Your Edmonton Oil Kings started off the WHL Preseason the right way last weekend, with a sweep of their back-to-back against the Prince George Cougars for the second straight year. After a few days off the team is preparing to make the trip down Highway 2 and continue the preseason with a Battle of Alberta against the Calgary Hitmen. They don’t have to go all the way south, though, as the Hitmen will be coming up to meet the team in Carstairs, AB for this one.
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. With 9 goals scored across 2 games in Hinton, and only 3 goals allowed, there’s a lot to choose from.
Kayden Stroeder - It’s only 2 preseason games, but it feels like the hype is real and we should all be getting very excited for what Stroeder is bringing to the Oil Kings this season. He finished last season with 8 points in 16 games played, and the 2009-born rookie finished this weekend's series with 2 goals (both game winners) and 1 assist against the Cougars. He’s a dynamic skill player with a strong 2-way game, and appears poised to slide right into the offensive hole that Gracyn Sawchyn left behind.
Landon Hanson - With a 3 point game on Sunday afternoon, Hanson made sure everybody remembered that he is a key member of the Oil Kings roster this season. Tying it up at 1-1 with a powerplay goal, then assisting Stroder’s powerplay game-winner, and finally getting the secondary assist on Dylan Dean’s insurance marker to cap his night. The Oil Kings powerplay appears to be a whole lot more dangerous with Hanson in the lineup, going 3 for 7 on Sunday after being 0 for 6 without Hanson on Friday.
Tucker Tullikopf - Tucker was a participant in the training camp Bob McGill Cup game before being re-assigned to the Camrose Kodiaks where he scored a preseason goal on Tuesday. He has now been recalled to the Oil Kings and will get to join the team on the road this weekend. At this time, he’s likely an extra player to rotate in through the weekend games, but this is a quality opportunity for the prospect to show why he should get to stay with the team.
The Goaltenders - The coaching staff had a plan to rotate through the goaltenders across the 2 game series, and followed through on that plan in getting all 3 goaltenders into 2 periods of action. Somewhat fittingly, all 3 goaltenders allowed exactly 1 goal across those 2 periods of play, and combined to provide the kind of backstopping this team will need to win this season. Snell was credited with holding the team in the game against a barrage of Cougars shots in Game 1. Simcoe let Prince George get by him early, but bounced back to keep them off the score sheet for the remainder of his time in Game 2. Schollar had perhaps the most difficult task, being given the third period in both games and the role of holding a 4-1 lead both times. Overall it was a strong weekend for the goalies in what I expect to be a tight battle between all 3 players through the year.
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. Since we’re only just getting started on the year, and training camp is not a place to look for cold streaks, there won’t be too much here until the regular season starts.
2025 Draftees - Holden Wouters, Chris Kokkoris, and Cole Landreville were re-assigned this week and are all heading to their respective CSSHL teams. This is all to do with their re-assignment and nothing to do with their performance. All 3 players made it on the scoresheet in Hinton last weekend and should be exciting for Oil Kings fans to see what they can bring to the team in the future. As 2010-born prospects they are not fully eligible to be WHL players until next year, so their reassignment should not surprise anyone.
NHL Prospect Invitees - In addition to the players we listed in last week’s Roil Briefing, Oil King Andrew O’Neill was recently invited to take part in the Edmonton Oilers rookie camp this weekend. All of those NHL Camps will be taking place this weekend, and I don’t expect any of the invited players to be available for this game in Carstairs. This means a lot of open opportunities for some younger players to show their skills against the Hitmen.
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.
The Oil Kings goalie rotation appears to be set through camp, and Coach Smith and his assistants want to take every opportunity to evaluate all 3 goaltenders. I’d expect Rail Schollar to probably get the start Friday, since he didn’t start either game in Hinton, with Snell or Simcoe getting clean-up duty in the 3rd period.
Parker Snell did get a new set of equipment made to match the Oil Kings colours this year, so I won't be surprised if he gets a chance to show it off in Friday's contest. Take a look at this new set of pads, and beautiful new mask if you haven't already.
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.
