The Copper & Blue - The Oilers Top 25 Under 25 - Fall 2014A site for fans of the Edmonton Oilers. Someday we'll get to write about an Oilers playoff game. Hopefully sooner than later.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/13253/copper-fave.jpg2014-10-10T16:02:02-06:00http://www.coppernblue.com/rss/stream/59130362014-10-10T16:02:02-06:002014-10-10T16:02:02-06:00#1 - Taylor Hall
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<figcaption>Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Another edition of the Top 25 Under 25 comes to an inevitable conclusion.</p> <p class="p1">What can one say about <span>Taylor Hall</span> that hasn’t already been said?</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Taylor Hall, of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/4/17/5624322/taylor-hall-oilers-top-25-under-25">most points in a single season by an Oiler since Dougie Weight</a> graced the ice in Edmonton on a regular basis. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Taylor Hall, of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/1/30/5362032/taylor-hall-corsi-edmonton-oilers">impossibly high mid-season Individual Points Percentage</a>. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Taylor Hall, of the <a target="_blank" href="http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/04/22/taylor-hall-had-two-different-seasons-for-the-edmonton-oilers/">divided Corsi% in 2013/2014</a>.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Taylor Hall, of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?gameType=2&position=S&season=20132014&sort=points&status=A&viewName=points">sixth most total points in the NHL in 2013/2014</a>. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Taylor Hall, of <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=729358">the most points per game (1.08) by any left winger</a> over the last two seasons.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">He’s a mover and a shaker—the beat that drives this hockey team—and one of these days the rest of the roster is going to start <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drafting_(aerodynamics)">drafting</a> behind him and take this franchise out of the musty basement.</span></p>
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<th title="Field #1">Player</th> <th title="Field #2">DOB</th> <th title="Field #3">Alan</th> <th title="Field #4">Ben</th> <th title="Field #5">Bruce</th> <th title="Field #6">Curtis</th> <th title="Field #7">DB</th> <th title="Field #8">Derek</th> <th title="Field #9">Jeff</th> <th title="Field #10">Jon</th> <th title="Field #11">Michael</th> <th title="Field #12">Ryan</th> <th title="Field #13">Scott</th> <th title="Field #14">Zsolt</th>
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</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>TAYLOR HALL</td>
<td>91/11/14</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
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<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">While in the previous edition of the Top 25 Under 25 Jonathan Willis saw fit to rank <span>Ryan Nugent-Hopkins</span> ahead of Hall, this time around the feeling is unanimous: Taylor Hall is the best the <a href="https://www.coppernblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oilers</a> have got.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The good news for Hall is that the number two player on our list, <a href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/10/7/6916007/2-ryan-nugent-hopkins" target="_blank">Ryan Nugent-Hopkins</a>, has looked sharp as a tack this preseason after coming into camp a full ten pounds heavier. And while few expected the third member of the Oilers’ top offensive unit, <span>Jordan Eberle</span>, to maintain his close-to point per game production from 2011/2012, one gets the feeling that once one of Nuge or Hall goes supernova, the other first overall pick will shortly follow.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In <a target="_blank" href="http://lowetide.ca/blog/2014/07/re-14-15-taylor-hall-river.html">his RE 14-15 series</a>, Lowetide predicted that Taylor Hall would continue his trend upward with 33 goals and 50 assists for 83 points in a projected 73 games. It was a conservative estimate, LT noted:</span></p>
<blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">"The possession stats (as broken down by Dellow) have me hedging the bet. Hall’s impact on the score sheet while he was on the ice was phenomenal, but is it replicable? Is the flow of the river fixable under Dallas Eakins system? We need to see some proof."</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Over <a target="_blank" href="http://oilersnation.com/2014/7/18/2014-15-goals-projection-no-1-winger-taylor-hall">at Oilers Nation</a>, using a combination of projected usage, games played, age-adjusted scoring and shooting percentage, Jonathan Willis projected Hall to score 28 non-empty net goals for Edmonton this season.</span></p>
<p class="p1">In last night's opener, Hall and his linemates got the most offensive zone starts after the Arcobello line, and finished at the very top of roster in terms of CF%, with Hall completing the game at 73% at even strength (stats courtesy of <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/game.html?seasongcode=2014201520015">War on Ice</a>). Despite failing to close on Giordano on the first Flames goal of the game, Hall got on the score sheet himself with a 5-on-3 power play goal and finished with four shots on net. He looked to be his usual self all night.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I’m going to go out on a limb and say that, if RNH is feeling as good as it looks like he is, then Hall could very well eclipse the numbers projected by LT and Willis in 2014/2015.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"> The Oilers have a difference maker in Hall, one of the best left wingers—if not the best—in the game today. And man is he a joy to watch. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Count your blessings, Oilers fans. Taylor Hall is among them.</span></p>
https://www.coppernblue.com/2014/10/10/6959341/1-taylor-hallCurtis LeBlanc2014-10-07T13:57:33-06:002014-10-07T13:57:33-06:00#2 - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
