Welcome to Today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. As we go through the Summer of 2013 I will be featuring a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. I will go team by team through the NHL bringing you a look at each Teams Top Prospects. I will be following the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks). You can find all the articles here. Since we had an extensive NHL Draft preview, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2013 draft, as there have been no games since then, and my reports on them will not have changed. What I will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year’s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2013-14 roster of the NHL team in question. I will also bring you one sleeper pick – a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as my darkhorse to make the NHL. For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played or being 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances (especially due to the fact that the latest NHL season was only 48 games).

How to classify the 2012-13 Edmonton Oilers? Some might say that the young team took a step in the right direction advancing 5 spots in the NHL standings. However, when so much was expected out of this young team, as many had them challenging for a playoff spot in pre-season predictions, it can also be said that the Oilers failed to live up to expectations. With that, general manager Steve Tambellini, and head coach Ralph Krueger are gone, the latter fired after just one 48 game season. Craig MacTavish steps in as the teams new GM, and his first move was to hire head coach Dallas Eakins away from the Toronto Marlies.

There were some bright spots for the Oilers though, as Taylor Hall emerged as one of the best left wings in the game, fulfilling some of the potential that had him drafted first overall, while Sam Gagner had his most productive season as an NHLer, and rookies Justin Schultz, and Nail Yakupov put up strong seasons. However there was also down years from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who hit the sophomore slump, and Jordan Eberle who regressed slightly from his lofty 2011-12 numbers. Both are expected to bounce back, but they illustrate what can go wrong early in a young players’ career. Progression is not linear, and guys have up and down seasons as they develop at the NHL level.

For the purposes of this report, Schultz, Yakupov, Teemu Hartikainen, and Anton Lander are all considered “graduated” due to the number of NHL games they have played. While Schultz and Yakupov are just under the 50 game cutoff, that is merely due to it being a 48 game season, as they spent the entire year with the Oilers.

Before we get too far into the prospects though, we should take a minute to remember Kristian Pelss, the 20-year-old Oiler prospect who was tragically lost this summer.

2013 Draft Picks Reviewed by LWOS: Darnell Nurse, Anton Slepyshev, Marc-Olivier Roy, Jackson Houck,

#1 Prospect, Oscar Klefbom, Defence

Born Jul 20 1993 — Karlstad, Sweden

Height 6.03 — Weight 201 — Shoots Left

Selected by the Edmonton Oilers round 1 #19 overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

Oscar Klefbom has shown real flashes of both offensive and defensive prowess on the blueline in the last two years. In 2011 he was a standout offensive defenceman on the Swedish Blueline at the IIHF Under 18, and in 2012 at the World Junior Championships he was an elite shutdown defender being named to the tournament all-star team ahead of current Minnesota sensation Jonas Brodin, in helping Sweden win a gold medal. Unfortunately this year Klefbom did not get to play in the World Juniors due to a shoulder injury, and was limited to just 16 games for Farjestad, and 5 games with Sweden’s U20 team in other tournaments. It was a tough year mainly caused by the injury. Still we know the talent is there.

Klefbom’s biggest asset is his skating ability. He has excellent edgework, and is ability to quickly pivot and change direction in all 360 degrees. This skill is extemely valuable in both the offensive and defensive ends of the ice as mobility is key in the NHL. He is extremely difficult to beat off the rush as he adjusts to an attackers movements and cuts them off. He closes gaps quickly and efficiently which allows him to line up the attacker for a big hit, and he doesn’t shy away if given the opportunity. He is also able to quickly recover if something does go wrong. Offensively Klefbom is able to use his mobility to walk the line and open up passing and shooting lanes when he has the puck. He also adds good top end speed and this allows him to both lead and join the rush.

Klefbom has a BOMB of a slap shot. He sets up at the point on the power play and unleashes his howitzer at opposing goalies. He also has a very hard, very accurate wrist shot, and an excellent release. Klefbom’s puck control, vision and passing are assets, however they are not at the level of fellow Oiler Schultz. For this reason Klefbom projects as the trigger man, with Schultz as the QB on future Oilers’ powerplays.

Klefbom is set to come to North America and will be at the Oilers training camp this season. While there is an outside chance he could make the squad, I believe he will need some time in the AHL, as he just didn’t play a lot of hockey last season. Expect to see him on the Oilers very soon though, and he could have a dramatic effect on their squad with his skills in all areas of the game.

#2 Prospect Martin Marincin, Defense

Born Feb 18 1992 — Kosice, Slovakia

Height 6.05 — Weight 196 — Shoots Left

Marincin is a Slovak defenceman with the ideal size that will help the Oilers blueline. At just 196 lbs he is lanky and needs to bulk up, but he should be able to do so, as he has gotten bigger since his draft days. There is still room for improvement though.

Marincin is a very good skater, much better than most players 6’5″. He has a long, powerful stride which gives him good speed and decent acceleration. His edgework and pivots are crisp and quick, and he shows good agility. He does need to work on his strength and balance though those are all part of the bulking up process.

Offensively, Marincin has very good vision and good passing skills. He plays with his head up and usually makes crisp breakout passes, and good plays with the puck in the offensive zone as well. However, like many young defencemen, he does have a habit of making the odd bad giveaway and will need to mature away from this. His shot is good but not great.

Defensively he uses his long reach to full advantage in cutting down passing lanes, poke checking attackers, and generally being pretty tough to get by one on one. He does need some work on his positioning in his own end at times, especially when facing a team that is cycling the puck. He battles hard on the boards, and occasionally throws a big check, but will need to get more physical, (Again an issue that bulking up, would fix).

Expect to see Marcinin back in Oklahoma City in the AHL at the start of next season, however like Klefbom his eventual appearance on the Oilers blueline is not far away.

Super Sleeper, Martin Gernat, D,

Born Apr 11 1993 — Kosice, Slovakia

Height 6.05 — Weight 191 — Shoots Left

Selected by Edmonton Oilers round 5 #122 overall 2011 NHL Entry Draft

For our sleeper its almost a combination of the above two prospects. A tall, lanky, offensively skilled Slovak defenceman who played in the WHL, but missed most of this season due to a shoulder injury. Gernat played in only 23 regular season games for the Oil Kings, but then added 22 playoff games with an impressive 17 points as he really found his groove.

Similar to Marcinin we see a standout skater in Gernat. He has good speed, good edgework and pivots, and is agile. He is very mobile on the blueline and this helps his game in all areas.

Gernat is also an excellent passer, who quarterbacks the powerplay with calm and cool efficiency. He also makes great breakout passes, but can be comfortable rushing the puck himself as well. A good wrist shot with a quick release, and a decent slapshot as well.

Defensively the mobility and size are Gernat’s best assets and he’s hard to beat one on one. However his game really lacks polish. He can sometimes be two offensive minded and needs reminders on proper positioning. Its something that has come a long way in two years at the WHL, but there is still some room for improvement. Expect to see him in the AHL this season.

The Oilers system might seem a little thin right now, but that is merely due to the number of young players they have graduated to the big squad. They still have one of the best collections of young talent, and while many have criticized them for having too many forwards and ignoring the defence and goaltending, that isn’t true. Signing Schultz last year was a major coup, Nurse was a nice pickup at the backend this year, while Klefbom, Marincin, David Musil, and Martin Gernat is a good collection of young talent on their way up the ranks.

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