The Okotoks Oilers were fighting a battle on two fronts at the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s annual showcase in Spruce Grove last weekend.
The Oilers went 1-1 at the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s (AJHL) Showcase, the marquee regular season event in the league featuring more than 130 scouts from colleges and pro ranks in Spruce Grove. Okotoks earned a 4-3 overtime victory over the Lloydminster Bobcats on Sept. 28 followed by a 2-1 loss to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons a day later.
Oilers head coach and general manager James Poole said keeping the players completely focused on the team game and away from showcasing themselves to the scouts was a challenging prospect.
“The (Lloydminster) game we were okay, it wasn’t our best game, but the (Fort McMurray) game we had some other players in the stands the night before and they came into the lineup and we definitely saw those players be a little more individualistic than we’ve seen in the past,” Poole said. “That was one of the problems to why we didn’t play to our potential in the second game.”
The Oilers started brightly in Spruce Grove by earning their fourth win of the season, all of which have come in overtime or in a shootout.
Tanner Olstad scored a pair for Okotoks along with rookies John Edwardh and Stefan Danielson notching their first career goals, the latter with 15 seconds left in overtime to clinch the win over Lloydminster.
Oilers defenceman Robert Hamilton said it’s encouraging the Oilers are finding ways to win the games decided after regulation.
“Good teams are able to finish, to finish in overtime or whenever they need to,” Hamilton said. “The first (win) Greg Lamoureux stepped up for us and that was huge and then after that, because we’ve been in the situation a few times, we’re kind of getting used to and know to stay calm.”
The Oilers failed to match the effort versus the Oil Barons, registering just 18 shots and a late consolation marker from Chris Collins in the 2-1 loss.
Hamilton, who stated his play at the showcase last season was a major push towards earning a scholarship to the University of Vermont, said his second trip to the event was a different experience.
“I’m not talking to teams, but it’s huge to see teammates getting called out of the room after,” said Hamilton, who tried to offer as much wisdom as possible to showcase rookies. “You’ve got to fill out all the paper work, talk to the schools, you’ve just got to let them know that you want to be there and they want guys that want to go down (to U.S. schools).”
One such Oiler looking to lock down a scholarship was sophomore blueliner Tariq Hammond, who made his regular season debut against the Bobcats after being sidelined with a partially torn MCL.
“It’s always hard knowing all those scouts are in the stands and trying not to do too much individually and to stick to the game plan,” Hammond said. “I talked to the one school I’ve been talking to for a while, Alaska-Anchorage, just talking to me about how I’ve been rehabbing and keeping a close eye on me.”
Hammond’s insertion into the lineup represented a needed dose of physicality on the blueline, Poole said.
“We’ve got some guys that are mobile and move the puck pretty well, but defensively at times we can get a little too soft in terms of playing the body on the rush, the body down low,” Poole said. “Tariq can definitely help us with that, he’s got the big frame and is solid defensively.
“He’s going to be a huge help to our team in terms of making us a more complete team and a tougher team to play against.”
The Oilers coach said it’s premature to discuss which players made a firm imprint on the minds of the scouts.
“With so many scouts being there a lot of them will hold back in terms of going down to the dressing room,” Poole said. “It’s a little bit early to tell which players really helped their stock. I know Jordan Swenson was one that definitely impressed some scouts.”
The Oilers will look to change course this weekend when they begin a four-game in six days road trip. Okotoks begins a back-to-back-to-back set Friday in Whitecourt, followed by dates with the Grande Prairie Storm and Drayton Valley Thunder before preparing for an Oct. 11 meeting in Camrose with the Kodiaks.
The Oilers are back at home at the Pason Centennial Arena ice on Oct. 13 when they once again face the Bobcats for a 7 p.m. puck-drop. For more information go to www.okotoksoilers.ca.
