Future Oilers blue-liner scores weekly honour
Schultz AHL’S top player after productive weekend for Barons
OKLAHOMA CITY – Justin Schultz isn’t the first Oklahoma City Barons player to score an American Hockey League player-of-the-week honour.
But we can only hope the gifted Schultz will have longer staying power in the NHL than forwards Linus Omark and Colin McDonald. They were also saluted for their week’s work with the Oilers farm club during its two year-plus tenure in the Sooner State. on-ones with a goalie.”
Maybe he was auditioning for an upcoming shootout?
“I don’t know about that — I have only one or two moves,” Schultz said, who had three assists in the Barons’ 4-3 win over the Monsters on Tuesday night. “No spinaramas (like Omark). Can’t do that.”
Omark had five goals against the Toronto Marlies. It was one of those rare games where he decided to shoot rather than pass. McDonald got the AHL honour in 2011, capping off great season with his league-leading 42nd goal.
Omark, who appeared in 65 games for the Oilers, is now playing with Zug in the Swiss League and is in the top 3 in league scoring with six goals and 15 assists in 14 games.
McDonald, who played two games for the Oilers, signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ organization last year, feeling he wanted a shot elsewhere. He played five games with the Pens and 68 in AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre. He’s now with the New York Islanders and is playing in Bridgeport, Conn.
The honour for Schultz is fitting — the two-time winner of WCHA defenceman of the year in Wisconsin is used to getting individual trophies.
“That was pretty cool. There were a lot of talented players, especially defencemen (like his Badgers blue-line partner Jake Gardiner, now a Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman),” said Schultz, who’s kept in contact with his pals. “They’re all congratulating me on a good start and my friends and family are able to see, too. But this is only a start. There’s a lot more games in this league than in school. We would only play 41 or 42 a year, max.”
Schultz, who plays 25-30 minutes a game for the Barons, lined up at forward when he first started playing as a child at home in B.C., but he quickly morphed into a defenceman.
“We needed D-men and our coach put us back there. I loved it right away,” Schultz said. “I got to control the game a lot more and felt I touched the puck a lot more. Defencemen are always on the ice. That was a positive when I was little, for sure.”