Published Dec 26, 2023 – Last upgraded 2 hours ago – 8 minute checked out Familiar scenes like this will unfold in the days to come, as the 2024 World Junior Championship gets underway. Image by Ian Kucerak/ PostmediaIt’s that time of year once again, folks. It’s Boxing Day and with it the standard puck drop on a number of yearly hockey customs: the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, and the IIHF World Junior Championship, hosted this year in Gothenberg, Sweden. The previous, including European expert club groups plus Canada, is identified 2023 since it’s a 6-day puck celebration that constantly ends on New Year’s Eve. The latter stretches through till Jan 05 so is the 2024 variation. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to check out the current news in your city and throughout Canada. Unique posts by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything functions, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters.Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news websites with one account.Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic reproduction of the print edition to see on any gadget, share and remark on.Daily puzzles, consisting of the New York Times Crossword.Support regional journalism.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to check out the current news in your city and throughout Canada. Special short articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything functions, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters.Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news websites with one account.Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic reproduction of the print edition to see on any gadget, share and remark on.Daily puzzles, consisting of the New York Times Crossword.Support regional journalism.REGISTER TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or check in to continue with your reading experience. Gain access to posts from throughout Canada with one account.Share your ideas and sign up with the discussion in the comments.Enjoy extra short articles per month.Get e-mail updates from your preferred authors.Article material Of the 2, it’s the World Junior that brings in more attention, specifically in this nation. Stands to factor that diehard fans of a club like Edmonton Oilers are keener to see the Ghosts of Oilers Future who generally can be discovered at the World Junior than the Ghosts of Oilers Past that tend to occupy the Spengler. Short article material Alas, at WJC2024 there are no future Oilers to be discovered. Not one. Thing is, to have one of your potential customers playing in the World Juniors you require to have actually prepared him. Which is one method to keep track of a group’s short-term preparing record. Just gamers from the previous 2 drafts– and not even all of those chosen– stay young sufficient to get approved for the U-20, whose gamers will all have birthdays in 2004 or later on. The draft website FC Hockey offers a breakdown of (by my count) 101 prepared gamers taking part in this season’s occasion, led by Buffalo and Arizona who have 7 each. Stands to factor, both clubs have actually had a lots of draft choices in current times. The Coyotes have actually been gathering choices for enjoyable, having actually made 22 choices the previous 2 years, no less than 14 of those in the very first 3 rounds. The Sabres? 19 and 8 respectively. By registering you grant get the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Short article material Article material The other end of the rainbow? Just 2 NHL clubs will have no representation at WJC2024: Colorado Avalanche and your Edmonton Oilers. That too stands to factor. Both clubs sent out away a lot of choices, particularly in the most current 2 drafts, in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Each company had simply 7 draft choices in the 2 years integrated, simply 2 of those in the very first 3 rounds. Significant distinction being that when it comes to the Avalanche, it worked. Trades including future properties were utilized to get crucial gamers like Artturi Lehkonen and Josh Manson who played substantial functions in Colorado’s drive to the Stanley Cup in 2022. Objective achieved. The Oilers on the other hand set themselves up for a number of playoff runs, however no stogie to this point. The list is a brief sufficient list to make a list of. The Oilers began with 7 draft choices in each year. 2022First round # 29 “traded down” for # 32 in an offer that sent out 2 future Edmonton draft choices (2024 3rd, 2025 2nd) plus Zack Kassian to Arizona in exchange for cap relief. The Coyotes picked defenceman Maveric Lamouruex who will represent Canada on the planet Juniors. # 32 Reid Schaefer was chosen by Edmonton with the devalued choice. Born upon 2003 Sep 21, Schaefer was a “late birthday” and like some 30% of his draft mates has actually aged out of the 2024 World Juniors. Does not much matter, he was traded by the Oilers this previous February in a plan for stalwart defenceman Mattias Ekholm so any rooting interest in the gamer is rendered scholastic at this point.Second rounder was dealt to Montreal in 2022 March as part of a plan for defenceman Brett Kulak, still an Oiler after signing a subsequent extension. Montreal utilized that # 62 choice to choose defenceman Lane Hutson, a big-time possibility who will be representing USA at WJC2024. Fair to state that’s a trade the Habs would make again.Third rounder was dealt to Chicago in 2021 June as part of a bundle for defenceman Duncan Keith, who retired after one season in Edmonton. Chicago utilized the choice # 94 to choose defence possibility Jeremy Langlois.Fourth rounder was dealt to New Jersey in 2021 April (late due date that year) for defenceman Dmitry Kulikov, who left as an unlimited complimentary representative the following summertime. NJD picked d-man Charlie Leddy at # 126. Choose # 158 was maintained. Oilers picked G Samuel Jonsson, who has a 2003 December birthday and is aged out. # 190 was utilized on D Nikita Yevseyev. He’s a 2004 so young adequate to play in the present WJC. Just issue is, he’s Russian, and his whole nation has actually been disinvited from IIHF occasions. # 222 was utilized on C Joel Maatta, a third-time-draft-eligible who turned 20 the day before the Draft. He’s out too.Article material Summary: of the 4 gamers the Oilers prepared, all are disqualified to play in the existing U-20 occasion, 3 by age and one by citizenship. The only 3 that stay in the system were all picked listed below # 150, which represents the “faint hope” area of the draft. The choices in Rounds One through Four were all traded for NHL defencemen, with Schaefer being dealt after being prepared. Remarkably, all 4 groups who obtained a choice from the Oilers consequently utilized it to prepare rearguards themselves. Renew the supply chain and all that. Edmonton has Ekholm and Kulak to reveal for their efforts, both existing regulars on the d-corps. 