Weekend Update: Hall Aboard!

Taylor Hall has been cleared for contact and has signed his AHL contract with the Barons. All that was left was his first game with his Edmonton Oiler and now Baron teammates. Even though it had been a longer than usual off season, Hall didn't miss a beat a scored a goal in the Barons' 4-3 shootout win over the Houston Aeros.

It was Hall's first shift, and a mere 38 seconds into the game, but not a bad way to start out what we hope will be a short AHL career. Not to be outdone by his best friend, who was able to finally show him up in a first game, Jordan Eberle scored the team's second goal on his first shift of the game.

Justin Schultz didn't have a bad week either, as the rookie defenceman was named AHL player of the week, and later the month. And in the words of Edmonton Sun beat reporter Terry Jones, Schultz is the "real deal." No one can wait to see how Schultz's game will translate to the NHL, but unfortunately until a deal is struck between the NHL and the NHLPA, we do have to wait.

The Edmonton Oil Kings mad a big news splash of their own this week, trading defenceman Mason Geersten to the Vancouver Giants for Oiler prospect defenceman David Musil. Musil makes the sixth Oiler prospect to work his way through the Oil Kings' system. Especially with the lockout, this gives the Oilers an excellent opportunity to observe and develop a player they feel will play an important role with the future Oilers.

Moving from the bottom team of the WHL to the Oil Kings also gives Musil a much better chance at a Memorial Cup or at least a WHL championship and the opportunity to finish his junior career on a high note.

After sitting out as much as he was playing, AHL rookie Kristians Pelss has been assigned to the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL where he will have the opportunity to play more minutes and get exposure to a higher level of hockey than he was playing in the dub. Once the NHL is back in session, Pelss will stand a better chance at cracking the Baron's lineup.

Not all Oiler prospect news was good this week, as we learned that Brandon Davidson has been diagnosed with testicular cancer, and will begin treatment immediately. Davidson's diagnosis does come at the beginning of men's cancer awareness month, Movember, and has been an incredible opportunity for the hockey world to remember what all of those moustaches are about; awareness and raising funds for research that could one day see an end to this troubling disease.

If you would like to make a donation, the Edmonton Oil Kings are raising funds. If the NHL wasn't currently in lockout mode, we know that the Oilers would be doing the same.