On Monday, the deadline to sign 2013 draft picks who were playing in the CHL passed. Edmonton had two players that needed decisions, Jackson Houck and Marco Roy. Not surprisingly, Edmonton let Houck re-enter the draft. Surprisingly, however, Edmonton allowed Roy to also re-enter the entry draft later this month.
For the Oilers, the failure of Marco Roy truly is the stamp on a terrible era of decision making from the men in charge.
Jackson Houck – Just Not The Guy:
The Oilers took Houck with the 94th overall pick in 2013, selecting him early in the 4th round. The club billed him as a solid two-way forward with offensive ability and a little physical side. The scouting reports suggested a potential third-line piece, while the offense suggested a player, as he posted 57 points in 69 games.
His draft +1 season was decent too, as Houck scored 61 points in 69 games. His offense didn’t skyrocket, but he played on a bad team and produced a little better than his draft year. By all accounts, he was playing a solid two-way game too, which was his calling card.
It all came off the rails this year for Houck, however. His offense went down, as he manged only 51 points in 65 games this season. In your draft +2 season, you should be dominating if you’re a prospect of note. Houck simply did not dominate.
On top of that, Houck never emerged as a physical presence, and his two-way game became stagnant. Quite frankly, as a prospect, Houck just never emerged.
He got a short AHL stint this spring, but failed to impress in any way and was released from his ATO shortly after other Oiler prospects became available. To be honest, Jackson Houck simply did not earn a pro contract with the Oilers.
Arguably the biggest factor here outside of the stagnant development? Kyle Platzer, also from the 2013 draft class, emerged in a big way to steal Houck’s role.
Marco Roy – An Inexcusable Mistake:
In July of 2011, the Edmonton Oilers traded F Andrew Cogliano to Anaheim in exchange for a 2013 second round pick. The pick would be Marco Roy, a skilled two-way forward from the QMJHL. Roy was an advanced statistics darling for scouts, and showed well in his first go around with the organization.
Things went down hill quickly, however, as Roy suffered multiple injuries and never got going at the junior level. He registered 35 points in 39 games in his +1 season, and 50 points in 59 games this year. These were solid numbers, but he failed to dominate the league the way a skilled second round pick probably should.
That said, injuries were a factor here, and they must be considered.
Marco Roy is a decent all around player, and while his offensive numbers don’t pop off the page, they also aren’t terrible. Factor in the injury issues and a trade mixed in, and it’s easy to see why things didn’t break perfectly for this player.
That said, Edmonton dropped the ball in not signing him. Roy is a talented player who needs development time. Signing him would have given Edmonton three more seasons to evaluate him, and would have allowed Roy a fresh and healthy start in the ECHL or the AHL in the fall.
With his talent level and his skill-set, I think it would have been a worthwhile bet. Instead, we are here with a completely wasted second round pick by a team desperate for prospect depth. That’s a problem.
Think of it like this, the Oilers essentially developed Andrew Cogliano and then traded him for legitimately nothing. My friends, this is what bad organizations do. It’s inexcusable and can’t happen again.
Replacements:
With Houck and Roy both out of the picture, Peter Chiarelli has worked quickly with Bob Green and Stu MacGregor to bring on some bets at the AHL level. Yesterday, the Oilers signed F Alexis Loiseau to an AHL contract. Loiseau was the captain of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic, and scored 96 points in 68 games.
That was good for top-five in league scoring. He was also big time leader, and showed well in the Memorial Cup. He doesn’t have the pedigree of Marco Roy, but he had a much better junior career. One could look at this as Roy’s replacement on the farm next year. Loiseau may end up being nothing as a pro, but he’s certainly a solid bet.
The Oilers also signed F Connor Rankin to an AHL deal last week. Rankin is likely the replacement player for Houck, as he is a solid two-way forward with a little scoring punch. While his junior career was up and down with Calgary, he blossomed a bit late and was sensational in the playoffs this year. Like Loiseau, he may be nothing, but he’s a solid bet.
The Close:
Edmonton dropped the ball on Marco Roy big time. Sure, he wasn’t the best pick at that spot, but he certainly did enough to earn a contract. While I don’t think he’ll be an impact player, I think he could be a player in the NHL, which makes this frustrating.
That said, Edmonton has made a few bets in the AHL that might pan out moving forward. Still, it’s interesting to see Edmonton shut the books on the 2013 draft in terms of signing players.
It’s too bad, I liked both Roy and Houck. I wish them the best of luck.
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