GDB #11 vs Moose Jaw

Oil Kings (11 5-3-1-2) vs Warriors (10 5-4-0-1)

Tonight it's a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Final as the Oil Kings host the Moose Jaw Warriors.  The Kings have been treading water as of late, losing three straight, but picking up points in four of their last five outings.  On Wednesday night, the Kings fell 5-4 in a shootout to the Kamloops Blazers in a very entertaining game at Rexall Place.  Edmonton fought back and took their first lead of the hockey game with 1:59 to go in regulation on a Henrik Samuelsson power play goal, only to see the WHL's leading scorer, JC Lipon score a shorthanded goal 25 seconds later to tie it.  Colin Smith and Brendan Ranford, both Edmonton products, sealed it in the shootout.  The Warriors are coming off a 5-2 home win over the Everett Silvertips on Tuesday night.  They fell behind 2-0 early in the second, then scored five straight goals to win going away.  Torrin White led the way with a pair of goals and four points.

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Last Year:  The Oil Kings were 3-0-0-1 against the Warriors last season.  Moose Jaw won the East Division with 98 points and finished second behind Edmonton in the Eastern Conference.  The Warriors got by Regina and Medicine Hat in the playoffs before bowing out in five games to the Kings.  They did end Edmonton's 22 game win streak in game four of the conference final.

The Opposition: The Warriors are off to a decent start.  The team graduated a lot of offense in the off season.  No longer in Moose Jaw are Quinton Howden, Cody Beach, Kenton Miller, and Cam Braes up front, and Dylan McIlrath and Dallas Ehrhardt on the back end.  Sam Fioretti is off to a great start to the year with 10 goals in 10 games, and 16 year old Brayden Point will be a leader offensively.  They do return a solid defence core which includes Morgan Rielly, Joel Edmundson, Kendall McFaull, and Travis Brown.



Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Leaders:

Goals- EDM- TJ Foster (9)

MJ- Sam Fioretti (10)

Points- EDM- Michael St. Croix (14)

MJ- Fioretti (18)

Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (4)

MJ- Justin Paulic (3)

PIMS- EDM- Travis Ewanyk (36)
MJ- Joel Edmundson (25)

Next Up: The Oil Kings continue their five game home stand tomorrow night when the Medicine Hat Tigers make their first visit.  The Tigers include former Oil King Cam Lanigan in goal, having just acquired him from Portland.  The Warriors open a two game road trip tonight.  They open a home and home with the Hurricanes in Lethbridge tomorrow.


Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Drafted:

EDM- Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Edmonton Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011), Griffin Reinhart- New York Islanders (1st, 2012), Henrik Samuelsson- Phoenix Coyotes (1st, 2012), Mitch Moroz- Oilers (2nd, 2012).

MJ- Kendall McFaull- Winnipeg Jets (6th, 2010,unsigned), Joel Edmundson- St. Louis Blues (2nd, 2011), Morgan Rielly- Toronto Maple Leafs (1st, 2012), Travis Brown- Chicago Blackhawks (5th, 2012)
 

Draft Watch (NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Watch List)

A Skaters- Curtis Lazar (EDM),
B Skaters- Mason Geertsen (EDM)
C Skaters- Cody Corbett, Edgars Kulda, Ashton Sautner (EDM), Carter Hanson (MJ)
B Goaltenders- Tristan Jarry (EDM)

Injury Report:

EDM: #7 Stephane Legault, lower body, week to week

#28 Martin Gernat, upper body, indefinite

MJ #21 Miles Warkentine, upper body 1 week
Roster Notes:  Ashton Sautner did not practice yesterday after leaving Wednesday's game against Kamloops.  Moose Jaw's Nikita Zagryadskiy has yet to play a regular season game this season.
 

