The Edmonton Oil Kings grabbed their first W of the season last night in Red Deer, and it was a highly entertaining game throughout. Edmonton had the flash and speed in the first period, to jump out to an early lead and then add some powerplay insure shortly after. The 2nd saw a nearly perfect execution of dominance and frustrated Red Deer time and time again. Then the 3rd has the Rebels mount their comeback attempt and lead to a tense final 5 minutes in Edmonton’s defensive zone.

This afternoon, we kick off the home half of the schedule in the Swiftie Home Opener. The events on the concourse are for the Showgirls, but we’re here to discuss the hockey players. The Oil Kings are 10-7-1 all-time in Home Openers, but only 3-3-1 in home openers if they opened the season on the road. Somewhat fittingly, they tend to start the home schedule however they started the road schedule in those situations, and that’s just fine for this year after that big win last night in Red Deer

On The Throne

Those players that are considered to be trending upwards, on a hot streak, or otherwise impressing will be seen as being On The Throne. 

Luke Powell - What a night for the 2007-born Powell, entering his 2nd full year with the team. He kicked things off with a snipe after grabbing a loose puck from a faceoff and walking it into the slot. His goal 1:22 into the first period was the third-fastest goal to start a season in Oil Kings history. He added his second, and the eventual game-winner, early in the second to make the score 3-0 at the time. Late in the game, with Red Deer pressuring and their goalie pulled, Powell had a chance for a season opening hat trick, but it wasn’t to be. His only real chance was a loose backhand that sailed into the corner.

Dylan Dean - One of the Oil Kings newest additions wasted little time introducing himself to the fans watching. With the score already 1-0, and the Oil Kings on the Power Play, Dean took the pass from Joe Iginla and hammered it home for his first career WHL Goal in his first career WHL Game. The former Long Island Gull was buzzing all night, and had multiple Grade A chances stifled by the Rebels netminder, but he left an impression that he plans to make an impact this year.

Presley Kerner - The road to the WHL for Kerner has been long and difficult, but he’s finally arrived. He played his first game for the Oil Kings in November 2022. He got into 12 games as a 16-year-old in 2023/24, and then missed all of last season with an injury. He’s finally healthy and ready to contribute. It was an emotional moment for everyone on the Oil Kings bench as they were elated to see Kerner finally get his first WHL goal, and hopefully there’s a lot more where that came from this season.

Off The Throne

Players that are struggling through a rough patch, on a cold streak, or possibly battling the puck at times will be viewed as being Off The Throne. 

Kayden Stroeder - We’ve been high on Stroeder here at The Roil Line, as have the Oil Kings by all accounts that have been made public. He’s someone who’s looking like a potentially high NHL draft pick when his draft year comes around. Last night, however, he wasn’t even in the lineup. Reportedly an “upper-body injury”, it’s not a great sign for a top prospect like Stroeder to be missing in the first game of the year. He’s listed as week-to-week, and we wish him all the best and hopefully he’ll be back on the ice very soon.

Poul Andersen - The former Sherwood Park Crusader was viewed as another strong offseason addition, alongside Dylan Dean and Andrew O’Neill, but was held out of action also due to injury. Andersen is being reported as a “lower-body injury” and also week-to-week in his recovery. Stroeder is likely guaranteed a roster spot when he returns. Andersen’s place is not as safe, and this is valuable time he is missing out on in being injured while the Oil Kings have so many players away at NHL camps.

At the Gate

Who is the man standing between the pipes, the soldier standing between the opponent’s hopes and dreams? The man in the mask, and heavy padding, is the man At the Gate. This is our section where we will look at the starting goaltenders. 

As predicted Ethan Simcoe got the start in Game 1 and performed admirably. He played 47 minutes of shutout hockey and had me believing he coud have become the first Oil Kings goalie to ever have a shutout in the first game of the year, but it wasn’t to be. 

Parker Snell should get the start on the back end of this back-to-back set, and will start this season with officially a 1.000 Sv% and 0.00 GAA after playing over 100 minutes of shutout hockey last year. Could Snell possibly start the year with another perfect performance? Will someone on Red Deer be able to hand him his first official goal against? We will have to wait and see. 

The Roil Ledger

How well do the Oil Kings match up with their opponents? How have they fared against them in recent seasons? Is there a lot of red in that ledger, or have the results been more positive? We’ll take a look at recent history and notable stats between the two teams.

With the win last night, the Oil Kings now have a 22-20-2 record in all regular season games against Red Deer in the past 5 years. The Oil Kings are currently on an upward trajectory in the rivalry between these two teams while the Rebels have struggled in the last couple years. 

In the back end of these home-and-home openers between Edmonton and Red Deer, Edmonton holds a 2-2-1 record and will look to improve that by completing the sweep this afternoon. The Rebels would love to be able to steal this one in Edmonton and come away with a split for the weekend series.

The Threats Beyond the Wall

What awaits the Oil Kings on the other side of the ice? Who should they be keeping an eye on? How has the opponent stacked up around the league? We’ll be looking at the players to watch, those high on prospect draft boards, and the ones already drafted by NHL teams. The team’s place in the standings, win or loss streaks, and other important information to prime everyone to be ready for the opposition.

The most consistently noticeable threats from the Rebels side were Ty Coupland and Talon Brigley, whose names were being mentioned all night long. While Coupland didn’t manage to land on the scorer’s sheet, and Brigley only managed an assist, it’s telling that they were consistently involved in the play and causing havoc for the Oil Kings

Jake Missura made an impression when he landed a massive (clean?) hit on Landon Hanson late in the third period. This drew a crowd, and Brady Craik made sure to get in and drop the gloves with Missura but the referees managed to break them up before a fair fight could occur. Keep an eye on Missura, and if anyone on Edmonton happens to challenge him in the rematch.

Former Brooks Bandit Keith McInnis was on my list of players to watch yesterday, and he did not disappoint. He was easily the best Rebel on the ice, and managed to break the shutout bid in the third period with a powerplay goal to spark his team. 

Peyton Shore did pull the opener, and stole numerous would-be goals from the Oil Kings. Edmonton-born Matthew Kondro should get a chance to start today in front of his hometown crowd and likely numerous friends and family invading The Kingdom to support him. He had a very strong preseason for Red Deer and could create some headaches for Oil Kings players.

It’s Swiftie Home Opener and Oiler Fan Day at Rogers Place today. Grab your friendship bracelets, make sure to snag an autograph from Oil Kings legend Curtis Lazar on the concourse, and prepare to sing your heart out at the end of the game. In between all of that, don’t forget that the real entertainment is happening on the ice, and cheer loud and proud for the team sporting the crown on their chests! The boys will have a week off after this one, before another Power Saturday game next weekend in Calgary. Make sure you’re following us here at The Roil Line for all future Roil Briefings!