My goodness, if you’re not taking in some of the hockey being played over in Europe right now, you’re missing out. The Champions Hockey League is going full steam now and despite what some might say, the level of these teams is of at least AHL caliber. This is a competition that features the best clubs in Europe (Sans the KHL clubs) going head-to-head in a bid to be crowned the best on the continent. It’s free-flowing, there are countless scrums at the net, it’s high skill, and if you’re like me and you enjoy watching young players try to make their mark, this is a tournament for you.
https://twitter.com/JokkeNevalainen/status/1166804399731200000
These games are available free of charge. You just head to the Champions Hockey League website and you can stream them from there OR you can download their app and the games are viewable on your phone or tablet.
The most recent matches that I took in featured three members of the Edmonton Oilers,
- Filip Berglund (D) – Skelleftea (SWE)
- Philip Broberg (D) – Skelleftea (SWE)
- Jesse Puljujarvi (RW) – Karpat (FIN)
It makes it so much easier when they’re playing on the same team let alone the same game, right?
Berglund and Broberg
I can tell you that Broberg was outstanding for Skelleftea. His passing, skating, and size is a massive factor on the big ice as he can basically enter the offensive zone with control of the puck uncontested whenever he chooses and that’s what he did vs. the French club, Grenoble.
I counted only once during the whole game where Broberg misplayed a pass. Every other time, regardless of the distance between him and the recipient of his pass, he put it right on their tape whether it was a silky saucer pass or a bullet.
Broberg quarterbacked Skelleftea’s first powerplay unit masterfully. He had a hiccup or two when he was a bit slow to make the cross-ice pass, but his skating allowed him to recover and prevent any challenge on his goal from the Grenoble penalty killers. Defensively, he was positionally sound and he really caused that French team a lot of trouble when they tried to break into Skelleftea’s zone on his side of the ice.
I’ll be curious to see if Broberg continues to get similar time-on-ice when the SHL season gets going.
Funny enough, Broberg’s defense partner was none other than Filip Berglund. Now, he didn’t have the game Broberg had. His first period was very sloppy as indecision and poor positioning lead to two dangerous scoring chances against, one that ended up in the net.
He settled down in the 2nd and 3rd periods and displayed a very calming demeanor. He didn’t find himself out of position after that very often. But what I liked about his game was that he can make a pass. Case in point, the one he made on Skelleftea’s goal with only seconds remaining.
While Broberg was a feature on the PP, Berglund was also one on the penalty kill for Skelleftea. His patience and excellent hockey IQ really does him well in that role.
I’ll say this though, if Philip Broberg is the Paul Coffey of this pairing, then Berglund is the Charlie Huddy. He’s not flashy, he just gets the job done. That said, with the prospects that are currently coming through the ranks in Edmonton, I’m not sure if Berglund will make it.
Below are the highlights, they should feature Berglund (#6 in black) and Broberg (#5 in black) a lot.
Jesse Puljujarvi
The scheduling made it possible for me to first watch the Oilers’ two Swedish prospects and then my boy, Pulju, right after.
So Puljujarvi’s Karpat was playing former Oiler Mark Arcobello’s SC Bern, a Swiss club and as I thought, it was a much tougher test than his first game, but you wouldn’t know it if you watched the first 19 seconds because that’s when Puljujarvi broke in on a breakaway, only to be stopped, but the rebound tucked in by his teammate.
https://twitter.com/JokkeNevalainen/status/1168195075295404032
What I noticed in this match compared to his first one was his never-die attitude as he pursued the puck. He was like a dog on a bone without the puck. His 200ft game was really on display against Bern.
Another thing I noticed that really threw me off guard was during the breaks the telecast would zoom in on the coaches and they have mics set up on the benches so you can hear what they’re saying to the players. To my surprise, the Karpat coach was using both Finnish and English to instruct his players! Even at the end of the game when Karpat was looking for the tying goal and Puljujarvi was a feature on the set play, he spoke to Jesse in English!
Can you believe that?! Where’s this “language barrier” that I was being told about this summer where the Oilers coaches were having so much trouble communicating with him? His f*cking Finnish coach was speaking to him in English for Christ’s sake…
Have you noticed the reduction in character assassination pieces lately? How long until we start getting little bits about how good Pulju is playing? About how he’d look nice alongside one of the Oilers centers? Maybe even someone will say that things were taken out of context or blown out of proportion… Maybe, just maybe, someone might be brave enough to start putting pressure on the Oilers GM to get a deal done…
As ironic as it is to say this, be careful who you believe when it comes to Oilers “news”. Player transactions and rumors are a far cry from reporting on what a player does or doesn’t do off the ice. You just never know who has a personal vendetta out there.
Just on a completely unrelated note, does anybody know if Nikolai Prokhorkin’s English is okay?
