Here at The Roil Line, we take an interest in all aspects of the Edmonton Oil Kings. From our Roil Recollections examining the past, to the Roil Briefings looking at the Present team and Roilty on the Throne now looking at the past Oil Kings and where they are presently. What about the future of the Oil Kings though? There are plenty of names who took part in the preseason and training camp who are not on our current roster, and this new Roil Reserves feature will be focused on bringing updates on those Oil Kings who have been re-assigned elsewhere and updating you on how they are doing wherever they are now playing, whether that’s the AJHL, CSSHL, or anywhere else that I can find information on them.
AJHL
Matt Williams
The Oil Kings 4th round pick in the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft was one of the final cuts to be re-assigned from the main WHL team this season. He got into 2 regular season games with the team, and secured 1 assist, but ultimately found himself without a roster spot and was re-assigned to the Whitecourt Wolverines in the AJHL on September 30th. Since arriving in Whitecourt, Williams has dressed for 4 of 5 games but has not yet found his way to the scoresheet. Coincidentally, he joined another former Oil King, Jager Guglyelka, on the Wolverines. Whitecourt currently leads the AJHL North Division at 14 points.
Jensen Marsh
The Oil Kings 2nd round pick from the 2024 WHL Bantam Draft likewise started this season with the main WHL team but found his playing time and roster spot eventually gone as the NHL Training Camp players returned to the WHL. Marsh played in 2 regular season games in Edmonton and had a relatively impressive showing during that time with 2 assists. He became a casualty of roster space more than his skill, and was re-assigned to the Drumheller Dragons of the AJHL. Marsh has been lighting the lamp since arriving in the AJHL, scoring 5 goals and 6 points through 7 games as the Dragons lead the AJHL South Division.
Tucker Tullikopf
Tucker was an undrafted, listed prospect that attended the Oil Kings training camp this past summer. He was sent to Camrose out of camp, but recalled to the team to play a couple preseason games in Carstairs and Westlock before being re-assigned back to Camrose prior to the regular season start. Tucker has had an excellent start to the season and shown why he had caught the eyes of the Oil Kings scouting staff, as he has 8 points (4G, 4A) through 7 games to start the season. Camrose is currently in 2nd place in the AJHL South Division.
Presley Kerner
Presley may have been a 3rd round pick in 2022, but in actuality he was the Oil Kings first pick in that draft after trading away their first and second round picks. Presley Kerner had the most opportunity to crack the Oil Kings lineup this year and was the last player to be re-assigned from the start of the season (so far). Presley played 4 games with the Oil Kings to start the year, mostly on the 4th line, and managed to score himself a goal in the first game of the year. At the time that his re-assignment was announced it was uncertain where he would be re-assigned to. Since then, he has been sent to the Olds Grizzlies of the AJHL and dressed for both of their games this past weekend. He did not manage any points yet, and the Grizzlies are unfortunately at the bottom of the AJHL standings currently, but this could be an opportunity for him to make a name for himself as a top star on a lower ranked team.
CSSHL
Holden Wouters
The Oil Kings 1st Round pick, 2nd overall, in this past year’s draft is the big name to keep an eye on this year. He got to play in the Oil Kings first 2 playoff games, and even recorded an assist in the second game. He is now playing for St.George’s School U18 Prep as he continues developing before next season. He has only 1 assist through 3 games so far, but is typically touted more for his defensive skill than his offensive skills. St George’s has started the year 1-2-0, and are near the bottom of the rankings, but Wouters 1 assist came in that victory so they are undefeated still when he is on the scoresheet.
Christopher Kokkoris
The Oil Kings had an extra 1st round pick in 2025, and made the most of it by taking Christopher Kokkoris 8th overall to create a potentially dominant top D pair in future seasons. Kokkoris and Wouters got to play together a little during training camp and preseason, and Kokkoris made the most of his time in Edmonton with a goal and an assist in the 2nd preseason game. He was ultimately sent down for the start of the CSSHL season and rejoined Yale Hockey Academy for his U18 Prep season. Kokkoris has secured 2 points (1G, 1A) through 4 games to start the season and is 1 point off the team lead for Yale. His team is currently 0-2-2 to start the year, and near the bottom of the CSSHL Rankings, but the season is young and Kokkoris is still a bright spot on a struggling team.
Cole Landreville
The Oil Kings 2025 2nd Round pick, Cole Landreville, might somehow be the overlooked player in this draft despite his talents and skill set. Landreville also played in both Hinton preseason games, and managed to secure a goal (assisted by Wouters) in the second game. He is playing now at Pilot Mound Hockey Academy U18 Prep and has shot out to a strong start to his prep season with 7 points (2G, 5A) through 5 games played. The 5’9 forward will be looking to put on some size and muscle, and build on his skills to challenge for playing time with the Oil Kings next year. Pilot Mound find themselves set right in the middle of the CSSHL rankings to start the year, with a 3-2-0 record they’ve been an up and down team but that doesn’t seem to have effected Landreville’s performance at all.
