On Friday night, the Edmonton Oilers reportedly signed their second NCAA free agent of the spring signing season. The team reportedly came to an agreement with University of North Dakota F Drake Caggiula on a two-year entry level contract. Kris Hansen touched on the move and how it will impact the system here.
Shortly after the story broke, Oilers insider Bob Stauffer tweeted the following, indicating that Edmonton could be adding another NCAA free agent in short order.
On top of Drake Caggiula don’t be surprised if the Oilers land another NCAA forward shortly to bolster their organizational depth…
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) May 7, 2016
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…My guess is the Oilers are looking at a bigger body, who can protect the puck and create more competition
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) May 7, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe Oilers have added Nick Ellis and now Caggiula via the NCAA this off-season, addressing prospect holes in net and up front. Adding another prospect, one with size and who plays a power-forward game, would fill another hole.
Edmonton has wasted draft picks (Cameron Abney, Mitch Moroz) and trade assets (Tobias Rieder for Kale Kessy) looking for a young power-forward. To this point, all of those moves have turned out to be busts. Now, there is a chance Moroz turns things around, but his first two professional seasons have been filled with bad arrows.
If Edmonton wants to add a bigger forward who plays that style from the available NCAA free agents, then they will have a few choices.
Only one, however, really sticks out to me. Finnish forward Ahti Oksanen of Boston University.
Just Who Is He?:
Living in the Boston area, I get a little spoiled. The college hockey in this part of the United States is exceptional, and Boston College and Boston University are both well known factories for professional hockey players. I’ve seen guys like Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, Johnny Gaudreau, Brian Boyle, the list goes on. Oksanen, however, has always stood out to me in so many ways.
The big left winger has been an impact player for the Terriers the last four seasons. In 2014-15, he registered 25-13-38 in 40 games, a career year. His 25 goals were tied for the team lead with Eichel, who went on to get selected second overall by Buffalo last June. This past season, Oksanen posted 15-21-36 in 39 tilts. Once again, solid production.
At 6’3” and 207 pounds, Oksanen has the size to play in the NHL, there really is no debating that. In addition, Oksanen has a knack for finding the front of the net. In a number of live viewings of BU the last two seasons, I’ve notice how Oksanen is always the guy causing havoc in blue paint.
He doesn’t play an overly physical game, but he uses his size to his advantage. See, the Hockey East is more of a skilled game than a crash and bang game. Small and skilled rules the day in this conference, but the big and tough Oksanen found a way to thrive. He’s one of those players that knows how to uses his body to his advantage.
As mentioned above, he’s got a knack for the crease. I noticed Oksanen setting screens and banging away on the opposing goalie numerous times during my viewings of him the last two seasons. He’s got the ability to be a net front presence and he isn’t afraid to stick himself in that spot.
Don’t be fooled however, Oksanen is still a skilled player and possesses a nice shot along with exceptional passing ability. His defensive game is also very well rounded, more on that in a second.
Mr. Versatile:
In the spring of 2014, BU coach David Quinn asked Oksanen to make a big change. After two seasons as a defender for the Terriers, he was asked to move to forward. BU had exceptional depth on the blue-line at the time, and while Oksanen was still a factor (Played 36 and 35 games a freshman and sophomore), the team felt he could contribute in other ways.
The move turned out to be a big reason why BU advanced to the Frozen Four in 2015, Oksanen was the secondary scorer needed behind Eichel.
If Oksanen is going to make it as a pro, it’s going to be as a forward. He had a big impact at that position and I thought he was arguably the team’s best forward in 2015-16. That said, his past as a defender is something that teams will likely be interested in. As mentioned above, it’s helped him turn into a well rounded player, he gets how important defense is.
Closing Thoughts:
Is Ahti Oksanen the man Stauffer is talking about? Possibly, but we don’t know for sure. However, I’m a big fan of Ahti Oksanen and believe that the Oilers should be interested. He fits the bill; big, skilled, can protect the puck. He can provide competition right away too, the 23 year old is ready to make the leap to the AHL game.
One last thing to keep in mind: Peter Chiarelli would have seen Oksanen up close for three seasons. While GM of the Bruins, Oksanen was playing just about ten minutes away and played with a handful of Boston Bruin prospects. Worth keeping an eye on.
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