Notes: Red Deer Rebels traded Colten Mayor and Stephan Hak to Regina in exchange for 4th and 6th round picks in the 2015 bantam draft. The Blades swapped Brent Benson to the Broncos for Graeme Craig.  TJ Foster is 5th in goal scoring (9).  Sam Fioretti is tied for 5th in scoring (18) and is tied for second in goal scoring (10).  Brayden Point is tied for 3rd in rookie scoring (9).  Morgan Rielly is 3rd in scoring amongst defencemen (14).  The The Oil Kings power play ranks 3rd, and they have the top ranked penalty kill. The Warrior's PP is ranked 6th, their PK is 12th. Tonight is one of  seven games on the schedule. Pregame at 6:45, puck drop at 7:00 on the Team 1260.

GDB #11 vs Kamloops

Oil Kings (10 5-3-1-1) vs Blazers (10 9-0-0-1)

The Oil Kings face a stiff test tonight at Rexall Place as the WHL leading Kamloops Blazers make their first visit this season.  Edmonton is coming off their first shutout loss since March 12, 2011.  MacKenzie Skapski and the Kootenay Ice snapped their seven game regular season losing streak to the Kings with a 1-0 victory on Sunday night in Cranbrook.  The Oil Kings have dropped back to back games coming into tonight when they play the last remaining team that is yet to lose in regulation.  Last night in Red Deer the Blazers shut out the Rebels 4-0.  Colin Smith led the way with a goal and a pair of helpers, while Tim Bozon scored twice.  Taran Kozun made 32 saves to record his first career WHL shutout.

Photo: Hugo Yuen- Kamloops Dailey News

 

Last Year:  The Blazers took both games the teams played last year.  Both were at the Interior Savings Centre in the 'Loops.  Kamloops won 47 games last season on their way to a BC Division Championship.  After sweeping the Royals in the first round of the playoffs, they lost a hard fought seven game series to Portland, the eventual Western Conference Champions.
 

The Opposition: Like mentioned the Blazers are off to a fantastic start with nine wins in their first ten games.  They feature the top two scores in the WHL with JC Lipon (9-15-24) and Edmonton product Colin Smith (7-14-21).  Those two usually play with Montreal Canadiens pick Tim Bozon on one line while all three of their twenty year olds (Brendan Ranford, Jordan DePape, and Dylan Willick) make up a lethal top six.  The defence core is a well balanced unit that includes former Oil King Marek Hrbas.  In goal they are anchored by 19 year old Cole Cheveldave and his impressive 1.65 GAA.  The Blazers lead the WHL in goals for (45) and  have the fewest goals against (19).


Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Leaders:

Goals- EDM- TJ Foster (8)

KAM- JC Lipon (9)

Points- EDM- Michael St. Croix (14)

KAM- Lipon (24)

Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (4)

KAM- Cole Cheveldave (6)

PIMS- EDM- Mitch Moroz (30)
KAM- Brady Gaudet (19)

Next Up: The Oil Kings are beginning a five game homestand here tonight.  Next up is a rematch of last year's WHL's Eastern Conference Championship when Moose Jaw is in town.  They also host Medicine Hat, Kelowna and Vancouver during this stretch.  The Blazers are in the midst of a five game roadtrip.  They are in Lethbridge on Friday and wrap up the trip Saturday night in Cranbrook.

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Drafted:

EDM- Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Edmonton Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011), Griffin Reinhart- New York Islanders (1st, 2012), Henrik Samuelsson- Phoenix Coyotes (1st, 2012), Mitch Moroz- Oilers (2nd, 2012).

KAM- Brendan Ranford- Philadelphia Flyers (7th, 2010, unsigned), Tim Bozon- Montreal Canadiens (3rd, 2012), Colin Smith- Colorado Avalanche (7th, 2012).
 

Draft Watch (NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Watch List)

A Skaters- Curtis Lazar (EDM),
B Skaters- Mason Geertsen (EDM)
C Skaters- Cody Corbett, Edgars Kulda, Ashton Sautner (EDM), Matt Needham (KAM)
B Goaltenders- Tristan Jarry (EDM)

Injury Report:

EDM: #7 Stephane Legault, lower body, week to week

#28 Martin Gernat, upper body, indefinite

KAM:  #17 Jordan DePape, upper body, 1 week
#33 Landon Cross, lower body, day to day


Roster Notes:  The Oil Kings went with the same line up the last two games (outside of rotating goalies).  The Blazers acquired defenceman Sam Grist from Tri City last week.
 

