TEAMMATE’S TRIBUTE
Proceeds from sales go to memorial fund set up for teammate who died in April
Oilers farmhand honours Cave with song
Edmonton Oilers farmhand Cooper Marody, who already has two songs on Spotify, will have another one coming out June 12 to honour the life of his late Bakersfield teammate Colby Cave.
Cave, who played 11 Oilers games this season and 13 the year before, died April 11 of a brain bleed at a Toronto hospital, leaving wife Emily, along with his family in Saskatchewan and Emily’s in Ontario. The 25-year-old forward had been in a medically-induced coma.
The proceeds of the song on Spotify and Apple Music will go to the Colby Cave Memorial Fund.
Marody has written and sung two songs: Behind Me, and I Don’t Deserve Her Yet.
NO SKATES HERE YET
The NHL has opened Phase 2, allowing groups of up to six players to use team facilities beginning Monday, but the Oilers haven’t decided if they’ll be open for business then or maybe Tuesday. The ice is at Rogers Place.
But there’s only a small number of Oilers and prospects in the area to skate, with most back at their off-season homes. Alex Chiasson, Matt Benning, Kris Russell, Tyler Benson and goalie Stuart Skinner might be on the ice. The team isn’t expecting many players to return to Edmonton to skate because it’s voluntary.
Connor Mcdavid is back in Ontario and reportedly has found a rink to skate in for several weeks. Swedes Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson have been skating at home. The Euros would need two weeks to quarantine when they return.
LARIONOV COACHING RUSSIANS
If the world junior championship does make it to Alberta over Christmas, with or without fans at Rogers Place or in Red Deer because of COVID -19, we’ll see hall of famer Igor Larionov running the bench of the Russian team.
Larionov, 59, who got into the agent business after retiring, was the assistant last year to the old-school Valeri Bragin, who has moved up to the senior national squad.
“They brought Igor back in (national team) because Igor has a really good relationship with young players and he understands them,” said TSN’S Craig Button.
It’s no surprise Larionov, who played in the world junior championship for the Soviets in 1980 when the tournament was in Helsinki, has become a coach. He used to be called The Professor as a player because he was such a smart player.
“I sent Igor a congrats text. Great man, love him,” said his former Detroit GM, Ken Holland.
SAVOIE DIVIDES SCOUTS
Maybe the most polarizing draft prospect on the myriad scouting lists is Sherwood Park Crusaders’ forward Carter Savoie. Scouts are all over the map with the winger who is on his way to U of Denver with buddy/defenceman Michael Benning who could go from mid-second round to third. The draft will probably be held in October if the playoffs go off and COVID-19 doesn’t have another outbreak.
Scott Wheeler from The Athletic has the left-wing Savoie as a late first-rounder (29th) because of his lethal one-touch scoring. Corey Pronman, also from The Athletic, has Savoie at 106th. Steve Kournianos from the Draft Analyst lists Savoie at 99th, two back of Benning at 89.
Button, who watches a ton of games, has the one-shot scorer Savoie at 48th.
Some scouts are looking for blemishes on Savoie, like his play away from the puck, even if he scored 53 goals in 54 games in the AJHL.
“To be honest, I think Carter got bored,” said Button.
“He’s one of the best goal-scorers in this year’s draft. There’s players who can skate fast and there’s others who show up at the right time and place and they do it again. Look at Raphael Lavoie (Oilers draft pick in 2019) or Arthur Kaliyev (Los Angeles Kings’ draft pick in 2019), two really good goal-scorers for their age group. People talk and say, ‘Well, they can’t do this or can’t do that.’ Scoring is hard, and isn’t that what every team wants?
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if somebody took Carter in the first round.”
CHANGING SCHOOLS
Sherwood Park winger Will Zapernick, who had committed to Alabama Huntsville until the current players and recruits were given permission to look elsewhere with the school cancelling the hockey until a fundraising campaign saved it, is now off to U of Vermont. Jay Woodcroft’s brother Todd, who was a Winnipeg Jets’ assistant coach, is the new head coach at Vermont.
“That was a big part of it (decision). He seems the right coach for me and the team. It’s also how good the school is academically and the atmosphere in the rink. That drew me to the school,” said Zapernick, who had 88 points for the Crusaders.
Zapernick’s Crusaders’ teammate Jarred White might go to Western Michigan instead of Huntsville. Jason Franczak might be off to Long Island University, which is a new NCAA Division I school.