OILERS’ YOUNGSTERS SENT TO CONDORS FOR FINE-TUNING
Puljujarvi and Yamamoto farmed out to AHL to get ‘more touches,’ Chiarelli says
Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli had seen enough and decided forwards Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto are still in need of more seasoning.
On Saturday, the Oilers assigned the pair to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League, where, barring a rash of injuries in Edmonton, they will stay for an extended period to work on their game.
“I think, broadly speaking, I’d like them to get more touches,” Chiarelli said Sunday prior to the Oilers hosting the Colorado Avalanche. “With Jesse, it’s about getting his confidence back. I thought he had a strong camp and it didn’t translate to the start of the season. You could see some of the frustration in his game, but having said that, there was some maturity in his game, too, so we just have to build it back up a little bit. It’s easier to do that down there with more minutes and a little more latitude and margin for error.
“With Yamo, I thought he played pretty well as a complementary player. He was responsible, he supported things without the puck, he was good on the PK. We took him out of the game, he sat a little bit and it was confidence. For him, it’s about finishing, going down there and finishing his opportunities. He did have a lot of opportunities when he was up here and I didn’t want his confidence to struggle either.”
Puljujarvi, 20, had one goal in 11 games for the Oilers this season. He struggled finding a regular spot in the lineup and was a healthy scratch on five occasions. The fourth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has struggled to gain traction with the Oilers in his three seasons with the organization. It’s the third time in three years he’s been sent back to the AHL.
“He was disappointed,” Chiarelli said. “We’ve done it each year with him. He was disappointed.”
Yamamoto, 20, also had a strong pre-season, but had just one goal in 12 regular-season games with the Oilers. The Spokane, Wash., product was selected 22nd overall by the Oilers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
“It’s a luxury to have the two young guys up here,” Chiarelli said. “We had three young guys up here with (Evan) Bouchard and we sent him back to junior. For now, and certainly the book isn’t closed, they’ll go down and play. They’re doing a great job down there and all the young guys are thriving down there and it’s a good environment, so I’m certainly happy to send them down.”
In 49 games with Bakersfield the past two years, Puljujarvi has 13 goals and 33 points. Yamamoto has yet to play in the AHL, having returned to the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL last season after nine games with the Oilers, where he had three assists.
“I thought one of them would bubble up,” Chiarelli said. “I thought they both had real good camps, but play ramps up after that, and after 20 games it ramps up again and we’re already seeing that. So it was a bit of a luxury to have them both here, but they’ll go down there now and get a lot of touches and get their confidence back.”
BOUCHARD MADE IMPRESSION
In Bouchard’s case, the 10th overall pick in last summer’s NHL Draft looked impressive in his seven-game audition with the Oilers. The 19-year-old returned to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, where he is captain of the squad.
“He was, for lack of a better word, a victim of the ramping up of the play,” Chiarelli said. “But he has tremendous poise, broad vision out there, and a very good shot, everything we could hope for. We’re real happy with his time spent up there.”
Along with playing upwards of 30 minutes a game and in all situations with London, Bouchard is expected to be a big part of Canada’s entry at the world junior championship this year.
The Oilers expect to have a better and more mature version of Bouchard next season and he appears to have a bright future in the NHL.
“I think there are a lot of the little things he needs to work on,” Chiarelli said.
“Practice habits — it’s not to say his practice habits were bad — but he saw what level of pace and tempo and execution that took place in practice. We felt the time spent here was time well spent for him. They’re going to have a real good team down there so we want him to lead that team and work on the things we told him to work on. We’re very happy with his time here.”