Matheas Hejda
The Oil Kings first selection in the 2024 WHL US Prospect Draft, Matheas Hejda is the son of former NHL defenseman Jan Hejda. Matheas was a part of training camp and got to play in all 4 preseason games, failing to record a point. He was re-assigned without getting into a regular season game, and sent to the Northern Alberta Xtreme U18 Prep in the CSSHL. Hejda has played in all 4 Games for the Xtreme, recording 1 goal and 2 assists to start the season. As a 2009-born prospect, he may see some action yet later this season, but fully expect him to push for a permanent roster spot next year. The Northern Alberta Xtreme are currently 4-0-0 to start the season, and ranked as the best team in the CSSHL U18 Prep.
U18 AAA
Kayson Anderson
Kayson was the Oil Kings 3rd round pick in the 2024 WHL Bantam Draft and also got a strong look in this year’s training camp and preseason. He played through all 4 preseason games, recording 1 assist as a defensemen but ultimately was re-assigned at the same time as Blake Fiddler was confirmed to be returning from Seattle. Anderson now finds himself with the Estevan Bears in the SMAAAHL U18 AAA Hockey in Saskatchewan. The Bears are currently sitting second-to-last in the SMAAAHL standings, and look to be a tough system for Kayson to develop in. The Oil Kings have a lot of depth at defense for the next few years, but Kayson is showing his skill at the U18 level as he has 8 points (1G, 7A) through 8 games in the SMAAAHL. He has also racked up 22 PIM in that time, including a kneeing penalty and a couple different checking to the head penalties, suggesting perhaps some poor decision making and propensity for putting his team down a man. Things he’ll definitely want to work on cleaning up about his game to get to the next level.
Rail Schollar
The third man on the Oil Kings goaltender depth chart is Rail Schollar. The Oil Kings 7th round choice in the 2024 WHL Bantam Draft received the longest look of any goalie not on the opening day roster, and looked good in doing so. He played the 3rd period in both preseason games in Hinton, allowing only 1 goal against through 40 minutes played. He was re-assigned after those 2 games, and is now back playing for the Calgary Northstars of the AEHL U18 AAA league, which is where he finished last season. Calgary has started the year 3-2-0 and currently sit in 2nd place in the AHL South Division. Rail’s strong Oil King preseason has not translated to a great return to U18 AAA, unfortunately, as he has played in 3 games so far and has a hard to look at 5.00 GAA and .847 Sv% with a 1-2-0 record. A Solid first game with only 1 goal against has been completely nullified by allowing 7 goals against in consecutive games. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Rail’s development, his scouting report was strong through the preseason as hopefully he can bounce back and get on the right track again.
U16 AAA
Ezekiel Kaebel
The Oil Kings 1st Pick in the 2025 US Prospect Draft was used on forward Ezekiel “Zeke” Kaebel. Zeke took part in the rookie showcase and training camp, with his most notable moment coming when he scored the tying goal in the Bob McGill Cup at the end of Training Camp. As a 15 year old, Zeke likely won’t see much or any time in Edmonton this season but is definitely one to watch for next year. He has returned to the Dallas Stars Elite in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, where he has played his entire AAA career so far. 16U hockey is a tougher one to track remotely, but I will do my best with these players to keep everyone up-to-date. Through 10 games in the 16U age group so far, Zeke has 10 points (1G 9A) credited to him.
Carter Nash
Carter Nash is another future goalie option, in line to challenge Rail Schollar for a possible starting role in the Oil Kings net down the line. Nash was the 2nd pick by the Oil Kings in the 2025 US Prospect Draft, and spent some time in Edmonton during Rookie and Training Camps. He is now down in Michigan for another year with the Honeybaked U16 team where he will be sharing the goalkeeping duties. Through 2 starts so far this year, Nash has a brutal 8 goals against in an 8-2 loss, but then followed it up with a shutout in an 8-0 victory. All in all, this has him at a 3.53 GAA and a .758 Sv% but this is very early in the season and it’s very nice to see that he and the team had a strong bounce back after a difficult first game.
Brock Stevenson
The 2024 US Prospect Draft gave the Oil Kings Matheas Hejda above, but it also produced 2nd round pick Brock Stevenson, a forward from the Okanagan Colorado U15 program. Brock got to join the rest of his peers in Edmonton during the training camps, but failed to make much of a lasting impact this year. He has been returned to Okanagan and returned to the dominant form that had him highly touted coming out of last year’s draft. He has 21 points through 13 games so far this season for Okanagan HA Colorado 16U AAA, after putting up 69 points in 48 games last season. He is among the team leaders in points, and could be a strong prospect to consider for an Oil Kings call-up if the chance were to present itself.
These updates can be found bi-weekly on The Roil Line, keeping you up to date on all things Oil Kings. While everybody is excited about the current season and what the team may be able to do this year, we’re looking ahead to the future teams to keep you informed!