Today will be a format change to the Roil Briefings, that will apply to weekends where the team has multiple games (spoiler alert, it’s most weekends). I will now be combining my briefings to include a preview of both weekend games at the same time. This will mostly only effect the “Roil Ledger” and “Threats Beyond the Wall” sections, but will provide a more dedicated insight into the weekend action and make it less likely that I fail to get a briefing out for any more games. With that said, let’s get into this weekend briefing!
The Oil Kings blew into Lethbridge on Wednesday, snagged a win in a very high scoring contest with the Hurricanes, and then breezed their way out of town feeling good. The 8-6 final score was not what the Oil Kings would have liked to have when all was said and done, but they showed resilience to shutdown the Hurricanes third period comeback and hold on for a win to end their 4 game losing streak.
The Oil Kings find themselves back in first place in the Eastern Conference after that win, albeit by a very slim margin now, but they got their scoring touch back with that high-scoring barn-burner in Lethbridge so hopefully that carries through to this weekend’s slate of games. 7 different players scored in that game, almost every point-slump on the team was ended, and only 4 skaters on the entire team didn’t have any points in the game.
They are back home for 3 straight home games before heading out on a month-long road trip through November. The Oil Kings are 4-1-1-1 so far at home this season, and will look to get their first win back on home ice since October 15th. The Medicine Hat Tigers arrive in the Kingdom Saturday, which is the Kids TakeOver game at Rogers Place. Children will be filling in as PA Announcer, In-Game Host, events team, and ice cleaners for what is always a fun event to attend. Sunday, it’s the Swift Current Broncos riding into town as the Oil Kings will have their “United Against Cancer” game, and surely there will be activities themed around supporting the fight against cancer.
On the ice, the Tigers arrive with a 3-0-1 record in their last 4 games and only one point behind the Oil Kings for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Swift Current will play in Red Deer first on Saturday night before coming to Edmonton Sunday. They arrive in Alberta having been shutout in their last 2 games, and will surely be looking to get their scorers going on this quick trip into Wild Rose Country.
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.
Adam Jecho - The big St.Louis Blues prospect has been a surprise mostly in the wrong ways this year, but he was instrumental in the big win over Lethbridge. He contributed 1 goal and 2 assists in the contest, but it was the timing of his points that were most impressive. His first assist came less than 3 minutes into the game, when he made a crafty chip of the puck to help Landon Hanson split the defenders and get through to open the scoring. After going up 3-0, the Oil Kings found themselves holding a 4-3 lead late in the first and t was Jecho who halted the Hurricanes comeback attempt. A 2-on-1 developed with Jecho and Iginla, and it was big #43 sliding a beauty pass across for Iginla to bury and make it 5-3 after 1. The Oil Kings padded that lead to 7-3 by the end of the second, but early in the third Lethbridge was pressuring once more. They had scored a couple early 3rd period goals and were pressuring at 7-5 with 10 minutes remaining. This time, Jecho took it upon himself to stop the comeback. On an Oil Kings dump-in that took a wild bounce straight out front, Jecho was in the right place at the right time to collect the loose puck and fire it into the wide open net. He earned his place as First Star in the game, and for the time being has shrugged off any concerns about his performance so far this year.
Dylan Dean - Of the 8 goals Edmonton scored against Lethbridge, only one player had more than a single goal. That player was none other than Dylan Dean. He led the team with 7 shots on goal, scored his 2 goals in the 2nd period, both on very pretty plays, to build the Oil Kings lead to 7-3, and added an assist to cap his 3 point night. Dean has been bouncing up and down, in and out, of the Oil Kings lineup like a yo-yo at times this year, but from my perspective he always appears to be giving full effort when he’s on the ice. With 4 goals and 6 points through his last 5 games, it seems that the 2023 US Prospect Draft Pick is settling himself onto this team nicely.
Andrew O’Neill - While the Oil Kings scored in bunches, O’Neill found his goal scoring streak end at 3 games. However, he did get an assist on the opening Landon Hanson goal to extend his point streak now to 4 games. He’s doing all the right things right now, Contribution offensively, winning faceoffs, and being responsible defensively. He’s a welcome surprise this year, and I’m hoping he can keep his point streak going through the weekend.
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.