The Oil Kings and Hitmen have quite a storied rivalry. Calgary and Edmonton do not get along, and it adds a little fuel to the fire that the WHL teams are each affiliated with their NHL counterparts. In the 2024-25 season these teams met 8 times, with some tight battles and some absolute blowouts. The Oil Kings took game one in Edmonton 4-1 to start the season series off the right way, but then Calgary took the next 6 matchups in a row including a thrilling 4-3 OT game in Calgary where Hodnett scored the Edmonton Hat Trick, and spoiling Edmonton’s Hockey Hooky day by holding onto a 3-2 win through a high anxiety third period. Edmonton would finish the season series with an 8-4 offensive outburst, but ultimately the Oil Kings lost the season series with a 2-5-1 record.
Last year’s preseason matchup took place in Siksika, AB and saw Calgary walk away with a 5-2 victory. As local opponents, and frequent rivals, Edmonton and Calgary see each other a lot every season. Since 2020, Edmonton holds a 17-18-2 record against the Hitmen with Edmonton domination through 2021 & 2022, and Calgary holding the edge in the years since.
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.
Calgary is coming into this game off of a sweep of their weekend series with the Red Deer Rebels, after opening their preseason last wednesday against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. They’ll bring that 3-0-0 record to face off with our 2-0-0 Oil Kings. Which team will take their first loss of the preseason in front of a sold-out Carstairs Memorial Arena crowd?
Calgary finished last season 3rd place in the Eastern Conference Standings, but 2nd place in overall points behind only the eventual winner Medicine Hat Tigers. They handled the Saskatoon Blades easily with a first round sweep before being pushed to a 7-game exit in the second round by Lethbridge.
The Hitmen have been hit harder than most this season, as they have seen a massive roster turnover and are likely headed into a rebuild year. Leading scorer Oliver Tulk has left for the University of Wisconsin alongside #1 goalie Daniel Hauser. Top Defenseman Carter Yakemchuk was a Top 10 NHL Draft pick of the Ottawa Senators and should be expected to land a spot on the Sens opening night roster. Scoring Depth as a whole was hit with losses as third leading scorer Connor Hvidston is also headed to the NCAA, and 4th leading scorer Carson Wetsch was traded to the Kelowna Rockets in May.
Pittsburgh Penguins first-round draft pick Ben Kindel is their lone returning top scorer. If he doesn't manage to stick with the Penguins, after putting up 99 points as a 17 year old last season he will look to become a leader for this team of incoming rookies. 2007-born Hunter Aura and over-age Calgary Flames draft pick Axel Hurtig are the only returning defenseman to have played all season last year with the Hitmen, signalling a major overhaul of their team defense. Goaltender Anders Miller split the season with Hauser last year, but he took the majority of playoff starts when Hauser got injured and appears poised to be a leading man between the pipes this year.
Of the 22 players currently listed on the Calgary preseason roster, 11 of them are denoted as rookies entering this season. Among them is Hayden Schollar, older brother of Edmonton goalie Rail Schollar. Hayden has put up 2 goals and assist through 2 preseason games played. The brothers spent last season together in the Calgary Northstars AAA program, and now find themselves on opposite sides of the WHL Battle of Alberta.
Through 3 preseason games, Calgary has seen some performances that mark certain players as ones to watch. Keaton Jundt jumps off the page, as he put up 5 points (3G, 2A) through 2 preseason games before sitting out for the third game. The 2008-born American forward was signed to a junior contract this summer, and appears poised to step into a prime role immediately.
Kindel along with fellow Penguins draft pick Kale Dach, and Dallas Stars 4th round pick Brandon Gorzynski are all invited to their respective team rookie camps this weekend, and should be expected to be absent for this preseason action.
Carstairs Memorial Arena is reporting that this game is completely sold out, so if you have tickets and are heading out to cheer on the team, enjoy what I expect to be a raucous preseason crowd. A Battle of Alberta is always sure to entertain, and with so many top players away at NHL camps it should be a very interesting lineup for both teams. Make sure you’re following us here at The Roil Line for all future Roil Briefings!