Oilers GM Craig MacTavish made a little more news today, as the team signed twin forwards Kellen and Connor Jones out of Quinnipiac. The Oilers selected Kellen in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL entry draft, while Connor has been invited to multiple Oiler rookie camps in the last few years.
Both forwards agreed to ATO’s for the remainder of the season, while also getting an AHL contract for the 2014-15 season, following suit with the team’s signings of forward Mitch Holmberg and defender Graeme Craig earlier this week. Both Connor and Kellen will report to OKC.
The Oilers signing Kellen Jones is no real surprise. The Oilers invested a draft choice in the forward back in 2010, and the returns have been good for a player picked in that spot. Kellen had a very good senior season this year, posting 42 points in 40 games. His 18 goals were good for second on the team, while his 24 assists were also second on the club. Kellen stands in at 5’9” and 165 lbs, and is more known as a skilled player.
Connor Jones was third on the team in points, right behind his brother, with 38 in 40 games this past season. He potted 15 goals while adding 23 assists. His defensive game was decent as well, evident by his +15 rating on the year for the Bobcats. While +/- is a bit of an overrated stat, advanced stats at the College level are not exactly as easy to find as the NHL level, so I’ll be trusting the +/- more than normal.
Connor, like Kellen, also stands in at 5’9”, and is more known for his skilled game than anything else, meaning Edmonton has added more skill players and not brutes to the pipeline. Considering the Oilers have added players like Kale Kessy and Cam Abney in the last few seasons, this is a very nice change of pace.
Neither Connor or Kellen will be making the jump to the NHL next season or the season after, but both guys are in a good position right now. They’ll both get a taste of the stretch run at the AHL level this year, the prospect camp in September, and a full year of minor league hockey next season. That’s a smart way to develop hockey players, and it’s a relief to see the Oilers finally follow suit.
The odds of either player being a big difference maker at the NHL level is not good, but adding two skilled players that had success at the college level for nothing more than an AHL contract is an extremely smart move. The Oilers add more depth to their solid AHL system, and are adding depth with talent. That’s a welcomed change from the Tambellini era.
MacT and the Oilers have already started putting what will be a young AHL team together for next year in Oklahoma City, and they likely are not done. While these are not sexy moves that have an impact on the NHL roster, they are smart moves that winning teams do. Just another small reason why I have faith in Craig MacTavish.
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