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<figcaption>Christian Petersen</figcaption>
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<p>Coming in as the Runner Up on our countdown for the second straight time, Nugent-Hopkins still shows elite-level skill, but has a ways to go before he can be considered an elite player.</p> <p>Another top 3 finish has become par for the course for <span>Ryan Nugent-Hopkins</span>. The former #1 overall pick from the 2011 NHL Draft is considered by most to be the franchise's most valuable asset other than <span>Taylor Hall</span>. Given that Hall has begun to establish himself as one of the premier wingers in the game at this point, I would go as far as to say that Nugent-Hopkins development may be the team's most important project in the present tense.</p>
<p>RNH is unquestionably the team's best offensive centre (an extremely low bar at this point) and his skill level in the offensive zone is absolutely among the league's elite. The name of the game for Nugent-Hopkins in 14/15 is to learn to drive the play. If he can begin to do so consistently, I would suspect he would be in for a breakout season.</p>
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<th>Alan</th> <th>Ben</th> <th>Bruce</th> <th>Curtis</th> <th>DB</th> <th>Derek</th> <th>Jeff</th> <th>Jon</th> <th>Michael</th> <th>Ryan</th> <th>Scott</th> <th>Zsolt</th>
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<td>2</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>2</td>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/4/9/5598174/2-ryan-nugent-hopkins" target="_blank">Previous Rank: 2</a></p>
<p>It might sound silly to say that a player who is firmly entrenched as the team's top line centre is in need of a breakout season, but RNH has held that position by default basically since he entered the league. After initially being given sheltered offensive minutes, his assignments have gradually gotten more difficult, but he has not yet been able to contribute to a line that can break even consistently in those difficult situations.</p>
<p>That is certainly not his fault entirely as the team's overwhelming lack of depth has made it easy for opposing coaches to key on his line with their best defensive match-ups whenever possible, but the fact remains that if RNH wants to be seen as a true #1 Centre in this league, he's reached a point where he has to be able to help his line swim upstream with some success, no matter how strong the resistance is.</p>
<p>When citing RNH's shortcomings, the inevitable "he's not big" comment comes up, but there's an old (and somewhat cliché) saying that <i>"its not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"</i> that matters. You can take that to mean hitting and physical play if you wish, but to me, it means tenacity and a relentless need to own the puck. RNH has shown flashes of it in the past and it is the part of his game he needs to solidify to really take the next big step to being a star player. As a teenager, RNH was often compared to Pavel Datsyuk. That's a pretty high bar to reach, but if Nugent-Hopkins can find some measure of that puck retrieval skill to complement his offensive prowess, then the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.coppernblue.com/">Oilers</a> might have the pivot they've been hoping for.</p>
<p>The reason to focus on RNH's ability to create additional possessions is because the thing that holds Nugent-Hopkins back is a lack of offensive zone opportunities. That might sound bizarre at first, but not so much once you stop and think about it. The coaches actually handle RNH's deployment reasonably well from this standpoint, starting his shifts in the offensive zone 59% of the time. However, the Oilers' top line still (I'm sure this will come as a shock to everyone) doesn't generate a high enough share of the shots in 5v5 situations. The thing that the Hall-RNH-Eberle line needs to figure out is how to retrieve the puck and get back to the offensive zone more quickly when turnovers inevitably happen over the course of a game. I'll pause to repeat that because it is worthwhile. Turnovers are inevitable in hockey...its the ability to get the puck back and get right back on the attack that holds RNH back from being a point-per-game player at this stage in his career. Finding a solution to that issue would allow him (and Hall and Eberle) to achieve the lofty scoring totals they are capable of.</p>
<p>Taylor Hall (despite an odd run in the middle of last year) is a proven performer at generating controlled offensive zone entries, and while you might not know it, RNH is pretty decent at it too. Using some<a style="text-decoration: underline; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/05/24/the-edmonton-oilers-only-have-one-puck-possession-line/" target="_blank"> partial season stats published by Jonathan Willis last spring</a>, you can see he successfully crosses the blueline with possession better than 70% of the time when he does attempt to do so, but only carries the puck through the neutral zone about half as often as #4. Once inside the zone with control, RNH is among the best in the business. He's a wizard inside that blueline.</p>
<p>So, you've got a line where two players can penetrate the offensive zone on more than 70% of their attempts (Eberle is also over 60%) and once inside the zone, have elite offensive potential that converts on their opportunities at slightly above average rates. Sounds good, right? The missing ingredient here is simply creating more attempts. That means winning races to the puck and loose puck battles, creating takeaways and limiting the length of controlled offensive zone possessions for the opposition.</p>
<p>So, during the early part of this season, while you watch the Oilers try to finally take a step towards closing the cavernous gap between where they're coming from and where they want to go, have a look at the Nugent-Hopkins line and pay attention to how many possessions they are creating during the course of their shifts (not as they come off the bench). If you find yourself counting a lot of them, you've got some reason to hope for better days ahead.</p>
<p> </p>
