Optimism pervades Day 1 of camp
It’s ‘playoffs for us or bust’ for WHL team under guidance of new GM, head coach
The Edmonton Oil Kings opened training camp on Monday with renewed optimism, determined to put their previous struggles of the past two seasons to bed.
The Oil Kings missed the Western Hockey League playoffs in each of the past two seasons — finishing dead last in the standings last year — as they underwent a full rebuilding process.
Now, as far as the Oil Kings are concerned, the rebuilding days are over.
“It’s playoffs for us or bust, I think,” said veteran defenceman Ethan Cap, 18, on Monday following a practice session. “We’re trying to break out and get into the playoffs. That young core that has been talked about for a few years now, we’re all a year older now, we’re not exactly in that young stage at this point. At this point we’re going to have to try and break out, it has to be breakout year for us to prove ourselves.”
The Oil Kings cleaned house following their worst season in modern franchise history, where they won just 22 of 72 games.
General manager Randy Hansch, head coach Steve Hamilton and assistant coach Ryan Marsh were all let go.
Kirt Hill, a former amateur scout with the Chicago Blackhawks, was brought in to take over the GM duties. He hired former NHL assistant Brad Lauer as the new head coach and Luke Pierce as an assistant.
“It’s a whole new feel. Everyone has a different mindset coming in than it was in the last couple of years,” Cap said. “It’s a clean slate. The coaches don’t know anyone, they haven’t been around the league for a few years at least, so it’s their first look at us and it’s our first time seeing them. So it’s a feeling out process at the start, for sure.”
The club feels it’s trending in the right direction after bottoming out last season, which isn’t uncommon due to the cyclical nature of junior hockey. The Oil Kings won the Memorial Cup in 2014 and then underwent a complete rebuild two seasons later.
“I think the goal for everyone is to make playoffs this year,” said defenceman Matthew Robertson, 17. “I think it’s a reasonable goal. Looking around, a lot of guys have
Looking around, a lot of guys have come back improved and are bigger and stronger and have more experience under their belt.
come back improved and are bigger and stronger and have more experience under their belt.”
The Oil Kings have roughly 60 players in camp and will go through three days of scrimmages before being pared down to a workable number for their exhibition season, starting at the Red Deer tournament this weekend.
They’ll play the Red Deer Rebels on Friday and Kootenay Ice on Saturday.
There’s a lot to accomplish with Lauer and his staff trying to familiarize themselves with the roster, and likewise, players trying to endear themselves to the new coaches.
“We’re all trying to make a good impression for sure, and there is a lot of competition to go around,” Cap said.
“It should motivate you, either way. You want to make a good first impression on anyone you come across, whether that’s a new coach or existing coach, you want them to feel highly of you.”
Having kept the young core of their group together for the past two seasons, the Oil Kings are heading into this year’s training camp an older and more mature team. They’re confident that they can be competitive this year.
“Especially after last year it was an up and down year and there were a lot of learning curves,” Cap said.
“But I think everyone feels pretty confident coming back with a new coaching staff and a new GM. It’s a revamped feeling around the room. Guys are way more energized, way more excited to get this thing going. There is a greater belief that we can be good in this league and we’re not going to be a bottom dweller like we were last year. ”
What didn’t kill the Oil Kings did make them stronger, according to Cap. The last two years were long seasons for the club, who are now looking at reaping the benefits of going through a youth movement.
“You build bonds through adversity. That’s when the best bonds are formed,” Cap said.
“Given what we’ve been through the last two years, finishing (in last place) last year, we’ve been through a lot together and I think that’s only strengthened the bond between us and the belief that we’re going to get out of this together. I think all the guys that are back right now, we all wanted to come back and finish this thing out instead of getting out of here. We all wanted to come back and see this thing through and get back to the top”