Latest news with #StanBowman
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
How the Edmonton Oilers are set up for the 2025 NHL Draft
The Edmonton Oilers signed another young free agent on Saturday. Finnish left winger Viljami Marjala is 22 and the latest addition to the prospect pool by general manager Stan Bowman. Marjala posted 44 assists in Finland's Liiga last season, the fifth best total in the entire league. His 52 points landed him just outside the top 10 in league scoring. Scouting reports have him as a playmaker with a good shot, a good two-way type and a player who blossomed in the last two seasons with TPS Turku. Advertisement Bowman has signed a plethora of prospects since arriving last August, giving the team's talent pool more long-shot bets and addressing a major area of need. The draft this summer will be a challenge for Edmonton. Currently in the middle of the Stanley Cup Final, management has one eye on the series against the Panthers and another on the summer's activities. That includes the draft. Here's a quick look at what the picks Edmonton owns, and a possible target with the top selection. At this point in the season, there's some uncertainty in the final draft seeding. Edmonton's first-round selection will land No. 31 or No. 32, depending on the outcome of the final. Here's a look at the selections currently belonging to the Oilers: via Pro Sports Transactions The Oilers own three picks in the 2025 draft, the highest originally belonging to the St. Louis Blues. That selection, tentatively No. 83, will be key to any draft success delivered by Oilers scouts. A decade of dealing picks and prospects left the Oilers with holes at most positions. The organization has made attempts in the last 12 months to add bona fide NHL future talent, specifically Sam O'Reilly and Matt Savoie. A look at the projected best player by position informs us the group, while showing considerable promise, isn't deep and could use some help via the 2025 draft: Bowman could sign KHL winger Maxim Berezkin in the days to come, and help the depth chart at left wing. The Oilers organization may have found a late-round gem in goaltender Samuel Jonsson, who offers size and an impressive 2024-25 performance. Savoie is the surest bet in the group, a guaranteed plug-and-play on an NHL skill line next season. The only ways he isn't on the opening-night roster for 2025-26 will be poor performance in preseason, injury or a trade. Advertisement That leaves defence. It is there that the Oilers may use that third-round pick acquired from the Blues. A team that enters a draft with a third-round selection as its highest option is forced to make a decision: Go for the safe prospect, or try to hit a home run with a player with both extreme talent and enough question marks to scare away the teams with higher picks. Most of the players who make the NHL as depth players are readily available via trade or free agency. The Oilers would be best served by attempting to hit a home run. Since Bowman arrived as general manager, he has signed two defencemen (Atro Leppanen, Damien Carfagna) and three forwards (Marjala, Josh Samanski, Quinn Hutson) from outside the organization. He also secured goalies Jonsson and Nathan Day and forward Connor Clattenburg from the group of previous Oilers drafts. Based on the team's depth chart, a defenceman might be the best option available. Scott Wheeler at The Athletic has Reese Hamilton of the Regina Pats ranked No. 77 on his final list for the 2025 draft. His description reveals an exceptional skater who was highly ranked entering his draft season but fell down lists due to dull performance in 2024-25. Wheeler's thumbnail sketch of Hamilton suggests the type of defender the current Oilers management group may value highly. Wheeler: 'Hamilton is a smooth-skating, heads-up defenseman whose impressive mobility allows him to transport pucks, walk the line, gap and re-gap and get back to pucks. He's a zone-exit machine.' The Oilers are currently trying to win the Stanley Cup playing a style that focuses on zone exits that allow fast breaks for Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and others. Gathering a player who could play that role in the future is a good idea. Although Hamilton does not have the resume Evan Bouchard delivered in junior, he plays for the Regina Pats, who were the poorest offensive team in the WHL last season. The club's 170 goals represent just 2.5 goals per 60, in the same league that the Medicine Hat Tigers averaged 4.41 goals per game. The Pats were bad one year ago. Advertisement Wheeler concludes, 'his skating is the real premium, though. It's effortlessly smooth and should allow him to develop into an entry/exit/escapable/rush defense/tight gap D.' Hamilton is 6-feet-1, 170 pounds and could grow into a more substantial blueliner. His foot speed will get him a long look as a pro, and if his offence develops, the Oilers could have a useful top-four defenceman by the end of the decade. The Oilers have left themselves vulnerable at the 2025 draft, but no Oilers fan can possibly be upset. If the idea is winning the Stanley Cup, the last two years have proven beyond a doubt that the organization is laser-focused on winning it all. The steps taken by Bowman this season, in adding multiple players, show management is aware that the organization is vulnerable in the area of amateur procurement. The urgency is warranted. There's little use in finding a future No. 6 defenceman. Taking a chance on a player like Hamilton allows the team to make a sizeable bet on a player with raw physical skills. In baseball, these types are called 'draft and follow' and can have a major impact. Last season, playing for two WHL teams, Hamilton posted just four goals and 14 points in 59 games. Akey, another speedy puck mover, scored 47 points in 66 games during his draft season. The Oilers grabbed him with selection No. 56 in 2023. The key to identifying a 'draft and follow' player is making certain the talent was real and confirming the opportunity was unlike other draft-eligible players one year ago. It would seem Hamilton is such a player. Wheeler's ranking, despite the poor offensive production, is a tell.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Depth shines in Oilers' Stanley Cup Game 1 win