Notes: Michael St. Croix is tied for 10th in WHL scoring (14 points). TJ Foster is tied for 4th in goal scoring (8). Blazers forward JC Lipon leads the WHL in scoring (24), assists (15), and is second in goals (9).  Colin Smith is 2nd in scoring (21) and assists (14).  Tim Bozon is tied for 7th in scoring (15), Brendan Ranford is tied in 10th (14).  Cole Cheveldave is 2nd in GAA (1.65) and tied for 2nd in wins (6).  The Oil Kings power play ranks 4th, and  they have the top ranked penalty kill. The Blazer's PP is ranked 5th, their PK is 4th. Tonight is one of four games on the schedule. Pregame at 6:45, puck drop at 7:00 on the Team 1260.

GDB#10 @ Kootenay

Oil Kings (9 5-2-1-1) vs Ice (7 2-5-0-0)

The last two WHL Champions meet for the second time this season tonight in Cranbrook.  The Oil Kings fell 5-4 in a shoot out to the Calgary Hitmen on Friday night, in another wild back and forth game.  Henrik Samuelsson scored twice, Curtis Lazar and TJ Foster scored for the Kings.  Edmonton was 3-3 on the powerplay but were unable to beat Chris Driedger in the third period when they controlled the pace of the game.  The Ice won for the second time this season on Friday night when they knocked off the Blades 4-3.  Brock Montgomery lead the way with a pair of goals.

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Season Series:  The Oil Kings beat the Ice 5-3 on opening night in Edmonton, the lone matchup so far.  The clubs play six times this year, the next being a home and home in late November.

The Opposition: The Ice snapped a three game skid with their victory over Saskatoon on Friday.  They currently are last in the WHL's Eastern Conference with four points through seven games, and wrap up a six game homestand here tonight.  The Ice are a young team lead by Sam Reinhart, a top prospect for the 2014 NHL Draft, and by 20 year old veteran captain Drew Czerwonka.  Brock Montgomery currently leads the team with seven goals, no other member of the Ice has more than three.

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Leaders:

Goals- EDM- TJ Foster (8)

KTN- Brock Montgomery (7)

Points- EDM- Michael St. Croix (14)

KTN- Montgomery, Sam Reinhart (10)

Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (4)

KTN- MacKenzie Skapski (2)

PIMS- EDM- Travis Ewanyk (27)
KTN- Jeff Hubic (29)

Next Up: The Oil Kings open up a five game homestand on Wednesday when they host the Western Conference leading Kamloops Blazers.  The Kings also see Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Kelowna and Vancouver during the stretch.  The Ice are in the midst of 12 of 13 games in Cranbrook.  They finish a six game homestand tonight, and don't play again until Friday in Red Deer.  They open another six game stand against Kamloops next Saturday.

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Drafted:

EDM- Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Edmonton Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011), Griffin Reinhart- New York Islanders (1st, 2012), Henrik Samuelsson- Phoenix Coyotes (1st, 2012), Mitch Moroz- Oilers (2nd, 2012).

KTN- Drew Czerwonka- Oilers (6th, 2010, unsigned), Joey Leach- Flames (3rd 2010, unsigned).
 

Draft Watch (NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Watch List)

A Skaters- Curtis Lazar (EDM),
B Skaters- Mason Geertsen (EDM)
C Skaters- Cody Corbett, Edgars Kulda, Ashton Sautner (EDM), Jon Martin (KTN), Spencer Wand (KTN)
B Goaltenders- Tristan Jarry (EDM)

Injury Report:

EDM: #7 Stephane Legault, lower body, week to week
#28 Martin Gernat, upper body, indefinite

KTN:  NoneRoster Notes:  Drew Czerwonka and Luke Philp have recently made their returns to the Kootenay lineup after injuries.
 

