Colten Teubert Rewind

Oilers fans' almost need Colten Teubert to live up to his draft potential.  He's right-handed with a hard shot, he's big and willing to hit anyone, anytime, and he's a former first-round draft choice.  He's everything that Alex Plante was supposed to be.  Neal Livingston's take on Teubert reads like an Oiler fan's dream:

From first hand experience, through almost two months of play, I indeed have "seen him good". Teubert is tough as nails, beefy, and strong. He has a howitzer of a shot that is deadly accurate. Unlike Kevin Montgomery, who is more finesse and smarts, Teubert is the brawn. And I like this kind of defensive player, and the up-side that he brings.

Bruce McCurdy agrees with Neal's take:

Largely it has to do with the player type he is projected to be – a big, tough, stay-at-home defensive defenceman, with a modicum of offence.

Neal took to the film room to break this all down.

He decided to review Teubert's highlights to see if his first impression was correct. 

So I took the time to unleash the AHL Live video highlights of Mr. Teubert. I set out on this film study journey with an open mind, and an overwhelming sense of hatred for the AHL Live feed, even the highlights. I indeed liked Teubert’s game out of the gate, but how would it hold up in hindsight? Sit back, grab a bucket of Pop Secret, and enjoy the Colten Teubert rewind.

He walks through every highlight Teubert was involved in to get a working understanding of his on-ice game and came away less impressed than his original take, but encouraged by what could be.

In the end. Not only do my eyes hurt from watching AHL Live game highlights, but my mind is working overtime. Teubert seems to fall in the good when team is good, and bad when team is bad category.

Teubert needs time to develop in the AHL, that much we know.  He still carries the potential of a first-round draft choice and like a few other players in the organization has a direct route to the NHL because he's a right-handed defenseman.  But he's going to need to stay healthy to get there and health is always difficult to maintain for defenders who play such a physical style.  He didn't help himself by dropping the gloves in the YoungStars tournament and suffering a concussion in the process.  He's back on the ice now, but he missed a week of practices in the bigs and at least two NHL pre-season games.  He will get the chance to play enormous minutes in Oklahoma City this season and he's got to make the most of his chance.  In fact, Scott Reynolds believes it's a nice situation for the young defender:

At this point in his career, I think Teubert can make tremendous progress without playing a minute in Edmonton. In fact, that's exactly what I expect.