Edmonton Oilers' Viktor Arvidsson (33) celebrates a goal against the Florida Panthers during the second period in Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup final in Edmonton, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. The depth of the Edmonton Oilers showed through as Game 1 wore on Wednesday night. Kasperi Kapanen, a waiver wire pickup by general manager Stan Bowman in November, nearly stole the show when he almost scored on an overtime breakaway. He gets two assists while playing among the team's top six forwards on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane. Highlight reel stuff, that split-the-defence-for-a-scoring-chance-alone move usually reserved for the likes of National Hockey League stars such as Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon. But the depth contributions to the Oilers' 4-3 OT win over the Florida Panthers Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final were also front-and-centre in the form of the fourth line, sometimes known as a team's 'energy line.' On Wednesday night, they were energetic alright. Electrifying might be a better way to describe the trio of centre Mattias Janmark and wingers Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin. They provided a blend of speed, toughness and savvy that the Panthers didn't have much of an answer for as the clock ticked away. Arvidsson, the Swedish winger who the Oilers signed as a free agent last summer, told media Thursday morning he thinks he and his linemates 'play a straight line game and not too fancy.' Oilers vs. Panthers Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett (9) checks Edmonton Oilers' Viktor Arvidsson (33) during the first period in Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup final in Edmonton, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (JASON FRANSON/THE CANADIAN PRESS) Well, OK. But they sure kept the Panthers guessing at times, and their chances came from the hard work trying to win puck battles and from being aggressive on the forecheck, taking a page out of Florida's own playbook. 'That fits into all three of us, and we can read off each other well there,' said Arvidsson, who scored the Oilers' second goal early in the second period as the team started to claw back down 3-1 after a Sam Bennett goal just 1:17 earlier. 'I think (Janmark) is a really smart player and unappreciated in that way. Pods is the hard worker, plays the body hard and fits well.' As has been a mantra of the Oilers not just this post-season but since the puck dropped on the 2024-25 campaign in October, captain McDavid said Wednesday night after the game 'it takes everyone' to win in the NHL. Oilers vs. Panthers Florida Panthers' Seth Jones (3) and Edmonton Oilers' Vasily Podkolzin (92) battle for the puck during the second period in Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup final in Edmonton, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (JASON FRANSON/THE CANADIAN PRESS) They've come to know that, particularly this season, after years of relying on McDavid and Draisaitl to provide most of the Oilers' playoff scoring. Sure, the dynamic duo are nos. 1 and 2 in league post-season scoring, McDavid with 28 points and Draisaitl with 27. But Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have 18 each in a tie for fourth, the now-injured Zach Hyman has 11 as does Evander Kane and Corey Perry. Connor Brown has eight points. Podkolzin has seven, Arvidsson six and Janmark four. It's taken everyone, indeed. One game into this year's Cup final, seven players have reached double digits in points. The playoff scoring drop-off from McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard was steeper just last season, when six players scored 10 points or more. Oilers vs. Panthers Florida Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk (19) is checked by Edmonton Oilers' Mattias Janmark (13) during the first period in Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup final in Edmonton, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (JASON FRANSON/THE CANADIAN PRESS) 'I thought the whole Janmark line was dangerous all night,' McDavid told media at the podium. 'They were a big difference maker. Especially in overtime, I thought they were the only line that was generating. Arvie was a big goal. Pods makes a great play, Janmark is doing what he does.' Head coach Kris Knoblauch said the trials of the team late in the season with a spate of injuries to top players -- including McDavid, Draisaitl, winger Trent Frederic and defenceman Mattias Ekholm, not to mention Kane's season-long recovery from surgery before his debut in the second game of the playoffs -- actually helped him and his staff sort out who meshed best heading into the playoffs and into the first round against the Los Angeles Kings. 'It was good for us in the long run because I probably wouldn't have understood or knew how good that line of Podkolzin, Janmark and Arvidsson was,' he said of the April stretch on injuries while also pointing out the contributions of Brown. 'Other guys had to step up ... (Knowing) exactly where the pieces all fit (didn't come) until somewhere in the later half of the L.A. series.' Throughout the post-season, Knoblauch has emphasized rolling all four lines as much as possible, something that's not lost on Arvidsson. 'That's been the whole playoff run,' Arvidsson said. 'We have been relying on all four lines and all three 'D' pairs, so I think that's been a huge contribution to our success. 'I think we've just got to keep doing that.'
