By Scott Pattison /
Although not yet mathematically eliminated, the proverbial writing is on the wall for the young Edmonton Oil Kings.
With under 20 games left in their inaugural season and a record of 18-25-4-6, the Oil Kings are facing a rather formidable climb to get themselves back into playoff contention.
As of press time, the club was holding down fifth place in the WHL’s Central Division, ahead of the Red Deer Rebels, with 44 points.
Frankly, who really expected a first-year franchise to earn an invite to the post-season party anyway?
Their general manager, that’s who.
“We kind of knew early on, that we were probably going to need in the mid-70s (points) to get into the playoffs,” said Bob Green, Oil Kings GM.
“Certainly, we would have liked to be closer to the playoffs than we are, since our goal has always been to make the playoffs. For the most part, we’ve competed almost every night, and that was very important to us as well.”
It’s a message that has resonated with most every player on the roster. Take for instance, the team’s 18th victory of the year, a 5-1 thumping of the Moose Jaw Warriors before an excited hometown crowd Jan. 30.
Talk about competing. Not only did they handle one of the league’s better teams on the scoreboard, they took care of business in the physical department as well. Players standing up for each other.
Edmonton Oilers … take notes!
Nonetheless, it’s early, but fans are catching glimpses of an organization, not just a team, that is beginning to build a strong foundation on work ethic.
They’re breeding a culture.
Unquestionably, the team requires more scoring depth, and a few role players, but the blueprint for this organization appears to be one designed on grit and work ethic.
The skill, displayed by promising young forwards Tomas Vincor (14-18-32) and Brent Raedeke (13-12-25), bodes well for the future of the organization.
It was a challenging predicament for Green, as he closed in on the WHL trade deadline in early January.
Throw caution to the wind in an attempt to weave some magic for his first-year club and try and transform it into a Cinderella playoff team, or take the path most often taken by, well, wise hockey men such as Green.
He chose the future, as opposed to the present, a choice fans will come to respect over the next couple of seasons.
“Risks have to bring rewards, and certainly as a young franchise you don’t have the depth to deal from,” Green explained. “You’re looking at a few guys that can bring you some value and remain competitive in the league.
“We’re still trying to build our team for the future, and that’s why we decided to move our captain Brett Stamler to Swift Current for a third rounder.”
There were some other variables that Green took into consideration when making that deal.
“Brett was a 20-year-old and for some of these guys it’s their last chance to experience the playoffs. It’s an opportunity for Brett to lengthen his season, and hopefully obtain a pro contract.”
A GM cognizant of the task at hand: To breed a culture of loyalty, trust and, well, family.
And although Green, head coach Steve Pleau, assistant coach Rocky Thompson and crew refuse to concede a playoff berth is out of reach — heck, stranger things have happened in hockey — they also have their eyes firmly focused on the organization’s second draft.
“You always want to take the best player available — at least through your first three picks,” said Green adding, “Then you identify players that can help your depth chart.”
With 21 one-goal losses under the team’s collective belt this year, you can bet Green will be trolling for offence at the annual Bantam Draft in May.
“The one area that we’ve identified is scoring. We’ve lost a lot of one-goal games this season. There are two reasons for that — we compete every night, and it also points to a lack of scoring punch.
“Alex Archibald (14-18, 2.88 GAA, .914 Sv%) has given us a chance to win on most nights. We knew we were going to be challenged (offensively) going into the season.
“But we’ve got a real, strong core of 1990-born players, who we’ve thrown into a bunch of different situations, so from a developmental standpoint it really should pay dividends for our young players in the next couple of years.”
The future looks bright for The Dub in Edmonton. It’s certainly in good hands.
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