the game progressed, Rhys became more comfortable with the puck and hit a teammate on the tape with a long pass cross-ice from blue line to blue line. As Rhys is a 6’4′ defender with decent mobility and puck skills, he will be one to follow this season.
| Blake Fiddler | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | R | D | 6’3″ | 195 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 2022 | Frisco, TX | 2007 |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Blake, the first pick in the 2022 WHL US Prospect Draft, is a tall, right-shot defenseman. This was only Blake’s second game in the WHL, and it is clear that it will take some time for him to adjust to this level of play. Blake is a below-average straight-line skater for this level of play, which is not surprising given his size at this age (6’3′, 193lbs). In the defensive end, he struggled with his positioning and was prone to running around in his own end. On Red Deer’s second goal, Blake took bad angles to the puck twice and was boxed out by opponents. There was a moment when the puck was somewhat loose in the slot, and Blake didn’t stop and get ready to defend; rather, he let his momentum pull him away from the net and half-heartedly poked at it. He once again was boxed out by a Red Deer forward and found himself a step behind Josephson, who scored on the play. When in possession of the puck, Blake stick-handled well and moved the puck well D to D. He was overall conservative in his decisions with the puck, but this is understandable given his inexperience at this level of play. Moving forward, he must improve his positioning in the defensive zone and the lines he takes to pucks.
Neutral Zone Scout: Nick Earle
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images