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https://www.coppernblue.com/2014/10/7/6916007/2-ryan-nugent-hopkinsAlan Hull2014-10-01T11:30:02-06:002014-10-01T11:30:02-06:00#5 - Jordan Eberle
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<figcaption>Derek Leung</figcaption>
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<p>Even Taylor Hall wants you to be as good as him.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/a/nhl-season-preview-2014" target="_blank"> <img alt="SB Nation 2014 NHL Preview" src="http://apps.voxmedia.com/sbnation/banner-snippets/nhl-banner-snippet.jpg"> </a></p>
<p>The writers here have always been at least a little but suspicious of <span>Jordan Eberle</span>. Did he have a very good rookie year? Sure, but he scored just three goals and five assists in seventeen games after <span>Taylor Hall</span> was lost for the season. Did he have a very good sophomore year? Yeah, but his thirty-four goals were only possible because of an unsustainable 18.9% shooting percentage. That season remains Eberle's high point offensively. His shooting percentage has come down (to 13.2%, which makes me feel good about <a href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2012/7/25/3187139/jordan-eberle-shooting-percentage">my 12.7% line in the sand</a> when that debate was raging) and while his shot totals have increased, it hasn't been enough to keep him among the league's top scorers. The great Eberle debate seems to be settling into a place where everyone acknowledges that he's a good young player, but that it's unreasonable to expect him to reach the superstar level of Taylor Hall.</p>
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<td class="xl6332111" height="22" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt; height: 16.5pt;">Alan</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Ben</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Bruce</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Curtis</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">DB</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Derek</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Jeff</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Jon</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Michael</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Ryan</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Scott</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Zsolt</td>
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<td class="xl6332111" height="22" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt; height: 16.5pt;">5<br>
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<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">3</td>
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<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">5</td>
<td class="xl6332111" width="58" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">4</td>
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<p style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/4/2/5572336/jordan-eberle-oilers-top-25-under-25">Previous Rank: 4</a></p>
<p>The problem is that Eberle isn't that young anymore. Eberle has tumbled one more spot in the rankings with new addition <span>Leon Draisaitl</span> joining the three first overall picks ahead of him in part (at least for me) because Eberle is basically a known entity now. He's in his prime. Thus Derek, the least optimistic about Eberle, might be the most optimistic about the team, while DB's Eberle optimism almost certainly means he wouldn't predict a Stanley Cup in Edmonton's future. The <a href="https://www.coppernblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oilers</a> need some of these other young players to pass him because if Jordan Eberle is the second-best player on this team, it's probably not going to win a championship.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This argument is largely predicated on the idea that Eberle isn't going to get substantively better, and at least in terms of goalscoring (Eberle's finest attribute), I think there's a strong case to be made for that perspective. The following chart includes every player whose first year of draft eligibility was 2001 or later, who scored at least 0.40 goals per game in a single season by age 22, and who has reached his Draft +8 season:</p>
<p><img src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/5088480/Eberle.png" class="photo" alt="Eberle"> <br id="1412177804087"></p>
<p>By way of explanation, the average doesn't include Eberle, and the seasons marked in green for Kovalchuk and Nash are hypothetical to account for the 2004-05 lockout (I just took the average of their 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons). Jordan Eberle has impressive company on this list, a lot of really good goalscorers here, but what we don't see from this group of really good goalscorers is marked improvement as they move into their Draft +7 and Draft +8 years. The totals actually go down slightly; I wouldn't say the group is declining so much as it's hit its peak. Taken as a group, they're pretty consistent. Now, there's quite a bit of luck involved in goalscoring, and Eberle had plenty to even get himself into this category, so I'm not suggesting 0.41 and 0.43 goals per game are reasonable estimates for his performance over the next two years. I am saying that we shouldn't expect Eberle to become a better scorer at this point, and that we'll probably see him performing at pretty close to his career average of 0.35 goals per game.</p>
<p>Which is great! That would've (and in fact did!) put him in a tie for 38th in the league last season. If the Oilers have two or three players on this team more valuable than that, they're in really good shape. If not, if we're prepared to say that it's unreasonable to expect players like Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins and Yakupov to provide more value than that, well, then this team is in trouble if the goal is Stanley.</p>
<p align="center">Check out previous stories in the Top 25 Under 25 series in our <a href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/9/14/6148995/the-oilers-top-25-under-25" target="_blank"><b>StoryStream</b></a>.</p>