Brady Craik - This one is a tough one to deduce for me, because I’ve tried to support and defend Craik’s role on the team this season. It’s getting hard to continue to stand behind an over-age player that can’t find the scoresheet. Craik has played in 8 games so far, with 0 points contributed and only a single shot on goal in that time. As a 20 year old, taking up a valuable over-age roster spot, you would expect him to be having more success than simply being the teams 4th line enforcer to pick fights after a team injures our players. In the MJHL last year, he had 43 points in 48 games for the Winkler Flyers and actually led their team with 6 game-winning goals. While Poul Anderson has made the switch from junior A to major junior look easy this year, Brady is not having the same success. There’s still value to his play and what he brings to the team, but I’d like to see him find the style of play that made him successful last year in Manitoba.
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.
Ethan Simcoe will likely draw first duty this weekend, and get a chance for some revenge against the same Tigers team that beat him 3 times last month. He managed to stop 27 of 30 in that one, but was ultimately on the losing side. Simcoe is 4-3-0–1 on the season now, having lost his last 2 to Spokane and Calgary. A strong start is essential, as Ethan is 4-1 when Edmonton scores first in the game, but 0-2-0-1 when he allows the first goal of the game.
To his credit, he battles hard after that first goal to give the team a chance to fight back. Spokane took a 2-0 lead early in the 3rd, but Simcoe held the team in it to tie the game before losing in the Shootout. The game in Medicine Hat was a close one throughout, as Simcoe prevented the Tigers potent arsenal from putting the game out of reach at any point, and allowed the Oil Kings to be in a position to pull Simcoe at 3-2 late in the 3rd before allowing back-to-back empty net goals to seal it.
Parker Snell should get Saturday off before taking on Swift Current on Sunday. A strong start to his rookie season has taken a heavy dip in recent games and Parker will be trying to turn it around against a Broncos team with the fewest Goals Scored in the Eastern Conference so far this year. Following the win against Portland on October 15th, Snell had a perfect 7-0 record with a 1.18 GAA and a .954 Sv% to start his career. Clearly these numbers were unrealistic and unsustainable, but jaw-dropping nonetheless. In 3 games since that point Snell has a brutal 4.96 GAA and a .848 Sv%, which has dropped his numbers for this season to a 2.87 GAA and .894 Sv%.
The concern for Snell lately has been less about the hot start, and more about holding the fort at the end of the game. In his 2 losses this season he has blown a 4-2 lead after 2, and a 3-2 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. Even more concerning though, is that he’s done it in his recent wins as well. The 6-3 win against Portland was a 4-0 game that became 4-3, The win in Regina was 3-1 before the Pats tied it at 3, and even Wednesday in Lethbridge taking a 7-3 lead after 2 and finishing 8-6. Third period goaltending is crucial for a team looking to make a long playoff run, and Parker Snell has some room for improvement there.
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.
Both Medicine Hat and Swift Current will be making their first visits to Rogers Place this weekend, and with both a Kids TakeOver and a Sunday FunDay they should be in for a loud building hoping to see their Oil Kings take a weekend sweep.
Medicine Hat holds a 5-2 victory over the Oil Kings already this season, and Edmonton has struggled with the Tigers historically. The Oil Kings are currently 45-56-4-10 all time against the team from The Hat, and only 24-27-2-4 on home ice. Perhaps the difference can come from the Kids TakeOver, as the Oil Kings won last year’s takeover game and will look to go to a perfect 2-0 when the Kids Takeover the building.
Swift Current will be seeing the Oil Kings for the first time this season. The teams played 4 times last season and had an even 2-2 split between them, with one of Edmonton’s victories coming in a Shootout. All time Edmonton is 41-27-3-2 against Swift Current, making this the most successful W/L record Edmonton has against any team. (Fun fact: Even in 3 Memorial Cup Competitions, Edmonton does not have a better Winning Percentage against any of the teams faced in those tournaments)
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.
Medicine Hat Tigers
The Medicine Hat Tigers are a dangerous team, and one can only wonder what this team would be if Gavin McKenna hadn’t taken off for the NCAA this year. Even without the consensus #1 NHL Prospect on the roster, the Tigers boast a loaded lineup that has scored the third most goals so far this season (Edmonton and Moose Jaw have more). It’s still the same faces we saw last month, but the top of their points leaders have shuffled around in the last few weeks.
