Edmonton Oilers | CollegeHockeyPlayers

11Oct

Aaron Johnson(44) New York Rangers

Posted in AHL, NHL | 1 Comment

11th year defenseman Aaron Johnson(44) signs a 1-year, 1-way contract with New York Rangers, his 7th NHL team.

He was made their affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack team captain to start the season and there could be similar thoughts like what Nashville Predators did when signing him to a one-year deal, ship him to their minor league affiliate, Milwaukee Admirals for the season. But the parent club’s slow out of the gate and may need to switch things up even further, which would open the door for the 30-year defenseman to get some more games in the show on his stat sheet.

He’s played 297 big league games scoring 17 times with 45 assists and a nifty little +1 rating.

In the AHL his numbers are sort of phantomly similar with 26 goals and 86 helpers but he has a -5 plus/minus.

The former Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 3rd round pick in the 2001 draft (#85 overall) still has some left in the tank.

A couple of seasons ago, back with the team that drafted him, he put up a career tying 3 goals and a high mark 13 assists.

We think it’s likely he gets to the 300 NHL game club this season.

05Jul

Will Acton(14) Edmonton Oilers

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

After a couple of seasons with Toronto Marlies in the AHL, 3rd year undrafted, unrestricted free agent left wing Will Acton(14) signs his first NHL contract with Edmonton Oilers.

He follows his former coach, Dallas Eakins and dad, new assistant coach Keith Acton west to Alberta, agreeing to a two-year, two-way deal that will almost certainly see him play with their top notch minor league affiliate Oklahoma City Barons.

The 25-year played almost an identical amount of games in each of his two seasons in Ontario and showed an uptick on the score sheet in 2012/2013 with 8 goals and 11 assists. He was able to take that even further in the postseason scoring 4 goals and 2 assists in 9 playoff games.

At 6’2″ 190 lbs. he has a big enough frame to be considered a power forward and with the move and new challenge will likely pay dividends.

03Jun

Olivier Roy(38) Oklahoma City Barons

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Edmonton Oilers‘ 5th round pick in the 2009 draft (#133 overall), goaltender Olivier Roy(38) had himself a pretty sparkling sophomore season spending most of his time in the AHL with Oklahoma City Barons.

He started to get reassigned to the ECHL Stockton Thunder with more frequency towards the back third of the season and played in 22 Kelly Cup Playoff games backstopping them all the way to the Finals.

Injured during game 4, he had to sit on the sidelines for the last contest before his team bowed out but put up a very impressive streak 0f 7-2 with a 1.21 GAA and .961 SV% to propel his squad into the postseason.

Then his 12-7 mark helped push the team to the last round of the playoffs, beating a pair of teams with better regular season records.

Almost ironically the 6′ 180 lbs. backstop also played in 22 AHL games. He ended with a 9-9-1 mark and a 2.77 GAA and .902 SV%.

He turns 22-years old this summer and be on the final season of his 3-year entry level deal. His pretty impressive performance should net him a look between the pipes for the parent club in the upcoming campaign.

In the meantime though, he was reassigned back up to join the Barons‘ practice squad to continue to gain experience in their playoff push.

29May

Tyler Bunz(30) Stockton Thunder

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Edmonton Oilers‘ 5th round pick in the 2010 draft (#121 overall) rookie goaltender Tyler Bunz(30) stepped in for ECHL affiliate Stockton Thunder in the Kelly Cup Finals,when an injury took out the starter and helped extend the series to at least a fifth game before bowing out to the eventual winners, Reading Royals.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal he started his first season in AHL training camp with Oklahoma City Barons before being sent down to gain playing time with the glut of backstop prospects in the system. He also appeared in a couple Oilers‘ camps.

He appeared in 37 games posting a 16-16-2-2 record with a 3.35 GAA and .886 SV%. He also had one shutout. In one AHL game with OKC he didn’t fair nearly as well.

The 6’1″ 198 lbs. net minder was very impressive in his last two campaigns in junior hockey with Medicine Hat Tigers. He won more games than any other goalie in his team’s history and was named WHL best in his final year.

Even with the accolades, he may be assigned for another season in Stockton to continue bringing up his game.

The 21-year old may be off to a bit of a slow start in his pro career but that could all change in a hurry.

07Feb

Mark Arcobello(26) Oklahoma City Barons

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Edmonton Oilers‘ 3rd year, undrafted center Mark Arcobello(26) started his pro career on an AHL contract with Oklahoma City Barons.

He was reassigned to their ECHL affiliate Stockton Thunder at the beginning of the 2010/2011 season and things took shape pretty quickly, as he connected for 7 goals and 13 assists in 33 contests and was MVP at the All-Star Game.

The undersized 5’9″ 165 lbs. kept proving his critics wrong as he climbed up to the next rung and finished his rookie season with 11 goals and 11 assists in 26 games.

His consistent efforts paid off with the Oilers signing him to a 2-year entry level NHL contract. He stayed with their top farm team but was showing that despite his smaller stature he had a knack for the net, finishing his sophomore campaign with 17 goals, 26 assists and a nice +16 rating. He continued to strike through 14 Calder Cup Playoff match-ups adding another 13 points (5 goals and 8 assists) to his totals.