https://www.coppernblue.com/2014/10/1/6880009/5-jordan-eberleScott Reynolds2014-09-29T11:30:02-06:002014-09-29T11:30:02-06:00#6 - Darnell Nurse
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<figcaption>Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Darnell Nurse isn't the Oilers' best prospect, but might be the most important.</p> <p><span>Darnell Nurse</span> just <em>looks</em> like a hockey player, doesn't he? Tall, strong but not stocky, smooth skating, confident with the puck to the point of audacity. Good skater. Truculent. Fears nothing. Big ol' shot. Hits guys until their jaws fall off and mediocre sports writers scribble pablum about how very rough this game's become. He is a proverbial Monster. A monster Nurse. There's a Japanese cartoon in that somewhere.</p>
<p>Nurse shows up on the boxscores while earning fancystats fandom from ex-general manager Kyle Dubas. Over 12 goals per junior season, a good spread between powerplay and even strength, and a pillowcase of assists. Lovely. Tools <i>and</i> numbers: no Eric Brewer he. He's probably going to play for Canada at the World Juniors, if the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.coppernblue.com/">Oilers</a> spare him, and it's fashionable to sneer at TSN's Christmas showcase but that still means he's one of the best under-20 defensemen in the world.</p>
<p>Yes, the Oilers have a promising one here, haven't they? Call him the least of the top-tier prospects or the best of the second-tier; either way, he's (almost) indisputably the best defensive youngster we've got. Which is why my heart seizes up thinking about what his career represents.</p>
<p>There's an awful lot riding on young Mr. Nurse, isn't there? Out of the Oilers' blue-chippers he's the one who most needs to be a triple, a <span>Chris Pronger</span> rather than a <span>Jason Smith</span>, an apposite simile rather than a metaphor mixed between poker and baseball. This is because he fills one of the most glaring holes in our gang of one-dimensional young forwards: the guy who knows what his own zone looks like. If Nurse does everything he's capable of, all of a sudden the Oilers have a solid spine and maybe, just maybe, cause to hope. But if he turns out to be just another 2/3D type, a replacement for <span>Jeff Petry</span> when we inevitably let him go for nothing...</p>
<p>...god dammit.</p>
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<td width="58" height="22" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt; height: 16.5pt;">Alan</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Ben</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Bruce</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Curtis</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">DB</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Derek</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Jeff</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Jon</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Michael</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Ryan</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Scott</td>
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<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">6</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">6</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">6</td>
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<p style="text-align: center; "><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/3/21/5531570/top-25-under-25-5-darnell-nurse">Previous Rank: </a>5</p>
<p>Nurse drops down one spot for the traditional reason: the Oilers got another high draft pick. Nobody ranked Nurse lower than seventh; nobody ranked him higher than fifth. For all intents and purposes it was unanimous.</p>
<p>Some fans worry that Nurse didn't progress enough in his draft+1 season. Screw that. He was second on his good OHL team in assists, their joint-leading playoff pointgetter, and thirteen goals look good on any defense. Nurse was the undisputed alpha dog on a young, but awfully handy, defensive corps. Sure, his plus-minus dropped. Who cares? It was still on the respectable side of even and you can't read too much into it. Next you'll tell me had too few three star selections, or his Nielson numbers were poor.</p>
<p>Now, an OHL defenseman who's bigger, stronger, and faster than his fellows can sometimes look better than he is. The test comes at the professional level, and it is a test Nurse has barely begun. There is plenty of room for him to disappoint us. (This is a lesson Oilers fans long ago internalized.) But so far, what is he missing? Come on. What's not there? If you say "plus/minus" I am going to Bertuzzi you.</p>
<p>Should Nurse play 2014-15 with the big club? <span>Rasmus Ristolainen</span>, the pick after Nurse in 2013, is off to a half-decent start on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.diebytheblade.com/">Buffalo Sabres</a> blue. Ristolainen is several months older and has professional experience in Finland, but still. As I've said, no matter where Nurse ranks among the Oilers' best prospects he is maybe their most important. I'd be willing to sacrifice a lot in the name of his development.</p>
<p>I am told that Nurse did not look brilliant in last season's American Hockey League cameo. I am also told that, while he slapped around Owen Sound in the OHL playoffs like they'd spilled his pint, he took an Oilers-style slaughtering against the Erie Otters (-6 with one goal in four games). These indicate that he has not caught up to AHL, let alone NHL, speed. But there's only one way to be ready for that level and that's to play it. We'd love to see Nurse in the A but that's not an option, not this season.</p>
<p>The Oilers have a load of defensemen already penciled into roster slots. But most of them are awful. If we loaded all of them except for Petry and <span>Martin Marincin</span> into a cattle car and sent it to Bovine University, at least we'd be rid of some crappy contracts. But speaking of crappy contracts, giving Nurse an NHL spot would tick away a year of his entry-level contract, a year that could be spent more usefully.</p>
<p>Me, I'm sending Nurse back to junior, because he isn't Bobby Orr and he isn't going to get us into the playoffs. But if the Oilers keep Nurse in the N... would it be <i>that</i> wrong?</p>
