Kemp could be secondary scorer Oil Kings need
Edmonton loses thrilling 3-2 contest in overtime to visiting Victoria Royals
Brett Kemp scored the most important goal of his Edmonton Oil Kings career this past weekend in what proved to be the club’s biggest win this season.
On Saturday, Kemp, 17, netted the winning goal with 19 seconds left to upset the Swift Current Broncos 4-3 in the third leg of a four-game road trip.
Swift Current went into the game with a perfect 8-0-0 record, while the Oil Kings had lost the first two games of the trip.
“It was a character win,” Kemp said before the Oil Kings lost a hard-fought, entertaining 3-2 contest in overtime to the Victoria Royals on Wednesday at Rogers Place. “We were down two goals going into the third and we just kind of picked our game up and we knew we could play with those guys. We got one, we got two, and then we got the third one. It was pretty cool and a good experience to be a part of.”
For Kemp, acquired from the Everett Silvertips at the WHL trade deadline last season in exchange for defenceman Aaron Irving, the win in Swift Current could prove to be his coming-out party. He also scored a short-handed goal with 13 seconds left in the first period to tie the game 1-1, then assisted on Kobe Mohr’s tying goal with five minutes left in the third period.
“You see a different level of offensive poise in him and he’s probably a lot more comfortable in the league,” said Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton. “He’s got good chemistry with Colton Kehler, and Kobe Mohr slid onto that line on the trip and added a nice dimension. He’s very patient with the puck, he makes plays. When other guys are panicking with the puck, he (Kemp) seems to find a way to stay patient and see the ice.”
Kemp entered the league as a high-end prospect, selected by Everett in the second round, 41st overall, of the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft.
Oil Kings general manager Randy Hansch was able to pry Kemp away from Everett at the deadline last year as the Silvertips were looking to make a run at a league championship and wanted the veteran Irving in their lineup.
Going into the game against Victoria on Wednesday, Kemp had four goals and eight points for the Oil Kings in nine games this season. He had four goals and 14 points in 36 games between Everett and Edmonton last year.
He was kept off the scoreboard against Victoria despite another solid outing against the top team in the B.C. Division, as his line created a number of scoring opportunities. Matthew Phillips scored the winner at 4:55 of overtime. Kaid Oliver and Jared Legien had the others for Victoria, while Colton Kehler and Ty Gerla countered for the Oil Kings. Goaltender Griffen Outhouse made 44 saves for the Royals, including an outstanding one on Davis Koch just before the overtime winner at the other end. Travis Child turned away 41 shots for the Oil Kings.
“I definitely think I’ve played with more confidence throughout the year here,” Kemp said. “Last year, I came in and I just kind of got my feet wet and I wasn’t sure what kind of role I was going to play coming here. This year, I’m playing an offensive role and, hopefully, I can keep doing that. I have two very good linemates and, personally, they’ve helped me a lot as well as the rest of my teammates and coaching staff.”
Before entering the WHL last season, the Yorkton, Sask., product was a standout for his local Midget AAA team, scoring 20 goals and collecting 51 points in 42 games. Eventually, he’s hoping to put up similar point totals at the WHL level.
“I definitely tried to be an offensive player my whole life,” Kemp said.
“Coming in last year, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go end to end like I used to, there’s obviously a lot of bigger and better players here. I came in this year confident in my abilities and we’ve been able to show that on the ice with the great linemates I have.”
Kemp and his line have provided secondary scoring for the Oil Kings this season, taking pressure off the top line featuring Davis Koch, Trey Fix-Wolansky and Tomas Soustal.
With a young team this season, the Oil Kings will need offensive contributions from throughout the lineup to challenge for a playoff spot.
“To get a level of secondary scoring that we’re getting from Colton, Kobe and Brett is a pretty important factor when you look at how important that is in terms of generating a second wave, a second layer of offence,” Hamilton said. “Their line has produced that for us and gives us depth that we haven’t seen in while.”