August 31st, 2014: Oil Kings 3, Saskatoon Blades 2 (OT)
To wrap up the Oil Kings’ annual preseason tournament, the Blades and Oil Kings battled it out.
Personally, I was focused on the boys in blue and white the whole time, but that’s not to say that there were not certain players on Edmonton to stand out.
First of all, Oil Kings goalies (Patrick Dea starting with 14 saves and veteran Tyler Santos closing with 29 saves on 31 shots) went above and beyond for their team. Shots were 45-27 in favour of the Blades, however the home team still ended up walking away with a 3-2 overtime victory, thanks to a valiant effort from both netminders for Edmonton. Edmonton ended up as the only team with a 2-0 record over the weekend.
Now, seeing as I worked for the Blades for 4 months last season, hearing the name “Wyatt Sloboshan” was about as common as hearing the word “Hello” in our offices. I knew that this kid was a big deal, and after finally signing him it was like the team had won the Price is Right. After watching him last night (1A), it was no wonder what all the fuss was about. He will have no troubles with the transition to higher level hockey.
As for the European players, the Blades currently have three on their preseason roster, meaning they will have to release one of the rookie Euros or trade NHL draftee Nikita Scherbak when the regular season rolls around. Scherbak took the WHL by storm last season and despite already signing with Montreal, is still with Saskatoon for now. However, in the event that Montreal decides to take him this season, the Blades drafted on the safe side in the import draft, taking Nikita Soshnin in the first round and Amil Krupic later in the second. Soshnin is supposed to be a dynamic forward who the Blades hope can help their offence immensely, and after watching him play last night I fully stand by that claim. Krupic on the other hand is an older offensive defenseman who came on high recommendations from Hampus Lindholm of the Anaheim Ducks. He proved his offensive flair in last night’s game, scoring both of the goals to send the game into overtime. More likely than not though, Scherbak will be returning to Toon Town for the full season, so the Blades will have to cut one of the new guys loose. Personally, I wouldn’t be sad to see either one stay, but my bets are on Soshnin to stay and this upcoming season could become a tale of two Nikitas.
With that, the upcoming season looks bright for both teams and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
FROM THE FIFTH ROW 