It was the great debate on Draft Day 2007. Voracek or Gagner? Voracek had been ranked as high as number one at one point in the season. Gagner was the youngest player in the draft, played on the Canadian World Jr. team as a 17-year-old and lit up the OHL with fellow London Knight, Patrick Kane. A lot of people said that Gagner would be number one in 2008, if only he had been born a few weeks later. The end result. "With the 6th overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers are proud to choose, from the London Knights, Sam Gagner." Since then Voracek has played well in the Q and Sam has played well in the NHL. But it'll take 5 years to determine if the Oilers made the right pick.
Before the 2007-2008 NHL season, a Canada-Russia Super Series had taken place. The best hockey players in Canada and Russia, who were under 20 played in it. One of those people happened to be Sam Gagner. Fresh off being drafted by the Edmonton Oilers, Sam scored 15 points in 8 games against what was supposedly the second best team in junior hockey.
Shortly after the Super Series, Gagner came to Oilers rookie camp. After rookie camp, he went to training camp, so by the time he hit TC he was in peak form. Sam impressed coach Craig MacTavish and got Kevin Lowe to sign him to a contract. During the 10-game tryout stint for Gagner he impressed even further and the team decided to keep him for the full year.
The year was full of ups and downs for Gagner. Ups were the spectacular highlight reel shootout goals, downs being the healthy scratches. But overall he performed very well.
Last June during the draft the Oilers held the #22 overall pick. They did not feel the need to move up and chose small, shifty, sniper Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats.
Since then, a lot of fans have suggested the possibility of Eberle making the jump to the NHL as per Gagner. The simple answer to these questions is no. For many reasons. Gagner was a top 10 pick and the youngest player in his draft year, still managed to play for Canada at the World Jrs. as a 17-year-old and the Oilers were in a rebuilding stage when Gagner made the team. It's not like last season the Oilers had a whole bunch of great young talent on the NHL roster. But since making the team Gagner scored 49 points in 79 games (very impressive for an 18-year-old) and proved he could take over the top unit on the powerplay over Horcoff.
In conclusion, I still believe Eberle is three to four years away from setting foot in the NHL. He needs to get bigger and stronger before he can even play a game in the AHL and has to prove he can be a force in the WHL.
Showing posts with label gagner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gagner. Show all posts
12.9.08
Expectations for 2008-2009: Forwards
I'm being EXTREMELY optimistic for the coming season in case you haven't been able to tell already.
Ales Hemsky-can he break out and become a superstar? My answer, yes. I like him a lot though.
Projected numbers: 75 GP, 25G, 65A, 90 points
Shawn Horcoff-he has to prove last year wasn't a fluke. Just signed a big deal. Will he live up to the hype?
Projected numbers: 80 GP, 40G, 45A, 85 points
Dustin Penner-will he be on the 1st line or not? The MacBlender is likely to come out, he will see some time on the 1st line. But he strikes best on the powerplay where he should get 1st powerplay minutes.
Projected numbers: 80 GP, 30G, 30A, 60 points
Erik Cole-one of the premier power forwards in the NHL. Where does he fit in? He will be in the top six through out the year. Expect big things in his contract year.
Projected numbers: 65 GP, 30G, 40A, 70 points
Sam Gagner-had a sensational rookie campaign. He has to shake off a sophmore slump but will likely get first powerplay minutes. He could also get an upgrade in linemates but will the chemistry of the kid line be ruined? I think he has another great season this year.
Projected numbers: 80 GP, 15G, 45A, 60 points
Robert Nilsson-he was a main part of the Ryan Smyth deal. The shoes were big to fill and he had a little bit of a rollercoaster ride last season. Was in MacT's dog house for the first half of the year but hit his stride with Gagner and Cogliano. He has a new contract, let's see if he can exceed the expectations of that contract.
Projected numbers: 78 GP, 18G, 40A, 58 points
Andrew Cogliano-the comparisons to Todd Marchant are not very accurate in my opinion. As a 20-year-old rookie Cogliano scored 18 goals including 3 game-winners in OT. He will definately develop into at least a 20-goal scorer with great wheels and can occasionally kill a penalty or two.
Projected numbers: 80 GP, 22G, 35A, 57 points
Ethan Moreau-everyone says how last year we wouldve been better with Souray and Horcoff. They're both great players but they never really remember Moreau. Moreau has missed so much time in the past two seasons it's almost as if the team doesn't need him. But when Moreau is in the lineup he definately brings something to the table. He's a great penalty killer and can pitch in a goal every now and then. I hope to see a full season out of him but I'll be happy with 65 games.
Projected numbers: 65 GP, 12G, 18A, 30 points
Fernando Pisani-his contract looked bad when it was first signed. A 3rd-liner who had one good playoff run. The fact of the matter is, is that he scored 18 goals that season. A 20-goal scorer is worth a lot to a team, especially if he can kill penalties. He is one of the most underrated players and I want to see big things.
Projected numbers: 78 GP, 17G, 25A, 32 points
Kyle Brodziak-had a great season last year. He had great chemistry with Stortini and Glencross but Glencross is no longer here. He scored 14 goals and hit about 12 posts. I can see him being a 20-goal scorer in the future as well as a solid penalty killer.
