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This in from U.S. hockey writer Mark Divver, news that the gigantic d-man Vince Desharnais has been offered an AHL contract by the Bakersfield Condors: “Edmonton 7th rounder Vinny Desharnais of Providence College agrees to AHL contract with Bakersfield. Character kid & leader. No better shutdown defender in Hockey East last couple of years.”

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This summer, we ranked Desharnais 38th on our list of Oilers prospects. Edmonton has now carved out a chance for this player, who is 23 years-old and just had his best point scoring year in college hockey, 13 points in 42 games.

Here’s what myCult colleague sharp-eyed Bruce McCurdy had to say about Desharnais in our rankings last year, where we had the big d-man as the #33rd best prospect in the Oilers system. “The massive blueliner was already 20 when the Oilers picked him in the 7th round of that same 2016 Draft that produced fellow d-men Niemelainen, Cairns and Filip Berglund, with only the latter making our Top 25. At least Desharnais hasn’t fallen down the rankings like (Markus) Niemelainen and (Matthew) Cairns. Instead he has held fast at #33 for the third year in a row, which isn’t exactly a promising sign either.

“Desharnais has precious little offence, scoring just 4 goals in the last 4 years (the first with Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL, the next 3 at Providence College). His 2017-18 boxcars of 0-11-11 were modest enough, but represented a big leap forward from the measly 10 points he collected in his previous three seasons combined. He had some impressive moments at the recent development camp, showing better-than-expected puck skills to complement good defensive positioning and a commanding reach. This season highlight pack put together by Matt Mosewich for EDM Prospect Watch gives a taste off the player but not his essence; the interested reader might prefer this longer vid also compiled by Mosewich showing each of Desharnais’ shifts from a sample game.”