The Ruck brothers are still a menace to play against, similar to the Sedins 20 years ago these twins just have an unnatural ability to know what the other is going to do before they do it. No look passes, perfectly timed one-timers, and an ability to lead their team night-in and night-out. Edmonton managed to keep them both silent in the last game, and will be in a good position if they can keep them in check again. Markus Ruck sits atop the team with 15 points (2G, 13A) and Liam is close behind at 13 points (4G, 9A). That’s a lot of assists with not too many goals spread between them. So you may be asking yourself who is the benefactor of those goals?
There’s no shortage of choices, but top prospect Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll is the most obvious pick among the forwards. He has 9 points through 8 games since returning from a pre-season injury. 2 of those were goals he scored against our Oil Kings last time out, as he potted the first and last goals of that game. He has quieted off slightly since then, but for the 2027 first-round prospect it could just be the calm before a storm. With his talent, and the talent around him, it’s only a matter of time before he gets hot again.
Rounding out the offense for the Tigers are Misha Volotovskii and Yaroslav Bryzgalov, 2 big players with 14 and 13 points on the season respectively. Down the lineup you’ll find Noah Davidson, another frequent recipient of Ruck magic, and Kadon McCann, a hard working depth player and holder of 2 points against the Oil Kings already this year.
Defensively, they are led by the most frequent Ruck collaborator in Bryce Pickford. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick is having himself a solid start to the season and second among all WHL defensemen with 13 points through 14 games played. The Edmonton product will likely be a hot product at the game Saturday with friends and family in attendance, so expect to see a large Tigers fan club in the building to cheer him on.
In net, Medicine Hat has maintained a pretty steady rotation between Jordan Switzer and Carter Casey. Switzer is their definite number one though, with a 7-2 record, and held the Oil Kings to 2 goals on 27 shots out in the last matchup. In a battle between top contending teams, I’d expect them to go to their top guy to try to catch and pass the Oil Kings for top spot in the Conference.
Swift Current Broncos
We go from one of the most potent and dangerous offensive teams, to one struggling to find goals most nights. Swift Current enters the weekend having not scored a goal in over 127 minutes of hockey. They may break that streak against Red Deer on Saturday, but they’ll still be starving for some goals by the time they roll into Rogers Place on Sunday.
Statistically, the Broncos are being led by their top-ranked 2026 eligible draft pick Noah Kosick. The 17-year old has been one of the biggest bright spots on an otherwise mediocre start to the season for the Broncos. He leads the team with 17 points through 14 games, and found himself ranked as a C-level prospect in NHL Central scouting’s recent rankings.A skilled playmaker, with excellent stick handling, he’s an offensive threat anytime he touches the puck.
Aside from Kosick, this Swift Current team likes to play with an edge to their game and toe the line some nights between gritty and dirty. They have 5 different players that have fighting major penalties on the season, and a few more with Game Misconducts and majors for other actions. I gave my 2 cents earlier about Brady Craik, but this is the kind of team that Craik’s current play-style would dictate he should be matched up against.
Defensively the Broncos are extremely young, nearly their entire D-core is made up of 17 or 18 year olds, and the only older defencemen on the roster is Czechia import Marek Ročák who is most often the odd man out and has only played 3 games so far this season. 18 year old Josh McGregor has been their most productive defender, with 10 points in 12 games and the only full-time D to have a plus-minus not in the negatives.
I expect that rookie goaltender Aiden Eskit will get the start against Red Deer on Saturday, leaving full-time starter Joey Rocha to lead the team into Edmonton. Rocha played 3 games against Edmonton back in 23/24 and came in once in relief last season against the Oil Kings. In 4 appearances, he is averaging 3.5 goals against per game against Edmonton but holds a 2-1 record. All 3 of those decisions came against that 23/24 Oil Kings team though, and this year’s team looks much different.
Medicine Hat Tigers at Rogers Place on Saturday, Kids TakeOver in the building, Power Saturday happening on The Roil Line social media accounts. Swift Current Broncos at Rogers Place on Sunday, it’s another Sunday FunDay, and also the “United Against Cancer” promotional game. You can watch both games for free on Victory+, listen along on iHeartRadio, or grab tickets through TicketMaster to see some Oil Kings hockey action live and in-person. Puck Drop for both games is at 2pm local Edmonton time (Remember that clocks go back an Hour on Saturday night!). The next game will be Wednesday night back in Edmonton for another Wiener Wednesday as the Oil Kings welcome back the Red Deer Rebels to Edmonton for their second visit of the season. Make sure you’re following us here at The Roil Line for all future Roil Briefings!