Projected numbers: 82 GP, 18G, 25A, 33 points
Zack Stortini-"Huggy Bear" isn't exactly the most skilled player in the league, or the best fighter. But he somehow manages to impress the Oilers coaches with his work ethic. He definately needs to work on his stickhandling, shooting and speed (the 3 s'). But he can lay out the body and provide a spark when needed. With the addition of Strudwick he might get a birds eye view of the game more often than last year.
Projected numbers: 65 GP, 1G, 2A, 3 points
Who does the last roster spot go to?
Marc Pouliot-during the tail end of last season Pouliot showed a little bit of his 1st round form. Deemed a bust by a lot of Oilers fans, Pouliot is slowly moving his way up the Oilers depth chart and could see himself as the 3rd line center on opening night. I have never been too high on Pouliot but I believe he is a legitimate NHL player and his upside could be as high as a 2nd-3rd line center (depending on the team).
Projected numbers: 65 GP, 10G, 15A, 25 points
Ryan Potulny-I don't believe he will clear waivers and he has proven he can play at an NHL level. It gives me reason to believe he will be the 13th forward at the end of camp. The Oilers gave up 2nd-3rd pairing AHL dman Danny Syvret for him, so if he's the 13th forward it'll show to be a great deal for the Oilers.
Projected numbers: 25 GP, 6G, 8A, 14 points
Too lazy to italicize and bold.
Ales Hemsky-can he break out and become a superstar? My answer, yes. I like him a lot though.
Projected numbers: 75 GP, 25G, 65A, 90 points
Shawn Horcoff-he has to prove last year wasn't a fluke. Just signed a big deal. Will he live up to the hype?
Projected numbers: 80 GP, 40G, 45A, 85 points
Dustin Penner-will he be on the 1st line or not? The MacBlender is likely to come out, he will see some time on the 1st line. But he strikes best on the powerplay where he should get 1st powerplay minutes.
Projected numbers: 80 GP, 30G, 30A, 60 points
Erik Cole-one of the premier power forwards in the NHL. Where does he fit in? He will be in the top six through out the year. Expect big things in his contract year.
Projected numbers: 65 GP, 30G, 40A, 70 points
Sam Gagner-had a sensational rookie campaign. He has to shake off a sophmore slump but will likely get first powerplay minutes. He could also get an upgrade in linemates but will the chemistry of the kid line be ruined? I think he has another great season this year.
Projected numbers: 80 GP, 15G, 45A, 60 points
Robert Nilsson-he was a main part of the Ryan Smyth deal. The shoes were big to fill and he had a little bit of a rollercoaster ride last season. Was in MacT's dog house for the first half of the year but hit his stride with Gagner and Cogliano. He has a new contract, let's see if he can exceed the expectations of that contract.
Projected numbers: 78 GP, 18G, 40A, 58 points
Andrew Cogliano-the comparisons to Todd Marchant are not very accurate in my opinion. As a 20-year-old rookie Cogliano scored 18 goals including 3 game-winners in OT. He will definately develop into at least a 20-goal scorer with great wheels and can occasionally kill a penalty or two.
Projected numbers: 80 GP, 22G, 35A, 57 points
Ethan Moreau-everyone says how last year we wouldve been better with Souray and Horcoff. They're both great players but they never really remember Moreau. Moreau has missed so much time in the past two seasons it's almost as if the team doesn't need him. But when Moreau is in the lineup he definately brings something to the table. He's a great penalty killer and can pitch in a goal every now and then. I hope to see a full season out of him but I'll be happy with 65 games.
Projected numbers: 65 GP, 12G, 18A, 30 points
Fernando Pisani-his contract looked bad when it was first signed. A 3rd-liner who had one good playoff run. The fact of the matter is, is that he scored 18 goals that season. A 20-goal scorer is worth a lot to a team, especially if he can kill penalties. He is one of the most underrated players and I want to see big things.
Projected numbers: 78 GP, 17G, 25A, 32 points
Kyle Brodziak-had a great season last year. He had great chemistry with Stortini and Glencross but Glencross is no longer here. He scored 14 goals and hit about 12 posts. I can see him being a 20-goal scorer in the future as well as a solid penalty killer.
Projected numbers: 82 GP, 18G, 25A, 33 points
Zack Stortini-"Huggy Bear" isn't exactly the most skilled player in the league, or the best fighter. But he somehow manages to impress the Oilers coaches with his work ethic. He definately needs to work on his stickhandling, shooting and speed (the 3 s'). But he can lay out the body and provide a spark when needed. With the addition of Strudwick he might get a birds eye view of the game more often than last year.
Projected numbers: 65 GP, 1G, 2A, 3 points
Who does the last roster spot go to?
Marc Pouliot-during the tail end of last season Pouliot showed a little bit of his 1st round form. Deemed a bust by a lot of Oilers fans, Pouliot is slowly moving his way up the Oilers depth chart and could see himself as the 3rd line center on opening night. I have never been too high on Pouliot but I believe he is a legitimate NHL player and his upside could be as high as a 2nd-3rd line center (depending on the team).
Projected numbers: 65 GP, 10G, 15A, 25 points
Ryan Potulny-I don't believe he will clear waivers and he has proven he can play at an NHL level. It gives me reason to believe he will be the 13th forward at the end of camp. The Oilers gave up 2nd-3rd pairing AHL dman Danny Syvret for him, so if he's the 13th forward it'll show to be a great deal for the Oilers.
Projected numbers: 25 GP, 6G, 8A, 14 points
Too lazy to italicize and bold.
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