The Edmonton Oil Kings’ recent stretch of games hasn’t been great as they continue to be near the bottom of the Western Hockey League (WHL) standings in what now seems like another season that will result in the team having a high draft pick in the WHL Bantam Draft.
Their recent three-game road trip saw them battle the Regina Pats, Brandon Wheat Kings, and Moose Jaw Warriors in what was expected to be a potential bounce-back trip for the Oil Kings, unfortunately, it was anything but. The long-term injury to Aidan Litke hasn’t helped the team by any means, but the return of Ty Nash has been a big help at both ends of the ice.
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The offensive output from forward Roan Woodward has helped the Oil Kings immensely during their struggles, but the top prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft Adam Jecho has cooled off a little bit after his red-hot start to the 2023-24 season, but still remains the team’s leading scorer. New acquisition Smyth Rebman has been strong at both ends of the ice for the Oil Kings and has been a solid new addition to the team, and the return of Nathan Pilling from injury has been huge for them. With that being said, here is a recap and some takeaways from the Oil Kings’ recent three-game road trip.
Current Record: 6-15-0-1
Three-Game Road Trip Results:
Nov 15th vs Pats: 6-1 win
Nov 17th vs Wheat Kings: 5-2 loss
Nov 18th vs Warriors: 7-3 loss
New Acquisitions Shine Bright During Dark Time
Rebman has been strong since joining the Oil Kings and while he doesn’t provide much offensively, his defensive game has been consistently stellar. Another new addition is Skyler Bruce, who the team acquired via trade and has been lights out offensively. It’s hard not to call Woodward one of the team’s best players since being acquired, as he’s been fantastic since joining the team. Superstars Marc Lajoie and Gavin Hodnett continue to help lead the team at both ends of the ice as well, but it’s been nice to see other guys step up.
With the Oil Kings deciding to move on from Jacob Hoffrogge earlier in the season as well as trading Rhett Melnyk in the Rebman deal, the team was looking elsewhere for production and they’ve gotten it from unexpected sources. The new guys have been strong, and it’s also been nice to see Rilen Kovacevic, Cole Miller, and Marshall Finnie contribute at both ends of the ice consistently.
Future’s Bright, But They Aren’t There Yet
It would be nice to be able to say the Oil Kings are really close to being back to contending for a playoff spot but that’s simply not the case. This season will result in another lackluster finish and unfortunately, they’ll miss the playoffs again. However, it’s nice to see them giving opportunities to some younger guys and prospects in Jager Gugyelka, Presley Kerner, Luke Powell, and Hudson Perry who will all be vying to make the opening night roster as early as next season.
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For the Oil Kings to be considered contenders again, they’ll have to make some more moves and continue finding strong prospects to build their team around. Woodward, Jecho, and Hodnett will likely be back next season to help lead the team as well as Pilling and Parker Alcos who have all been incredible this season, but the Oil Kings will need to be aggressive and try to add some more pieces if they want any chance of sniffing the playoffs in 2024-25.
For now, they need to continue developing their youngsters and working on the little things, and their time will come. Hopefully, next season will be different and the Oil Kings can find a way to start winning consistently. They are back in action Friday, Nov. 24 against the Pats and will be looking to snap the three-game losing streak they’re currently on.
