Thirteen of Edmonton’s Top 25 prospects, as ranked by the Cult of Hockey this summer, were in the Edmonton-Calgary prospect game Friday night at the downtown arena. Edmonton lost the match 6-5, but that wasn’t the story.
The game was defined by individual performances, some good, some bad.
Here are critical Two Good Things, Two Bad Things and Two Numbers from the contest.
line-up
#1 Good Thing: Savoie and Howard
The fans in Edmonton came to see Matt Savoie and Ike Howard, the first and second ranked prospects in the Oilers system according to the Cult of Hockey. The fans were not disappointed, as Savoie and Howard had plenty of good moments in the game. They came close to scoring several times in the first two periods. What impressed me most with how well they worked together. They were constantly looking for one another and combined well on a number of Grade A shots, including a nifty give-and-go that led to a Savoie break-in in the first.
Savoie does everything fast, hard and with purpose. In the third period he picked off a pass at the offensive blueline, then got hooked on his breakaway. He made a swell deke across the crease to tuck in his penalty shot to make the score 4-2.
Savoie scored again to make it 6-4 late in the game, taking a nifty backhand pass from Viljemi Marjala to break-in and slide in a goal.
Howard? Lots of skill, speed and determination there as well. He’s a shorter, stockier player with high skill. His smart and gritty game reminds me a lot of former Oilers attacker Mike York, a Michigan Stat grad just like Howard.
#2 Good Thing: Oilers Top Prospects
Obviously the game didn’t go perfectly for the Oilers prospects, but it did go pretty well for most of Edmonton’s top prospects. They looked like top prospects.
Slick Quinn Hutton, the sixth-ranked prospect, made a number of nifty passes and rifled a few hard shots; with two second left he stole a puck and snapped a low, hard shot for Edmonton’s fifth goal.
Clever and skilled Viljami Marjala, 12th-ranked, scored a breakaway goal in the first and was dangerous all game in the o-zone.
Beau Akey, tied for seventh with goalie Samuel Jonsson, was Edmonton’s best defender. He and Damien Carfagna, ranked 23rd, had the puck going in the right direction all game.
Jonsson let in four goals, but only one of them was iffy, and he made five or six spectacular saves, including a couple breakaway snuffs.
The only one who didn’t shine was fifth-ranked Josh Samanski. The big and lanky German looked a bit behind the play.
#1 Bad Thing: depth defenders
When the Oilers had Akey and Carfagna on the ice, the Oilers tended to attack, but not otherwise. The other four defenders — all undrafted, younger major junior d-men — struggled under the Flames forecheck. The effort was there, but not the results.
#2 Bad Thing: depth forwards
Edmonton’s fourth line also struggled, with Brady Stonehouse’s turnover in his own zone the turning point of the game, as it made the game 2-1 Flames, and Calgary never looked back.
#1 Number: 2001
Only one Oilers player was born in 2001, Bakersfield signing Rhett Pitlick, who put in four strong seasons in U.S. college hockey before turning pro at the end of last season. He had six assists in six games for Bakersfield. He was a force in the first couple periods, making plays all over the ice, including a battle won in the Oil zone that led to Marjala’s first period breakaway goal.
#2 Number: 3-2-1
Quite the night for big and nasty Oilers forward Connor Clattenburg, whose long hair, moustache and ferocious style of play has me thinking he was drafted in 1974, not 2024. He’s a throwback player, but he’s determined to make his mark. He did so this games with three nasty hits, two fights, and one breakaway goal. The fights were uneventful, save for Clattenburg’s hard uppercut shot in the first tilt. The goal was swell, Clattenburg showing good hands in tight on a break-in.
Clear the track, it’s Connor Clatt