https://www.coppernblue.com/2014/9/29/6859789/37-alexander-selivanov-fan-club-seo-is-for-toolsBenjamin Massey2014-09-28T11:30:03-06:002014-09-28T11:30:03-06:00#7 - Martin Marincin
<figure>
<img alt="Martin Marincin is slowly learning the fine points of playing NHL defence, such as how to use a skewer on an open Flame.. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/whRDMxw0jNq_5pRvvyESgZIYy34=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40172238/20140921_ads_wb4_182.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Martin Marincin is slowly learning the fine points of playing NHL defence, such as how to use a skewer on an open Flame.. | Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Gangly Slovak maturing nicely into NHL-calibre rearguard</p> <p>It only seems like forever that <a href="https://www.coppernblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Edmonton Oilers</a> fans have been waiting for <span>Martin Marincin</span>. For those of us with long, mostly painful memories, a mere 89 months had elapsed from the time the Oil had traded Chris Pronger until the third of the famed "five assets" finally materialized in the NHL. That occurred on 2013 Dec 05 when Marincin took to the ice of Rexall Place.</p>
<p>That time lag is not all on the player, mind. Said asset, a 2007 first-round draft choice of the (ahem) Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks, was first bundled with another pick to trade up to #21, then used on <span>Riley Nash</span>. While he may yet turn out to be an NHL player, it became apparent he was never was going to be an Oiler. After three years of fruitless waiting the Oilers sent Nash away on Draft Day 2010 for the single, second-round selection that they turned into Marincin.</p>
<p>From there, the slender Slovak made slow and steady progress, carefully controlled by the big club.</p>
<p>The Oilers are often slammed in certain corners of the Internet for rushing their kids. Such criticism can't be extended to their young defencemen, however, with Martin Marincin being a poster boy. The club chose the conservative fork in his road four seasons in a row before he finally bubbled over and into the NHL last December.</p>
<p>Since he was drafted out of Europe rather than the CHL, the Oilers had the option to turn him pro in the AHL at 18, and again at 19. Both times they sent him to the Western Hockey League to allow him to learn the North American game against other talented kids. When he turned pro at 20, it was a no-brainer to send him straight to Oklahoma City, and a year ago the club deemed him still not quite ready, even against competition that was decidedly subpar. By the time he was recalled for good at Christmas, Marincin had 100 AHL games under his belt, with decent counting numbers of 10-28-38 and an excellent +30. He'd also had one extended, successful playoff run (17 GP, 1-6-7, +8).</p>
<p> </p>
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="696" border="0" style="width: 528pt; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed;">
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<td width="58" height="22" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt; height: 16.5pt;">Alan</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Ben</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Bruce</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Curtis</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">DB</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Derek</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Jeff</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Jon</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Michael</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Ryan</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Scott</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">Zsolt</td>
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<td width="58" height="22" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt; height: 16.5pt;">7</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">7</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">8</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">6</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">8</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">7</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">7</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">9</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">7</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">8</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">6</td>
<td width="58" class="xl6332111" style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;">7</td>
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<p style="text-align: center; "><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/3/12/5498572/8-martin-marincin">Previous Rank</a>: 8</p>
<p style="text-align: center; "> </p>
<p>Here at the Copper & Blue, Marincin's ranking has followed a similar track of steady progress. Over the last five Top 25 Under 25 rankings since he turned pro, his ranking has been a veritable countdown. 11, 10, 9, 8, now 7. Behind the high-end draft picks and other hot shots (even passing one of them this go-round), and gradually improving his standing within the larger group of developing players.</p>
<p>Marincin didn't hurt his cause once the panel finally got the opportunity to see him on an ongoing basis. The offence dried up at the NHL level -- 0 goals, 6 assists in his 44 games -- but he can wear his minus-2 like a badge of honour given the 5 Oilers d-men who played more games than he did were all in the minus-double-digits. Yes of course part of that was goaltending, the <a href="http://www.behindthenet.ca/nhl_statistics.php?ds=30&s=33&f1=2013_s&f2=5v5&f4=D&f5=EDM&f7=20-&c=0+1+3+5+4+6+7+8+13+14+29+30+32+33+34+45+46+63+67#" target="_blank">.934 save percentage</a> behind Marincin was 15 to 30 basis points ahead of the other regulars, but the rookie also posted an impressive Relative Corsi of +15.5, <a href="http://www.behindthenet.ca/nhl_statistics.php?ds=30&s=29&f1=2013_s&f2=5v5&f4=D&f7=30-&c=0+1+3+5+4+6+7+8+13+14+29+30+32+33+34+45+46+63+67" target="_blank">third best among defencemen</a> in the entire NHL (behind only Calgary's Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie, the ultimate example of good players on a brutal team). Whether judging by goal differential or shot differential, the Oilers were a much better team with Martin Marincin on the ice than on the bench.</p>