To start 2012/2013 as the lockout halted the highest league, he was teamed up with a #1 overall and 1st round draft picks to skate on a line with for the Barons.

The 24-year old further showed his skill set and looks to be on pace for career highs in goals, assists, points and got the nod as a Western Conference AHL All-Star Game starter.

He received his first NHL call-up and skated 19 shifts for 18:15 of total ice time in a overtime losing effort.

Despite being returned after only a 24-hour visit, it’s not looking like much of a stretch for him to find at the very least a part-time home in the show.

17Jan

Tom Poti(33) Washington Capitals

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Washington Capitals‘ 15th year, veteran NHL defenseman Tom Poti(33) was reassigned to their minor league affiliate Hershey Bears on a conditioning stint. It was the 35-year old’s first AHL games of his career and he even netted a goal in a pair of wins before being returned to the big club to continue his road back to a full-time spot on the blue line.

The two contests were actually his first since a recurring groin injury and fractured pelvis had him sidelined for the full 2011/2012 campaign and the 2nd half of the prior season. He was at the point where it became doubtful that he would lace up the skates to play professionally ever again.

After lots of hard work, he finally passed the team physical and was cleared to play.

The towering 6’3″ 209 lbs. d-man was originally an Edmonton Oilers‘ 3rd round pick in the 1996 draft (#59 overall) and has appeared in over 800 NHL contests scoring 69 goals and 256 assists.

His deal with the Capitals is through this season. If the Worcester, MA native and regain his scoring touch, there’s no reason to believe he won’t get another extension and likely retire with the team he’s been under contract with for 6 seasons.

25Sep

Troy Bodie(20) Norfolk Admirals

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

7th year left wing Troy Brodie(20) was part of a list of six players recently signed to an AHL contract by Norfolk Admirals, the new minor league affiliate of Anaheim Ducks.

He had a one-year, two-way deal with Anaheim last season but skated no NHL games.

In all, split half with the Ducks and one season picked up on waivers by Carolina Hurricanes, the 6’4″ 219 lbs. forward has skated in 107 games in the show registering 6 goals and 5 assists. He should be a bigger, more intimidating upfront power forward than his style indicates.

The 27-year was originally an Edmonton Oilers‘ 9th round pick in the 2003 draft (#278 overall).

He started his pro career with Stockton Thunder of the ECHL, put up some big numbers and that was his only stop there.

This will be an interesting year him. It’s his first without an NHL contract and he definitely has something to prove.

11May

Alex Henry(5) DEG Metro Stars

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

13 year pro defenseman Alex Henry(5) leaves North American hockey for Germany (his second stint in the country; he was there in the 2004/2005 NHL lockout year). He joins DEG Metro Stars of the DEL (Deutsche Eishockey Liga).

The always daunting 6’5″ 220 lbs. blue liner was originally a 3rd round pick by Edmonton Oilers in the 1998 draft (#63 overall). He only played 3 of his 177 NHL appearances with the Oilers. He’s credited with 2 goals and 9 assists.

Starting his pro career with Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL for the first three seasons; he closes this chapter of playing hockey having played the last four years with the team, including the last two as their captain.

The 32-year old has played a massive 546 regular and postseason games with the Bulldogs and 701 AHL contests overall. Hardly considered for his offensive prowess, he’s found the back of the net only 19 times and filled in the scoring sheet with 78 assists.

30Apr

Ryan Potulny(27) Hershey Bears

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Hershey Bears‘ 7th year center Ryan Potulny(27) was a very smart 2-year pick up for Washington Capitals last season.

In 61 AHL games he scored 33 goals and 32 assists, good enough for top 10 in the league, and was a veteran force for a team that was in a bit of a rebuilding mode.

They didn’t make it out of the first round of the postseason but in 5 games he added another pair of goals and assists.

This was the first season where he failed to appear in an NHL game, which is a bit odd. In 126 games the 27-year old has recorded 22 goals and 27 assists but is an effective agitator out there.

Going into 2012/2013 his contract dictates he’s signed on a one-way contract and will be paid a minimum of $525, which again is smart and nicely deserving of this team player.

His contributions to Binghamton Senators’ 2011 Calder Cup were undeniable.

22Apr

Colin McDonald(13) WBS Penguins

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | 1 Comment

5th year Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins‘ forward Colin McDonald(13) is putting goals in the net in the Calder Cup Playoffs like Noah loads animals into the ark: two at a time.

He potted a pair in the first game and another two in the second game, both wins for the 2-0 lead vs. Hershey Bears in the AHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.

Originally drafted by Edmonton in the 2nd round of 2003 (#51 overall), he appeared in only 2 games with the Oilers but did get his first NHL goal.

He’s played in 5 games this season with Pittsburgh Penguins, the team he signed a one-year, two-way contract with as an unrestricted free agent but didn’t register a point.

In 374 AHL regular season games he has 94 goals and 85 assists. He put in a career high 42 last season with Oklahoma City Barons but had a best this year with assists at 35 and a +12 plus/minus.