Rookies thrash NAIT-MacEwan squad 9-1 at Rogers Place
Frequently injured Benson delivers another solid offensive performance
After years of hard-fought, intense and competitive games with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, things are taking a lopsided turn at the Oilers rookie camp.
With the Golden Bears removed from the equation because of office politics between the two organizations, the stage has been turned over to a NAIT and Grant MacEwan University all-star team. And it’s not pretty.
The Oilers rookies danced all over them Tuesday night, outshooting the NAIT-MacEwan side 20-4 by the first intermission, 39-12 by the second and 68-16 when the 9-1 demolition at Rogers Place reached its merciful conclusion.
They had 20 shots in the first period, 19 in the second and 29 in the third.
When Colin Larkin made it 4-0 eight minutes into the middle frame, the shots were 30-4 Oilers.
The Oilers rookies lost 2-0 to NAIT-MacEwan last year, but the score betrayed the balance of play on a night the rookies outshot the school kids 49-19.
Larkin, Tyler Vesel, Kirill Maksimov, Tyler Benson, Luke Esposito and Ryan McLeod and Caleb Jones, with two each, combined in the rout.
Ryan Baskerville scored the only goal for NAIT-MacEwan, breaking the combined shutout effort with 1:52 to go.
Two years in, the matchup is running out of steam in a hurry.
BENSON SHINES AGAIN
Benson delivered another strong game, setting up the first goal of the game with a nice pass to McLeod for a wide open back door onetimer and then assisting on the 2-0 goal from Jones.
Then, for good measure, he made it 3-0 on a rebound from the doorstep seven minutes into the second period.
Benson distributed the puck extremely well, setting up virtually everyone he was on the ice with for a good look.
On one power-play shift he set up Jones and Tyler Vesel (twice) for one-timers in a span of 30 seconds.
The oft-injured Benson, also one of the best players in the opening game of rookie camp, seems to be making up for lost time.
“He’s in a good spot right now because of the work he’s put in to ensure he’s 100 per cent healthy,” said Bakersfield coach Jay Woodcroft. “And not only that, but the work he put in to test well and show well on the ice.
“So far in rookie camp against his peer group he’s shown well. He should feel good about that.”
SHOOTING GALLERY
Caleb Jones is making good on his vow to shoot the puck more often.
Like, way more often. Jones let it rip almost every time he touched it Tuesday, part of a concerted effort to redefine the way he plays the point.
“I was always trying to beat a guy instead of seeing a shooting lane and getting it off really quick,” said Jones, who had two goals and two assists, scoring the second of his two goals with a nice wrist shot in the third period.
“That’s what I worked all summer, shooting with my head up. I think that’s really going to help me out.”
Jones scored his first of the night on a wraparound in the second period, which is rare for a defenceman but certainly not outside his skill set.
“I don’t believe I’m far (from being NHL ready),” he said. “I think I can skate at an NHL level, I think I can jump up and create offence, but really simplifying the game is the one thing that needs to continue.”
I think I can skate at an NHL level, I think I can jump up and create offence ...
Ethan Bear might have the inside track on filling the open spot on Edmonton’s blue line, given that he finished the season there last year, but he’s not about to take that spot for granted.
“I definitely still feel like a rookie,” said the 21-year-old defenceman, who spent 18 games with the big club last year.
“Those games gave me some confidence for sure, but they also definitely showed me a lot. It showed me what I had to work on, what I had to improve on if I want to play at this level.
“Strength and conditioning was a big thing for me last year, that’s one thing I definitely struggled with. It’s something I really tried to tighten up and focus on in the summer. To get those games in was a big help.”
He knew the jump to the professional game, and then to the NHL, would be an adjustment, but it still caught him by surprise.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a shock, it’s kind of what I expected. In Bakersfield I was working hard to get there.
“I just didn’t realize how much harder I needed to work. It was a good eye opener.”
After dedicating much of his summer to fitness and power, he feels the difference already.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I feel a lot better, a lot stronger.”
CALEB JONES