Edmonton Oilers Officially Kick Off 2016 Training Camp
The Edmonton Oilers are starting training camp Thursday starting with medical and fitness training at Roger’s Place, the team officially announced.
Sixty-one players are set to take the ice and try to prove their worth to the organization, including 33 forwards, 21 defensemen and seven goaltenders. Four Oilers will be at the World Cup of Hockey until their teams are eliminated (Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Andrej Sekera and Leon Draisaitl).
In the meantime, there are many names that will stand out on the Oilers roster, and even more to look out for.
Offense Notes
On the forward lines, the two biggest names to watch are Jesse Puljujarvi and Drake Caggiula. Both of them could definitely end up in an Oilers jersey to start the regular season, and proved to be impressive at the Young Stars classic last weekend.
Joey Benik stood out at rookie camp as well, and if he carries that over, the left winger could be in a better position on the Oilers’ depth chart.
Defense Notes
Andrew Ference is listed as available for the start of training camp; however, he recently discussed that his NHL career is likely over due to the hip injury that sat him out for the entirety of last season. If he does not pass his medical examination Thursday, things could get interesting.
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There’s more depth than we think on the blue line. Edmonton will get to see the likes of newly-acquired Adam Larsson at training camp, and will also see a variety of new names trying for a roster spot. Matthew Benning, who put up an impressive performance during rookie camp, is a right-hand shot that could crack the roster, but he has to compete with the likes of Eric Gryba, who was signed back to a PTO earlier this week.
Ethan Bear will also be showing his skill-set and could be a dark horse for a roster spot. The 19-year-old was a 2015 fifth-round pick who had an unbelievable breakout year in the WHL this past season.
Goalie Notes
The goaltenders available at camp are a strong bunch. Cam Talbot leads the way as the starter for Edmonton and is looking to make a bigger impact in the goal crease. In the end, the most interesting story lies on Laurent Brossoit’s shoulders. If he can play well during camp, he could steal a backup position on the roster.
Right now, it looks like the Oilers will likely go with Jonas Gustavsson in that number two position, considering how Brossoit couldn’t prove himself worthy of an NHL spot. Nick Ellis was by far the biggest talent in the crease at rookie camp, and could climb on the Oilers’ depth chart.
Edmonton starts the preseason on Sept. 26, taking on the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
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