Notes: Michael St. Croix is tied for 7th in WHL scoring (14 points).  TJ Foster is 3rd in goal scoring (8).  The Oil Kings are 2nd in both power play and penalty kill percentage.  The Ice's PP is ranked 8th, their OK is 6th.  Tonight is one of four games on the schedule. Pregame at 5:45, puck drop at 6:00 on the Team 1260.

GDB #9 vs Calgary

Oil Kings (8 5-2-1-0) vs Hitmen (6 4-0-1-1)

For the third time this season the Oil Kings and Hitmen face off tonight in the junior version of the 'Battle of Alberta'.  The Hitmen have taken both previous matchups so far this season.  Edmonton is coming off a hard earned victory in Medicine Hat 4-2 over the Tigers.  They led 4-0 before penalty trouble finally caught up with them, allowing the Tigers to get on the board.  Brett Pollock scored his first WHL goal, Dylan Wruck, Henrik Samuelsson, and Griffin Reinhart tallied for Edmonton.  Cole Benson picked up his first two WHL assists as well. 
Meanwhile Calgary hasn't played since last Sunday's 6-5 overtime win over Edmonton at the Saddledome.

 

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Season Series:  Calgary is undefeated against the Oil Kings this year winning 4-1 at Rexall Place early in the year and knocking off the Kings 6-5 in overtime in Cowtown.  The teams meet six times this season, all before the Christmas break.  They face each other three more times in December to round out the first half of the year.

The Opposition: Calgary is yet to lose in regulation this year.  They have lost to Red Deer in overtime and have a shootout loss against Prince Albert.  Like earlier mentioned they have had almost a full week off since beating the Kings in Calgary in a wild game on Sunday.

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

 

Leaders:

Goals- EDM- TJ Foster (7)

CAL- Cody Sylvester (5)

Points- EDM- Michael St. Croix (11)

CAL- Brooks Macek (9)

Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (4)

CAL- Chris Driedger (4)

PIMS- EDM- Travis Ewanyk (25) 
CAL- Darian Henry (21)

Next Up: The Oil Kings hit the road for the last time this month for a Sunday evening affair with the Kootenay Ice.  The Oil Kings won't be on the road again until early November when they leave Rexall on their annual Rodeo trip.  The Hitmen open a three game in three night stretch here tonight.  They host Red Deer and Kamloops this weekend.



Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Drafted:

EDM- Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Edmonton Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011), Griffin Reinhart- New York Islanders (1st, 2012), Henrik Samuelsson- Phoenix Coyotes (1st, 2012), Mitch Moroz- Oilers (2nd, 2012).

CAL- Brooks Macek- Detroit Red Wings (6th, 2010), Victor Rask- Hurricanes (2nd, 2011), Chris Driedger- Ottawa Senators (3rd, 2012), Kenton Helgesen- Anaheim Ducks (7th, 2012), Jaynen Rissling- Washington Capitals (7th, 2012), Alex Roach (signed free agent- Los Angeles Kings).
 

Draft Watch (NHL Central Scouting Preliminery Watch List)

A Skaters- Curtis Lazar (EDM),
B Skaters- Mason Geertsen (EDM)
C Skaters- Cody Corbett, Edgars Kulda, Ashton Sautner (EDM)
B Goaltenders- Tristan Jarry (EDM)
 
Injury Report:

EDM: #7 Stephane Legault, lower body, week to week
#28 Martin Gernat, upper body, indefinite

CAL:  #17 Pavlo Padakin, upper body, day to day#19 Calder Brooks, upper body, 1 month
Roster Notes:  Keegan Lowe made his return to the Oil Kings lineup on Wednesday in Medicine Hat.  Hitmen forward Victor Rask has made the opening day roster for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League.

 

Notes: The Giants have acquired Kale Kessey from the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for a conditional 5th round pick in the 2015 bantam draft.  The Giants released 20 year old John Neibrandt to make room for Kessey.  Overage defenceman Conner Cox was claimed off waivers from Saskatoon by the Everett Silvertips, who released 20 year Cody Fowlie to make room on their roster.  Tonight is one of ten games on the schedule. Pregame at 7:15, puck drop at 7:30 on the Team 1260.