CTV News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Forecheck should play key factor in Oilers-Panthers Stanley Cup showdown
Edmonton will be in the spotlight as the Oilers take on the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday. Nahreman Issa has the story. The two most-physical teams coming out of the conference finals to clash, once again, for the Stanley Cup are also ones who will live and die on opposite ends of the forecheck to influence that all-important hockey statistic: puck possession. If one team's got it, the other team doesn't. One side can score, the other can't. Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Tuesday his team's strategy at countering the aggressive forecheck of the Florida Panthers is to move the puck quickly while minimizing mistakes. 'The longer you hold on to it, the more time they get to get in and finish their checks, so it's important that we're moving it quickly but also precisely,' Knoblauch told reporters Tuesday during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup media day at the community arena adjacent to Edmonton's Rogers Place. 'If you're just sloppy with a puck, then you're probably chasing the game for most of it.' The Oilers and the Panthers open this year's Stanley Cup final on Wednesday at Rogers Place in a rematch. Last June, Florida won the Cup in seven games. Oilers GM, coach Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman and head coach Kris Knoblauch speak to media before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final against the Florida Panthers in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (JASON FRANSON/THE CANADIAN PRESS) The Oilers made it to the Cup final again by dispatching the Los Angeles Kings in six games, then both the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in five games each. The Panthers, meanwhile, are in the final for the third straight June. They disposed of the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven despite falling behind two games to none to start, and the Carolina Hurricanes in five. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said his team's forecheck is effective because they make the 'right decisions at the line' and 'don't dump every puck.' 'I don't want them to dump every puck, but we also aren't going to try to make a play at the line every time, and over time, the players have got a pretty good idea what's coming next,' Maurice told media on Tuesday. '(The player's) going to put that puck deep, or there's a play to be made. If you can figure that part out, what you're doing, and you get to a fairly high percentage rate of being right, then you'll play faster, so that way your forecheck's a little faster.' Aleksander Barkov Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov (16) speaks to media before game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Edmonton Oilers, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (JASON FRANSON/THE CANADIAN PRESS) Led by captain Aleksander Barkov, who won his third Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward this week, Florida plays a hard forechecking style that wears down opposing defences. A talented, tough-as-nails stable of forwards that includes Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart added Brad Marchand at the trade deadline, and the former Boston Bruins captain has embraced life alongside his former Atlantic Division rivals. 'It doesn't matter what it is in the series, it takes four to win,' Tkachuk said of his team's journey the last three years. 'You win (or) you learn.' The blue line added Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks at the deadline, while goaltender Sergie Bobrovsky is again in top form. 'It's going to be a fun and hard battle,' Barkov said. This year, star centre Leon Draisaitl said the Oilers have a more balanced attack. Gone are the days when Edmonton relies on just him and Connor McDavid to do most of the scoring. In this spring's post-season, 19 Oilers players have scored a goal at least once. 'We're more patient and more trusting in our game,' Draisaitl said. 'We seem to have an understanding of when to pounce and when to do the right moves and make the right plays.' Knoblauch said the Oilers will look at using their speed and puck-handling skills to neutralize the Panthers' punishing ways. And that starts on defence, said the coach, who credited general manager Stan Bowman's work signing the likes of free agent John Klingberg at mid season and trading for Jake Walman, and signing Troy Stecher and Ty Emberson last summer, nevermind the return of top-pairing blueliner Mattias Ekholm from injury just last game. 'Our identity is being a good puck-moving team, and if you don't have the defencemen that can make those good plays and pass the puck up to the forwards, you're not a puck-moving team. 'Just to alleviate that pressure from the forecheck, it usually starts with the back end, and we feel very confident with our back end.' With files from The Canadian Press