<p>One new development for the now 22-year-old Slovak is the sudden appearance of actual musculature. He was listed at 187 pounds on his draft day and made it all the way up to a reported 188 four years later. He suddenly arrived at camp this fall having thickened up to 203. Still thin on a 6'4 frame, but not quite <i>wire</i>-thin. He retains the long reach and the "good stick", but should be able to wield both with a little more leverage than in the past.</p>
<p>Marincin is not yet guaranteed a full-time job with the big club in 2014-15. His 44-game trial run was promising, but with veterans <span>Nikita Nikitin</span> and <span>Andrew Ference</span> also lining up on the left side and hotshot prospects <span>Oscar Klefbom</span> and <span>Darnell Nurse</span> nipping at his heels, he'll need a strong start to solidify his spot. I'm betting on him; I like the trajectory of his career curve, and foresee him locking down a spot in the top four, just as he quickly did upon his arrival one year ago. Still a steep learning curve to get from here to where he'd like to be eventually, so Oil fans should expect plenty more bumps along his road. That's standard fare for young defencemen in this league, even the good ones like Martin Marincin.</p>
https://www.coppernblue.com/2014/9/28/6851741/7-martin-marincinBruce McCurdy2014-09-27T11:55:53-06:002014-09-27T11:55:53-06:00#8 - Justin Schultz
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yMC6pRI7TRY0nDrGe8GG5I9wyCo=/0x60:4000x2727/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40237910/20140308_kkt_nb6_893.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After a tough sophomore season he's dropped another couple of spots.</p> <p>So far in our journey through the Top 25 Under 25 the rankings haven't been very controversial. Our exclusion of <span>Mitch Moroz</span> might have puzzled a few readers, and obviously there have been players who some would have thought should have been a spot or two higher or lower, but I don't think that have left people wondering what the hell we were thinking. That might change with <span>Justin Schultz</span> landing in the number eight spot.</p>
<p> </p>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt; height: 16.5pt;" class="xl6332111" height="22" width="58">Alan</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Ben</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Bruce</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Curtis</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">DB</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Derek</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Jeff</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Jon</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Michael</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Ryan</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Scott</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">Zsolt</td>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt; height: 16.5pt;" class="xl6332111" height="22" width="58">8</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">10</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">6</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">9</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">7</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">9</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">8</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">7</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">8</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">7</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">8</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 44pt;" class="xl6332111" width="58">9</td>
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<p style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/3/18/5522548/justin-schultz-oilers-top-25-under-25" target="_blank">Previous Rank: 6</a></p>
<p>As you can see from the rankings we all have Schultz right around the number eight sport; ten of the voters had him within one spot either way. What those rankings don't tell you is how he compares to the other defencemen in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.coppernblue.com/">Oilers</a>' system, specifically <span>Martin Marincin</span>, who Schultz obviously now ranks behind. In our last rankings only Ben and Derek had Marincin ahead of Schultz, now eight of our voters do. I am not one of the eight though, but that doesn't mean that I don't have concerns about Schultz's game.</p>
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<p>Schultz's sophomore season was not what I had hoped for. After playing 21:26 a night as a rookie, second on the team behind <span>Jeff Petry</span>, Schultz jumped to 23:20 last season, the most on the Oilers. And most of that increase came at even strength where he played nearly 19 minutes a night. Now in theory a second year player getting that much ice time should be a good sign - <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20142ALLDADALL&viewName=timeOnIce&sort=avgTOIPerGame&pg=2" target="_blank">Schultz was 35th league wide in ice time per game</a> - but in this case he struggled to keep the puck moving in the right direction, and consequently the Oilers struggled to keep the puck out of the net when he was on the ice.</p>
<p>But Schultz wasn't alone in his struggles on the Oilers blue line last season, almost everyone available to Dallas Eakins looked terrible for large parts of the season. Even accounting for the overall ugliness of the defence Schultz still stands out though. His <a href="http://war-on-ice.com/playertable.html?mansit=2&scoresit=1&homeawaysit=1&shotattsit=1&names=&team=EDM&pos=Defence&xaxis=1&yaxis=13&caxis=5&saxis=3&panel=&usedaterange=0&start0=21&start1=2013-10-01&end0=21&end1=2014-09-27&splitseasons=0" target="_blank">Corsi Rel % of -2.58</a> was better than only <span>Andrew Ference</span>, <span>Nick Schultz</span>, and <span>Ladislav Smid</span> last season, and two of those guys finished the season playing elsewhere. From a player that on the ice than anyone else those kind of numbers are just downright ugly. The offensive contributions are nice but they don't offset what's given away at the other end of the ice.</p>