2023First round choice went to Nashville as part of the Ekholm bundle. Nashville utilized the # 24 choice to pick protector Tanner Molendyk, who made Team Canada however was sent out home after suffering an injury in a pre-tournament game.Oilers kept their second-round choice # 56 and utilized it to choose appealing rearguard Beau Akey, Alas, his season is currently over due to significant shoulder surgical treatment. Invite to the Oilers, son.Third round choice was sold 2023 March in a bundle with defence possibility Michael Kesselring in exchange for C Nick Bjugstad and D Cam Dineen. The ‘yotes selected RW Vadim Moroz with the # 88 choice. Bjugstad has actually because left Edmonton as an unlimited totally free representative, back to Arizona as it ended up. Just Dineen, 25, stays in the Oilers system, a routine on the Bakersfield blueline with minimal NHL prospects.Fourth rounder # 120 went to Philadelphia in 2022 March for veteran forward Derick Brassard, who left as an unlimited totally free representative a year before that draft choice even came due. Philly picked LW Alex Ciernik, who will represent Slovakia at WJC2024.Fifth rounder # 152 went to New York Rangers in a 2023 May trade that landed possibility C Jayden Grubbe on Edmonton’s settlement list. The Oilers have actually given that signed the gamer and he is now a novice pro in Bakersfield.Oilers utilized the # 184 badger netminder Nathan Day who fulfills the age category however was not in the mix for Team Canada.Edmonton chosen C Matt Copponi at # 216. Like Maatta the year previous, Copponi had actually currently turned 20 by his draft day.Article material Summary: Edmonton prepared simply 3 gamers, and simply one in the leading 180. That being Akey, who is out for the season. The very first, 3rd and 4th round choices were all used up in due date offers, of whom just Ekholm stays. The 5th rounder was associated with a really various sort of swap, not a lot a “future for present” type offer as a “future for nearer-future” whose appeal consisted of the reality the obtained gamer, Grubbe, was prepared to turn pro this season. By meaning, no World Junior for him either. For the 2nd draft in a row 2 gamers picked with choices Edmonton traded away were chosen to represent their nations in the approaching display. Was it worth it?No Cup to this point, so no, not. The Oilers got a number of guys assisting the club today in Ekholm and Kulak with both under agreement through 2026. The last chapter stays to be composed, even as the book can be closed on the similarity Keith, Kulikov, Bjugstad and Brassard. Oddly, of that sextet just Keith came at complete cap dollar, indicating in all other cases, extra properties were used up to attract trading partners to maintain income. It’s an unforgiving company, particularly in the income cap period. Short article material Not remarkably, Oilers GM Ken Holland has actually gathered his share of critics along the method. He’s now established a prolonged performance history of loaning from the future to fix lineup weak points and income cap constraints in the much shorter term. A lot of arrows in those quivers. Were the ideal gamers obtained at the best rate? Depend upon how delighted Oil fans are with routine playoff looks and a handful of series wins. To a number of those critics the response is plainly “not pleased sufficient” and it’s tough to argue with that. The one location where I would press back is the idea that Holland has actually hesitated to go “all in” to optimize his group’s possibilities. The record promotes itself: simply one draft choice stays who was selected in the very first 4 rounds from the last 2 years. The other 7, all dealt. A number of good potential customers sent. Trades made to clear cap area. Others getting veterans at a cap struck far listed below league minimum. In one highly-controversial case, cap area obtained from next season to sign a gamer for this. Some innovative relocations in there in my view, even as they didn’t all exercise as hoped. Of them all, the Ekholm deal stands apart as the most significant swing, and to this point, the most efficient. It served to raise expectations, and in a great way. Post material The unfortunate part is that for all his efforts to optimize his group once again in 2023-24, Ken Holland’s team gets in the Christmas break in 27th location by points, in 23rd by portion, and searching for at a lot of groups in the Western Conference playoff race. Amongst them, the Arizona Coyotes whose own advancement system is definitely bulging with potential customers, a lot of whom will remain in screen in the huge competition getting underway today. Oil fans have no such bounty of potential customers to track and it stings, a minimum of in the minute. Oh well, a minimum of there’ll be a number of Ghosts of Oilers Past at the Spengler Cup. Begin, Joey LaLeggia! Let’s go, Colton Sceviour! Just recently at the Cult of HockeySTAPLES: The finest aspect of each Edmonton Oiler LEAVINS: Ken Holland’s dream list– 9 Things STAPLES: Another day, another 4-goal 3rd duration resurgence by the Oil McCURDY: Oilers section evaluation, Games 21-30 LEAVINS: Oilers storm back to splash the Devils Article material
On the Edmonton Oilers, the World Juniors, and the high expense of going “all in”