 

GDB #8 @ Medicine Hat

Oil Kings (7 4-2-1-0) vs Tigers (7 3-3-1-0)

The Oil Kings wrap up a two game road trip tonight in Medicine Hat.  Edmonton is coming off a 6-5 overtime loss in Calgary on Sunday afternoon.  The Oil Kings, lead by TJ Foster's franchise single game record four goals, traded the lead back and forth with the Hitmen all afternoon.  A Michael St. Croix power play goal late would force overtime before Calgary's Spencer Humphries tallied a PP goal of his own to send the home side to victory.  Edmonton has lost three of their last four games, but have points in back to back games after beating the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday night.  Medicine Hat has lost back to back games, 6-1 in Vancouver and 4-1 at Kamloops, wrapping up a three game western swing where they netted a single point. 




Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Last Year: The Oil Kings went 4-1-0-1 against the Tigers.  After dropping 14 straight games at the Medicine Hat Arena, the Oil Kings snapped their goose egg with a 6-2 win on January 12.  They have now won back to back games in the Gas City.  The Tigers finished fourth in the Eastern Conference last season.  They swept the Blades in the first round of the playoffs before losing in four straight to the Moose Jaw Warriors.

The Opposition: It is a rebuilding year in Medicine Hat.  They have graduated players like Emerson Etem, Tyler Bunz, James Bettauer, Matt Konan, Cole Grbavac, and Patrik Parkkonen.  They are also without twenty year olds Alex Therieau (offseason hip surgery) and Kale Kessey (suspension/AHL camp).  Undoubtedly their offense will be led by Hunter Shinkaruk, a 49 goal scorer last season who is in his draft year.  They also have newcomer Miles Koules (son of Saw movie maker Oren) to help out offensively. 

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Leaders:

Goals- EDM- T.J. Foster (7)

MH- Curtis Valk, Trevor Cox (4)

Points- EDM- Michael St. Croix (10)

MH- Hunter Shinkaruk (8)

Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (3)

MH- Marek Langhamer (2)

PIMS- EDM- Travis Ewanyk (23) 

MH- Tyler Lewington, Kale Kessey (17)

Next Up: The Kings return home for a single game on Friday night when they face the Hitmen for the third time this year.  The game will be the featured CHL nation wide broadcast on Sportsnet.  Med Hat heads north on a single game trip.  They visit Red Deer on Friday night.     


Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Drafted:

EDM- Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Edmonton Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011), Griffin Reinhart- New York Islanders (1st, 2012), Henrik Samuelsson- Phoenix Coyotes (1st, 2012), Mitch Moroz- Oilers (2nd, 2012).

MH- Alex Theriau- Dallas Stars (4th, 2010), Kale Kessey- Coyotes (4th, 2012), Marek Langhamer- Coyotes (7th, 2012).

Draft Watch (NHL Central Scouting Preliminery Watch List)

A Skaters- Curtis Lazar (EDM), Hunter Shinkaruk (MH)
B Skaters- Mason Geertsen (EDM)
C Skaters- Cody Corbett, Edgars Kulda, Ashton Sautner (EDM)
B Goaltenders- Tristan Jarry (EDM)

Injury Report:

EDM:
#4 Keegan Lowe, lower body, day to day
#7 Stephane Legault, lower body, 4-6 weeks

#28 Martin Gernat, upper body, indefinite

MH: #4 Ty Stanton, upper body, day to day
#19 Jayden Hart, illness, day to day
#23 Alex Theriau, lower body, one month


Roster notes:  Stephane Legault broke a non weight bearing bone in his foot on Sunday in Calgary.  Legault suffered the injury while blocking a shot.  Keegan Lowe is a game time decision. 
 

Notes: Today is the deadline for teams to get down to three twenty year olds on their roster.  The Oil Kings currently have two (Wruck, Foster) the Tigers have four (Theriau, Kessey, Pearce, Ryckman).  Due to Theriau's injury and Kessey being in the AHL, the Tigers will receive an extension on their deadline.  The Saskatoon Blades have acquired Rebels captain Adam Kambeitz for Christian Stockl and a 2014 third round bantam pick.  To make room the Blades have waived twenty year old Connor Cox on waivers.  Tonight is one of five games on the WHL schedule. It is the first of six meetings between the two clubs this season. Pregame at 6:55, puck drop at 7:00 on the Team 1260.

