During the ‘decade of darkness’ in Edmonton, one thing has stuck out more than anything else; the Oilers inability to acquire or procure talent on the back-end. Guys like Andy Sutton, Nick Schultz, Cam Barker, Nikita Nikitin and Kurtis Foster have been brought in to save the defense, while prospects have come and gone like fruits of the month.
Maybe by accident, the Oilers have figured out a little recipe to developing defenders. Brandon Davidson was the first and now Jordan Oesterle is following in those footsteps. These aren’t the ‘sexy’ defenders, Peter Chiarelli will have to acquire at least one of those, but these are NHL’ers who can, in fact, help this roster.
The Davidson Template:
The Oilers selected Brandon Davidson way back in 2010 with the 162nd overall pick. He was nothing more than a footnote after the draft and, after spending the next two seasons in junior hockey (WHL), he appeared to be a nothing prospect. The Oilers thought otherwise, however, and were patient in developing Davidson. He played 2012-13 split between the ECHL and AHL and he beat cancer along the way. Quite a ride.
After two more full seasons in the AHL, Davidson made the team out of camp this fall and slowly moved up Edmonton’s depth chart, eventually becoming the most steady defender on the roster during Oscar Klefbom’s absence.
Davidson is yet to become a top-four defender at the NHL level, but he’s handled the role in spurts and he’s actually been quite successful in it. He’s not the ‘sexy’ player, but he is extremely smart, almost always making the right play. He’s mobile and, yes, he can move the puck up to the forwards without firing the puck like it’s a grenade.
The Oilers didn’t rush Davidson, they took five full seasons to develop him before moving him to the NHL level. Yes, it’s a long time to wait, but that patience is paying off in the form of an NHL defender. As we know in Edmonton, those don’t exactly come easily.
Oesterle Follows:
Jordan Oesterle won’t need five years of development, mainly because he has already completed three seasons of NCAA hockey at Western Michigan. He already spent the time in lesser levels (NCAA = WHL in this case) before joining the Oiler organization as a college free agent back in the spring of 2014.
Oesterle is currently in his second pro season, and is trending quite well. In 65 games last year, he registered 8-17-25 for the OKC Barons. This season, in 42 AHL tilts, Oesterle has 3-20-23 for the Condors. Currently, he is in his third NHL stint and continues to show improvement.
During a six game trial in 2014-15, Oesterle showed promise, speed and skill, but he was raw and clearly needed more development time. In a pre-deadline look this season, he showed clear cut improvement and looked like an NHL’er in training. After a short AHL stint, he returned to Edmonton due to injury and has taken flight, playing over 20 minutes in Edmonton’s last handful of games.
The package Jordan Oesterle brings is very similar to that of Brandon Davidson. He isn’t flashy, but he’s extremely smart and makes the right play with the puck more often than not. When Todd McLellan talked about playing smarter hockey, he meant playing more like Davidson/Oesterle. This is an extremely mobile defender too, and Oesterle’s puck moving skills are certainly a strength to his game.
Since sliding in to replace Justin Schultz, the Oilers breakouts have looked smoother and there are less grenade passes to forwards. There is a certain calmness and smoothness to his game.
Final Word:
Obviously, penciling in Jordan Oesterle to the opening night lineup in October 2016 is premature. To my eyes, he needs more development time in the AHL. Should the Condors make the postseason, he’ll get it this spring, but I still think a stretch at the start of next season would do him well.
Jordan Oesterle has many of the same strengths that Brandon Davidson has, and that is a very good thing. The Oilers being smart and patient with this player, just like they were with Davidson, should pay big dividends for the squad moving forward.
To my eyes, there is an NHL player in Jordan Oesterle. It’s a matter of if Edmonton can develop that player.
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