Anyways, back to Jesse’s game vs. Bern.
He. Was. Flying! Even more than his first game.
I can’t stress this enough. He’s faster and he’s quicker. He moves around the ice much more as the quicksand around his feet seems to have dissipated over the summer. He’s stronger as well. He was hitting guys last night left and right. He’s getting in the corners and mucking about as well as being a tank in front of the net. The intensity has ramped up for him, but maybe that’s a result of him playing back home and how happy he is at the moment. I’ll have to re-gauge this when he’s 10 or 15 games deep.
At the moment, he looks like he used to when he was 17-years-old and dominating his peers. What a great sign that can only bode well for his future.
Karpat lost to Bern in OT but Jesse wound up with over 18 minutes of ice time, four shots, a blocked shot, and an assist to bring his total to three points in two Champions Hockey League games.
2019 Oilers Rookie Camp Roster
This year’s roster will be very competitive. There’s lots to watch out for this year for us fans! Check out the detailed roster here.
The Goalies:
- Stuart Skinner
- Dylan Wells
- Olivier Rodrigue
Wells doesn’t really do much for me as a fan. I don’t think he has what it takes to make it past the AHL, so I’m expecting Skinner to be the cream of this crop here. He’s got the best pedigree of the three in my opinion. Although I have been told that Rodrigue actually might be the one with the highest potential. I haven’t seen as much of the French-Canadian goalie, but I’m willing to bet that we might around Christmas time when he’s featuring for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
The Defencemen:
- Jason Bellamy
- Evan Bouchard
- Ethan Cap
- Logan Day
- Brendan De Jong
- Vincent Desharnais
- Dmitri Samorukov
All eyes will be on Bouchard and Samorukov naturally, but I think it would be prudent for fans to pay attention to Logan Day. He really had a good season for Bakersfield last year and at 6’1″ he’s the smallest defender attending this camp. He’s quite good at moving the puck and he’s very calm and smart. Not a fast player but an intelligent one. I’d say he falls into that Brad Hunt category of player without the clapper.
My feeling is that folks will be in awe of Desharnais’ size… He’s massive! The stat sheet says he’s 6’6″ but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s actually an inch or two taller. The guy is a beast and he plays an honest game.
The Forwards:
- Tyler Benson
- Cameron Hebig
- Steven Iacobellis
- Liam Keeder
- Raphael Lavoie
- Kiril Maksimov
- Cooper Marody
- Ryan McLeod
- Ostap Safin
- Beau Starrett
- Jakub Stukel
- Nolan Vesey
- Kailer Yamamoto
This group of forwards really varies in terms of size and skill. You’ve got massive players like Safin and Lavoie who are 6’5″ but then you’ve got Yamamoto and Iacobellis who aren’t even 5’10”. There are snipers like Maksimov and speedsters like McLeod. Skillers like Hebig and Marody and grinders like Stukel and Vesey. Then there’s your playmaker in Benson and your power forward in Starrett.
For me, I’m not even worried about Marody, Benson, or Yamamoto unless they underperform or are held out for precautionary reasons (aka an injury). Those three should be the best forwards hands down and if they aren’t, we might have to re-evaluate their career trajectory.
I’m keen on what Lavoie, Maksimov, and Stukel do.
Those of you that are astute fans of the WHL might recognize from his time with the Vancouver Giants and the Calgary Hitmen. He made a few appearances for Bakersfield last season on loan from the Oilers’ ECHL affiliate in Wichita and I thought he performed admirably (10 games played, 3 goals and 3 assists) in that time.
Raphael Lavoie will undoubtedly be playing back in the QMJHL this year but for a man his size and with his skill set, I reckon he’s got a chance to be a game-changer for the Oilers in about three or four seasons. His mind-boggling 20 goals in 23 playoff games for Halifax is something you can’t forget, just as one can’t forget that he had quite the dry spell for the Mooseheads last year. Clearly, he has some things in his game that need to get cleaned up. My hope is that his development plan allows him the freedom to play HIS game without stifling his skill. What I mean is, I hope the Oilers don’t attempt to make him a net-front pilon when he’s a skilled playmaker. In the same vein, there are questions about the mental side of his game, so he might need some extra marination in the minors.
Kiril Maksimov might have the best shot on the Oilers. I’m talking about the entire playing staff. He’s my wild card to make the Oilers out of camp because he doesn’t really play that European style. He’s got more of a North American game to him and I think that might endear him to some coaches and scouts moreso than other players. What I will be looking for is how they utilize him in pre-season games. Will he have a prominent role on the PP? Getting him on a line with Marody and Benson could be magic if you know what I mean.
Who are you looking forward to seeing at the Edmonton Oilers rookie camp? Let us know in the comments below!