GDB #6 vs Saskatoon

Oil Kings (5 3-2-0-0) vs Blades (6 2-4-0-0)

The Oil Kings look to snap their two game losing skid tonight against Saskatoon, a team that has also lost back to back games.  The Kings are coming off a pair of 4-1 losses, at the hands of the Hitmen and Raiders.  TJ Foster is the only Oil King that has been able to find the back of the net over the last 120 minutes as well, scoring both Edmonton markers.  It is the first time since January of 2011 that the Oil Kings have dropped two straight home games.
The Blades might be exactly what the Oil Kings need right now, as they are struggling having lost 10-1 last night at the hands of the Swift Current Broncos.  The Blades, the Memorial Cup host team, are off to an uneven start with just a pair of victories both coming after regulation.  Both teams will be looking to get back on track in what should be a physical tilt tonight.



Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Last Year: The Oil Kings were 3-1 last year against the Blades.  Their lone loss was earlier in the season in Toon Town.  The Blades were fifth in the East last year posting 40 wins.  The playoffs were a disappointment though, with the Tigers sweeping the Blades in the first round.

The Opposition: The Blades started their preparations for the Memorial Cup during the offseason bringing in Shane McColgan from Kelowna, and twenty year old Brendan Walker from Brandon.  The team has named Walker as their new captain, taking over from Avalanche first round pick Duncan Siemens.  Siemens remains on the team and leads a steady defence core that includes a pair of Montreal picks in Dalton Thrower and Darren Dietz.  In goal is Russian World Junior representative Andrey Makarov.



Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings



Leaders:

Goals- EDM- Curtis Lazar (4)

SAS- Josh Nicholls (3)

Points- EDM- Michael St. Croix (6)

SAS- Nicholls (6)

Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (2)

SAS- Andrey Makarov (2)

PIMS- EDM- Mason Geertsen (16)

SAS- Jesse Astles (16)

Next Up:  The Kings begin a two game road trip tomorrow afternoon in Calgary, where they look to avenge last week's loss to the Hitmen.  They will also pay a visit to the Medicine Hat Arena on Wednesday.  Saskatoon is making a quick stop in Edmonton between home games.  They hosted Swift last night, and face the Winterhawks on Wednesday.

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Drafted:

EDM- Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Edmonton Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011), Griffin Reinhart- New York Islanders (1st, 2012), Henrik Samuelsson- Phoenix Coyotes (1st, 2012), Mitch Moroz- Oilers (2nd, 2012).

SAS- Josh Nicholls- Toronto Maple Leafs (7th, 2010, unsigned), Duncan Siemens- Colorado Avalanche (1st, 2011), Shane McColgan- Rangers (5th, 2011), Darren Dietz- Montreal Canadiens (5th, 2011), Matej Stransky- Dallas Stars (6th, 2011), Lukas Sutter- Winnipeg Jets (2nd, 2012), Dalton Thrower- Canadiens (2nd, 2012), Andrey Makarov (signed free agent, Buffalo Sabres).

Draft Watch (NHL Central Scouting Preliminery Watch List)

A Skaters- Curtis Lazar (EDM)
B Skaters- Mason Geertsen (EDM)
C Skaters- Cody Corbett, Edgars Kulda, Ashton Sautner (EDM)
B Goaltenders- Tristan Jarry (EDM)

Injury Report:

EDM:

#28 Martin Gernat, upper body, indefinite

SAS:  none

Roster notes: Dyan Wruck returned to the lineup last game for Edmonton.  Keegan Lowe is a gametime decision with a lower body injury.  Blades defenceman Dalton Thrower was a healthy scratch last night.  According to head coach Lorne Molleken in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix it was because Thrower had been “playing by his own rules.” 
 

Notes: Tonight is one of nine games on the WHL schedule. It is the first of four meetings between the two clubs this season. Pregame at 6:45, puck drop at 7:00 on the Team 1260.

