With 17 games to go in the regular season, fans of the Okotoks Oilers finally have the opportunity to cheer for a hometown kid.
Okotoks blueliner Keaton Lubin has joined the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s (AJHL) Oilers after a one and a half year stint with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Calgary Hitmen.
The 17-year-old defenceman said he’s excited with the prospects of getting consistent ice time, something he struggled to find in his sophomore season with the Hitmen.
“Things weren’t working out with the Hitmen too well this year so I just came back to the Oilers and I’m hoping to get some more playing time and develop more here and see what next year has in store for me,” Lubin said. “I’m not here for selfish purposes, I’m just here to get the team some wins and hopefully go on a run here.”
Oilers head coach and general manager James Poole said Lubin viewed the chance to see the ice more at the Junior A level as a boon to his progression in hockey.
“He really saw his development starting to stunt and slow down (in Calgary) and I think ultimately he was looking to see ways he could get more ice time and I think the ultimate decision was that he’d be better off coming to Junior A and getting some consistent ice time,” Poole said.
The Okotoks native has been practicing with the team for about three weeks and the organization finally put pen to paper after taking time to assess their depth on the blueline, said Poole.
“For us it took a little while to figure out exactly how we were going to go about it because we’d pretty much been set on the defencemen we had,” said Poole. “But, when it came to the deadline there we looked at it and thought that having eight defencemen, we could manage it and be able to get enough minutes for everyone.”
The Oilers coach said he envisions Lubin as a contributor to the team’s offensive attack.
“He definitely has some good skills, he moves the puck well and with a purpose, he’s got good mobility, he’ll definitely be able to help us on the power play,” Poole said. “Definitely the strength of his game is a little bit more on the offensive (end) in terms of moving the puck and I think those are some of the areas that we’ll try and take advantage of some of his assets.”
The concept of playing in his hometown is not something completely new to Lubin, the Hitmen’s third round pick in the 2009 Bantam Draft. Lubin played in two games with the Oilers as an affiliate player in 2009-10, but made his debut as a roster player during their home date with the Drayton Valley Thunder on Jan. 23. The puck moving defenceman also has a plethora of experience with local minor hockey as he played two seasons with the Bantam AAA Okotoks Oilers, alongside Oilers rookie netminder Jared D’Amico, and plied his trade in 2009-10 with the UFA Bisons.
Prior to joining the club, Lubin kept in close contact with Oilers assistant captain Rhett Holland as well as forwards Spencer Kryczka and Braeden Salverda. He said having familiar faces in the dressing room has eased his transition onto the club.
“It’s nice to come in to a new room and know some guys, it’s not as awkward when you first get there with your garbage bag,” Lubin said. “The guys have been really friendly so far so it’s nice, it’s been a good adjustment.”
Hazelaar leaves the Oilers
Second year forward Houston Hazelaar has left the Okotoks Oilers, the team announced in a press release on Jan. 10.
Hazelaar, the Oilers rookie of the year in 2010-11 after posting 15 goals and 41 points, struggled through a knee injury and was unable to replicate his scoring touch in his second year with the club. Still, the news of his departure in mid-December caught Poole off guard.
“It did come as a pretty big shock,” said Poole, who attributed the forward’s departure in part to nagging injuries. “He worked hard this summer, he just never quite got back to the player he was… he felt like he wasn’t able to contribute and play at a level that he’d been able to do all his life. That was the biggest frustration and I think it just wore on him throughout the year.”
Hazelaar, who played his last game with Okotoks on Dec. 13 against the Olds Grizzlys, managed to post five goals and 21 points in 37 games. He was a key contributor in a checking role as a proficient faceoff man, and a dependable penalty killer, said Poole.
Poole said having a player with a similar skill set in centre Connor Hartley, acquired from the Vernon Vipers on Nov. 27, mitigates the loss of Hazelaar from the Oiler lineup.
“It definitely eases it. Connor has been great for us not just on the penalty kill, but he’s been good on the faceoffs and his work ethic is there,” said Poole. “He’s a very similar mold to what Houston brought to the rink, he’s a very complete player and he’s got a great attitude.”
Leaving the team after the Dec. 1 deadline left the Oilers with an empty roster spot, putting the Oilers in a position in which they lost a roster player without any return.
“The timing wasn’t the best because obviously we’re limited on what we can do in terms of cards we can fill and obviously we burned one there with Houston there after the Dec. 1 deadline,” Poole said. “It’s unfortunate that it worked out that way, but (we) wish him the best of luck, Houston is a good kid.”
Hazelaar, who could not be reached for comment, returned to his hometown of Medicine Hat where he will be focusing on school.