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How the Edmonton Oilers are diminishing criticism that they lack a rugged edge
For several years running, there have been whispers (some louder than others) suggesting the Edmonton Oilers can be distracted from winning games with rugged play and heavy hits. It's a criticism that arises specifically when discussing defensive retrievals and outlets after opponents dump the puck in and race for possession. Advertisement How rampant is the belief that Edmonton can be intimidated in this area? Last spring, an anonymous scout informed Harman Dayal and Chris Johnston at The Athletic about a key area his team could exploit: 'The easiest way to shut down the Oilers is preventing McDavid from picking up steam in the neutral zone. The way you prevent McDavid from picking up steam is to mess with the way they do their breakouts and (defensive zone) exits. That starts with their retrievals. Ekholm, good f—-ing player, but he can't make plays on his backhand and Bouchard won't retrieve the puck (in the corners).' That quote is over a year old. Does it still apply? The organization addressed the need for puck movers during the winter. General manager Stan Bowman added a veteran defenceman, John Klingberg, via free agency in mid-January and traded for another, Jake Walman, at the deadline in early March. Both men are solid at retrieval and outlets. The Oilers are improved in this area, with Evan Bouchard's recent performance in the series versus the Vegas Golden Knights suggesting the offence-first defender is maturing into a more complete player. He's making good decisions and using the time available to settle things down. It's helping the Oilers stay organized and means less running about in panic mode. Bouchard is improving in coverage. That includes winning battles along the wall. A recent example came during overtime of Game 2 against Vegas. Bouchard made an exceptional defensive play that involved a rugged physical exchange (ending Mark Stone's progress down right wing and into the Oilers' zone). He separated player from puck and rang it around the boards; Corey Perry retrieved, sent a deft pass to Connor McDavid, and the winner in overtime came seconds later. That kind of play, using physicality and skill long before the Oilers have to defend the net, is more common this spring with Bouchard. It's an emerging story, and if Bouchard delivers another quality series in this part of the game, he will be something close to complete as a player. Advertisement Another quote from the Dayal and Johnston article, from the same scout: 'We had a good meeting about that before we played Edmonton. We executed that strategy perfectly and we just abused them. If I'm going up against the Oilers and I identify that vulnerability, that is what I'm going after.' In this year's playoffs, the defensive tandems are showing impressive ability to retrieve pucks, get a quick pass to safety and then outlet through the neutral zone for offensive opportunities at the other end. Years ago, then-Los Angeles Kings coach Daryl Sutter said, 'The big thing in today's game is you have to be able to forecheck and backcheck, and you have to have the puck. You can't give the puck up. We don't play in our zone, so there's not much defending. I've coached in three decades now and this stuff where they said Marian had to play in Jacques's system is a bunch of bull-crap. The game's changed. They think there's defending in today's game. Nah, it's how much you have the puck. Teams that play around in their own zone think they're defending but they're generally getting scored on or taking faceoffs and they need a goalie to stand on his head if that's the way they play.' That's the template for these Oilers, with Bouchard and his partner making that retrieval/outlet sequence consistently. The second pair of Walman and Klingberg has also been an effective tandem in moving the puck quickly. As has been the case forever, when the Oilers defend, out come the snow angels, the trips to the penalty box and fishing the puck out of the back of the net. This Oilers team is doing less of it, and those battles won, followed by expert passing, are a big part of team success. Using expected goals-against per 60 at five-on-five, we can compare Edmonton's defence from a year ago (the defence that inspired the quotes above) to this year's team. Here are the numbers year over year. Notice the marked improvement for Darnell Nurse: All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick These are the numbers for the first two rounds (12 games) from one year ago, and all of this year. Looking at 2024, it's easy to spot the top pairing (Ekholm-Bouchard) as it delivered strong GA-60 and expected numbers. The second pairing (Nurse with Cody Ceci) had some troubles in the postseason one year ago, with Nurse's actual GA-60 (4.35) an outlier compared to the rest of the group. Brett Kulak played well and ran some luck, as evidenced by the difference between expected and actual goals surrendered. Vincent Desharnais earned a better fate than the hockey Gods allowed in the first two rounds last spring. Advertisement Looking back at last year, coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff had a clear first-, second- and third-pairing rotation, but it's worth noting even the fifth and sixth defencemen played a significant amount last season. This season, the coaching staff has been less democratic in ice time usage, with Ty Emberson being faded far more than anyone in the top six one year ago. The overall impact of the puck retrieval/winning battles model employed currently by Edmonton is an improvement in the expected goals number defensively. Part of the new structure involves the centre coming down deeper into the defensive end to offer an attractive outlet, and these tweaks are working. Expected goals (all numbers five-on-five) give us some idea about where things are trending. Oilers defencemen delivered solid expected GA-60 versus Los Angeles, but the actual GA-60 was much higher for several feature defenders. Bouchard's GA-60 (5.44) in that series was miles past expected (2.11 GA-60); Nurse's GA-60 in the series against the Kings (4.33) also ran out of time with expected (2.55) results. In the series against the Golden Knights, Bouchard's gap (1.17 GA-60 compared to 2.03 expected) showed regression (the good kind) as the young puck mover showed calm feet and good decisions. Nurse's totals against Vegas (2.25 GA-60 to 2.31 expected) were close enough to perfect as a match. The second pairing this spring (Walman and Klingberg) owns a 1.98 expected GA-60 and a 1.27 actual GA-60. If that continues, the Oilers will be a load in the conference final at five-on-five. The Oilers are moving the puck quickly, winning more battles and spending less energy chasing. Management added a completely new pairing (Walman-Klingberg), and it has helped Bouchard find his way in recent games. If those calm feet and renewed maturity are real enough to last the spring, Bouchard will receive Conn Smythe Trophy consideration at the end of the day. Advertisement The Dallas Stars offer a new challenge. These Oilers have adjusted from one year ago, and the team's most recent series is a shining example of a team adjusting by playing less defence. It's an important improvement for the Oilers. Can these defencemen sustain the effective performance in puck retrieval? The 'Bouchard won't retrieve the puck in the corners' verbal is giving way to talk of Bouchard's impressive elusiveness in getting pucks out without taking the big hit. Narratives are fashioned to support evidence. As long as Bouchard continues his impressive play with and without the puck, the storyline will be about progress, maturity and impact in all areas of the game. (Photo of Mark Stone and Evan Bouchard: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What Every Rangers Fan Should Know About The Playoffs
1. Take it from The Maven who goes back to The Original Six, these playoffs are as intense – and hard-fought – as any from "The Good Old Days." 2. Kudos to Brad Marchand who made his move to Florida look good with the critical OT goal that saved the Panthers last night. 3. My thinking was that overtime would favor the Leafs who were playing with house money in Game Two. 4. Winnipeg could have swooned under all the raves for its miracle win over St. Louis. But Connor Helleybuyck returned to form just in time last night to give the Jets a decisive win. This one could go to seven games. 5. Edmonton's Corey Perry is the pro's pro. Stan Bonman made a genius move getting the hard-nosed winger, 6. His team keeps winning but it strikes me that Connor McDavid has yet to find his highest gear. 7. Calvin Pickard is seeing his first consistent playoff action in seven years and is merely playing out-of-your mind goal. (Another Stan Bowman gem!) 8. Oilers Cup-winning odds, according to The Hockey News Yearbook, went at 11/1. For Vegas it's 18-1. 9. There should be no concern about Joseph Woll in goal for Toronto. He was regarded as the Leafs starter last Fall. And he is right now, whatever happens to Anthony Stolarz. 10. The Maven's only regret about the Leafs is that defenseman Conor Timmins does not hail from Timmins, Ontario. (He's from St. Catherines.)