GDB #5 vs Prince Albert

Oil Kings (4 3-1-0-0) vs Raiders (4 3-0-0-1)

The Oil Kings finally are back on the ice tonight after a long layoff.  Their last game, Friday at Rexall was a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Calgary Hitmen.  It was the Kings first loss of the season and snapped the team's 14 game regular season winning streak.  TJ Foster tallied the lone goal for Edmonton.  The Raiders are coming off a 5-4 shoot out win over the Red Deer Rebels on Tuesday in PA.  They have lost just once this season as well, on opening night in a shoot out to Saskatoon.                             



Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings



Last Year: The Oil Kings were 4-0 last season against the Raiders, and have controlled the all-time season series as well, with a  14-3-1-2 record.  The Kings outscored the Raiders 22-9 in 2011-12.  Prince Albert finished last overall in the WHL last season posting 21 wins and 48 points. 

The Opposition: The Raiders are showing to be a much improved squad so far in the young WHL season.  Mark McNeill, the 2011 first round pick of the Blackhawks, is leading the way with six points in the first four games.  The Raiders have added some depth to their lineup with aquisitions like Dakota Conroy, Leon Draisaitl, Shayne Gwinner and goalie Luke Siemens. 

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings



Leaders:

 

Goals- EDM- Curtis Lazar (4)

PA- Mark McNeill, Dakota Conroy, Logan McVeigh, Antoine Corbin, Anthony Bardaro (2)

 
Points- EDM- Michael St. Croix (6)

PA- McNeill (6)
 
Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (2)

PA- Luke Siemens (3)

 
PIMS- EDM- Mason Geertsen (16)

PA- Josh Morrissey (10)
 
Next Up: The Oil Kings wrap up their three game homestand on Saturday night when the Blades make their first trip to Edmonton.  The Oil Kings will head to Calgary after the game for a Sunday matinee with the Hitmen.  The Raiders open up a four game road trip tonight at Rexall.  They are in Calgary tomorrow and have stops in Kootenay and Lethbridge before heading back to Saskatchewan.
 

Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings

Drafted:
 
EDM- Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Edmonton Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011), Griffin Reinhart- New York Islanders (1st, 2012), Henrik Samuelsson- Phoenix Coyotes (1st, 2012), Mitch Moroz- Oilers (2nd, 2012).
 
PA- Mark McNeill- Chicago Blackhawks (1st, 2011), Harrison Ruopp- Coyotes (3rd, 2011) Mike Winther- Dallas Stars (2nd, 2012).
 
Draft Watch (NHL Central Scouting Preliminery Watch List)
 
A Skaters- Curtis Lazar (EDM), Josh Morrissey (PA)
B Skaters- Mason Geertsen (EDM)
C Skaters- Cody Corbett, Edgars Kulda, Ashton Sautner (EDM), Chance Braid (PA)
B Goaltenders- Tristan Jarry (EDM)
 
Injury Report:
 
EDM:
#11 Dylan Wruck, Upper body, day to day

#28 Martin Gernat, upper body, indefinite

PA: #7 Zach Hodder, upper body, week-to-week

#15 Mike Winther, lower body, day-to-day
#16 Tim Vanstone, lower body, week-to-week

 
Roster notes: Dyan Wruck is expected to make his season debut for Edmonton.  Cody Corbett makes his return to the Kings lineup after missing last game at the USA Hockey Prospects Game.  Keegan Lowe and Stephen Shmoorkoff are gametime decisions with lower body injuries.  Raiders defenceman Antoine Corbin has survived the first round of cuts in Hamilton where he is a free agent invite to the Bulldogs (AHL) camp.

Notes: Tigers forward Hunter Shinkaruk has been named this week's WHL Player of the Week.  The Oil Kings remain #2 in the CHL Top Ten, they have been ranked second for each ranking period this season.  Tonight is the lone game on the WHL schedule. It is the first of four meetings between the two clubs this season. Pregame at 6:45, puck drop at 7:00 on the Team 1260.