Barons Season Review: Mark Arcobello

Mark Arcobello came into last season looking for an AHL deal, and received one. I doubt that he was expecting an NHL deal to come later in the season. After call-up from the ECHL, the Yale-graduate Arcobello would make an impact with the team in a big way.

After the Barons training camp ended, Arcobello was one of the two players to earn an AHL contract with the Barons, Jesse Gimblett being the other. Arcobello was sent to the Oilers' ECHL affiliate, the Stockton Thunder, after the conclusion of training camp. In 33 games with the Thunder, Arcobello scored seven goals and added 13 assists, earning a spot on the ECHL All-Star team.

As the injury bug began to strike the Oilers, Liam Reddox and Linus Omark were called up to fill out the line-up. Arcobello was subsequently called up to the Barons, but only played in one game before being sent back down to the Thunder to play in the ECHL All-Star Game. In the ECHL vs. Bakersfield Condors format, Arcobello led the ECHL All-Star team to a 9-3 win, scoring a hat trick and earning the MVP honors in the game.

Arcobello returned to the Barons following the All-Star Game, and made the most of his call-up. He scored his first career AHL goal on February 18th in the Barons' 3-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat in Calgary, helping his case in earning a more permanent spot on the team. In 26 games with the Barons, Arcobello potted eleven goals and added eleven more assists, helping the Barons earn their spot in the playoffs. In addition to earning a spot on the Barons' playoff roster, he signed a two-year Entry-Level Contract with the Oilers on April 1st.

The Barons' power play struggled in their playoff series against the Hamilton Bulldogs, and Arcobello did as well. As the Barons went out four games to two, Arcobello only found the net in the Barons' Game 3 win, scoring one goal and adding an assist.

Arcobello spent time on lines with Ryan O'Marra and Teemu Hartikainen and saw occasional time on the top line.  He also saw a lot of time on the power play. Four of Arcobello's goals and three of his assists came while playing with the man advantage.

With two years on his deal, Arcobello has a bright future ahead of him in the organization. As one of the top forwards and key players for the Barons this season, I wouldn't be surprised to see him getting some NHL time in the future. The Oilers have found a very promising prospect, and will be fun to watch his progress.