<p>The silver lining with Schultz, and a big part of why I still have him ahead of Marincin, is that he's so far in his career been saddled with subpar defence partners. <a href="http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/showplayer.php?pid=1683&withagainst=true&season=2012-14&sit=5v5" target="_blank">Ference and the other Schultz</a> have been his most common partners, accounting for just over 60% of his total ice time. There are times where Schultz looks lost in his own end of the rink, too many times, but is that a result of him trying to do too much because he's trying to cover for a couple of boat anchors or is it because he simply isn't very good at defence, right now I don't think we know either way.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/8/29/6082811/oilers-sign-schultz-to-a-one-year-deal" target="_blank">With a one-year deal</a> in his pocket this is the year for Schultz to show us what he can do, he arrived with a lot of hype (we once had him ranked at <a href="http://www.coppernblue.com/top-25-under-25/2013/3/8/4078082/justin-schultz-4-in-the-top-25-under-25" target="_blank">number four</a>) but so far he hasn't really lived up to expectations. Getting him some ice time with more capable defenders might be a good place to start. Or maybe <a href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/6/10/5797850/oilers-craig-ramsay-coaching-staff-kelly-buchberger" target="_blank">a new coach</a> looking after the defence will help get him back on track. I hope something works because I doubt that Eakins will throw him over the boards a lot less frequently in the coming season than he did in the last and it'd be nice to see some better results.</p>
<p style="text-align: center; ">Check out previous stories in the Top 25 Under 25 series in our <a target="_blank" href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/9/14/6148995/the-oilers-top-25-under-25" style="background-color: #ffffff;"><b>StoryStream</b></a>.</p>
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https://www.coppernblue.com/2014/9/27/6854073/8-justin-schultzryan_batty2014-09-26T16:30:02-06:002014-09-26T16:30:02-06:00#9 - Oscar Klefbom
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hYXQbUS1XbW29Cu6jublzq28Qcs=/0x180:4000x2847/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40159698/20140924_ads_af3_046.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The #9 player in our Top 25 Under 25 rankings is likely to see some time on the Oilers' blueline in 2014/2015—but will it be sooner or later in the season?</p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">After the off-season additions of <span>Mark Fayne</span>, <span>Nikita Nikitin</span>, and to a lesser extent, <span>Keith Aulie</span>, <span>Oscar Klefbom</span> came into training camp on the outside looking in. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Would it be detrimental to his development if he were to make the <a href="https://www.coppernblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oilers</a> as the seventh defender, limiting his minutes significantly compared to what he would play as a top pairing guy in Oklahoma City? </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The general consensus among fans and critics seems to be that Klefbom should start the season in the AHL until he gets the call to fill in due to injury or other ill-fortune.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Here’s how our panel ranked him for this edition of the Top 25 Under 25:</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span></p>
<table border="1">
<thead>
<tr>
<th title="Field #1">Player</th> <th title="Field #2">DOB</th> <th title="Field #3">Alan</th> <th title="Field #4">Ben</th> <th title="Field #5">Bruce</th> <th title="Field #6">Curtis</th> <th title="Field #7">DB</th> <th title="Field #8">Derek</th> <th title="Field #9">Jeff</th> <th title="Field #10">JW</th> <th title="Field #11">Michael</th> <th title="Field #12">Ryan</th> <th title="Field #13">Scott</th> <th title="Field #14">Zsolt</th>
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</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>OSCAR KLEFBOM</td>
<td>93/07/20</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
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<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Since we ran this same series in the summer of 2013, <span>Martin Marincin</span>’s rise to prominence has caused Klefbom to drop ever so slightly from the 8th spot he was ranked in that July, to the 9th spot where he’s found himself on the two latest lists. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Bruce McCurdy’s <a target="_blank" href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2014/3/7/5482680/oscar-klefbom-oilers-prspect-okc-barons-top-25-under-25">post on Klefbom for the previous series</a> provides a nice collection of scouting reports on the player during his first professional season in North America—specifically in the AHL. Strangely enough, on the very same day Bruce published the post, Klefbom was recalled to the NHL. He would spend the rest of the season with the Oilers.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Here’s what <a target="_blank" href="http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/05/21/is-oscar-klefbom-in-the-nhl-to-stay/"></a><a href="http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/05/21/is-oscar-klefbom-in-the-nhl-to-stay/" target="_blank">Bruce had to say </a>at Cult of Hockey in his review of the young Swedish defender after his first lengthy stint in the bigs, albeit paired with <span>Justin Schultz</span>: </span></p>
<blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">"...the duo displayed reasonable competence in getting the puck out of the defensive zone, even as they were apt to be chasing it when it re-entered the d-zone. There were a few adventures of the odd-man kind on pretty much a nightly basis, but also some very nice moments featuring mobility on the back end and fluidity of puck movement. On the good shifts, it wasn’t hard to envision better days ahead."</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="p2">The path to the NHL has been longer than anticipated for Klefbom, the 19th overall pick in 2011, as injuries once threatened his shot at a successful career in North America, including a shoulder problem that<b> </b>cut his 2012-2013 campaign down to just 11 games with Farjestad.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">While he’s been an occasional perpetrator of the same defensive lapses that many players his age are prone to, by my eye he still looks capable of being poised and brainy out there—with the puck and without it—so far this preseason. He’s also mobile to the point that his current listing of 6'3" and 210 lbs is almost surprising.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Unfortunately for him, he hasn't exactly gotten the preseason pairing assignments that might suggest he has a legitimate shot at a spot on the NHL roster.</p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"></span></p>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>After being even in 1st period, Aulie was +2/-12 in second & is tied with partner Klefbom for team-worse -10 thru 40. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FWIW?src=hash">#FWIW</a></p>
— Bruce McCurdy (@BruceMcCurdy) <a href="https://twitter.com/BruceMcCurdy/status/514956302641270784">September 25, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">It appears Martin Marincin is poised to carry his fine play over into 2014-2015, and so it remains likely that Klefbom will start the season with the Barons. That is, unless the Oilers decide to keep him as a seventh d-man and demote Keith Aulie, who, thus far in the preseason, has shown nothing to suggest that he belongs in an NHL lineup. The downside to that scenario is that Klefbom would see much less ice time than he would in OKC.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Ultimately, it’s up to the powers that be on Kingsway NW to decide what to do with Klefbom at the end of training camp. Fans can find solace in the fact that the former first round draft pick looks to be back on track after a series of injuries, both minor and major, nearly derailed his professional career.</span></p>
https://www.coppernblue.com/2014/9/26/6851411/9-oscar-klefbomCurtis LeBlanc2014-09-26T06:30:00-06:002014-09-26T06:30:00-06:00#10 - Bogdan Yakimov
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<img alt="Yakimov scores in the preseason" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oLABY9Kd8rPYrqlZQGbXBaIJdAY=/0x59:4000x2726/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40099940/20140924_ads_af3_085.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Yakimov scores in the preseason | Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Bogdan Yakimov kicks off the top 10 in the Top 25 Under 25</p> <p>Kicking off the top 10 for the second time in a row is <span>Bogdan Yakimov</span>. This spot also kicks off the "Players with Real NHL Potential" section of the count down (especially if you are a big centre).</p>
<table border="1">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Rank</th> <th>Player</th> <th>DOB</th> <th>Drafted</th> <th>Year</th> <th>Alan</th> <th>Ben</th> <th>Bruce</th> <th>Curtis</th> <th>DB</th> <th>Derek</th> <th>Jeff</th> <th>Jon</th> <th>Michael</th> <th>Ryan</th> <th>Scott</th> <th>Zsolt</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>10</td>
<td>BOGDAN YAKIMOV</td>
<td>94/10/04</td>
<td>83</td>
<td>2013</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">13</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">11</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">13</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">11</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It really looks like we're getting close to a consensus on Yakimov in the #10 spot on this list. Eight of the voting members had him at 10 and no one had him below 13 (one of which is ruskie hater).</p>
<p>Over the past couple weeks we have had a nice look at Yakimov playing with fellow Russian and star of the next hobbit movie Vladimir Tkachev. The two have looked very good together and it makes my imagination run wild thinking of an all Russian line for the <a href="https://www.coppernblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oilers</a> in the future. The Oilers have also taken steps to make sure that English is the only language spoken within the team.</p>
<blockquote>We see each other every day, we practice together. If he has any problem, I’m always helping him. By the way, the team took the right decision limiting the time he can spend with me: this way he won’t speak Russian all the time and will be forced to speak English, and this will help him a lot at this point of his career. Not long ago we went to a Katy Perry concert.</blockquote>
<p>That is <span>Nail Yakupov</span> in an interview with the Business Gazeta talking about Yakimov (<a href="http://thehockeywriters.com/nail-yakupov-interview-with-edmonton-oilers-forward/">Translation of the Interview</a>)</p>
<p>Anyway, back to reality. Yakimov played last season for Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik of the KHL (the same team that Nail Yakupov played for during the lockout) and posted decent numbers for the 33 games he appeared in. In his draft+1 season, Yakimov went 7-5-12 playing in league of men.</p>
<p>As much as he impressed last season in the KHL and has done similarly this pre-season, don't expect to see Yakimov start the season in the NHL. Yakimov will probably start the 2014-15 season with the OKC Barons adjusting to the North American style of hockey but as the season wears on and injuries set I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a call up.</p>
<p>Yakimov has the tools to be a productive NHL player and his size of 6'5" & 200 lbs definitely helps his cause. Hopefully his pre-season and KHL numbers translate to the NHL but only time will tell.</p>
https://www.coppernblue.com/2014/9/26/6848753/10-bogdan-yakimovOilFanInYYC