Making The Grade…Ales Hemsky

When given the opportunity by the fine fellas at The Oilers Rig I jumped at the opportunity to grade my favorite Oiler in the last 10 years, Ales Hemsky. So here’s an unbiased report card of many an Oilers fan & local medias favorite whipping boy.

Offense- 90% A

Gone are the days when Hemsky would have to carry the Oilers load offensively, Ales is now a 2nd line RW averaging just shy of 17mins/game while on the Oilers 2nd unit PP. His line mates have been mix-mashed throughout these 1st 25 games, but he’s still averaging close to 0.5pts/game (4G & 8A in 25GP), a number he has held consistent over the last 132 games in a 2nd line role which is all you can ask from a 2nd line player in my mind. Ales sits 33rd amongst NHL RW in point production, which tells you there are only 32 other NHL RW’s with more points, most of which you will find on a 1st line somewhere. Currently 5th on the team in SOG with 46, Hemsky is just under his career average total for SOG & like most Oilers, tends to hang onto the puck for too long. Hemsky isn’t the guy to score goals, he will always be a playmaker, with explosive speed and still has the ability to lift you out of your seat, just not as often as we’re used to.

Defense 83% B

Through the 1st 15GP, Hemsky was a -11 & in his last 10GP is a -1. Plus/minus isn’t the best way to determine a players worth defensively though, line mates play a huge role in goals for/against while on the ice & if you dig a bit deeper, you can see that Hemsky’s dip occurred in the 2010-11 season, or the year Hall & Eberle were brought into the mix, thus leaving Ales on the 2nd line with an inferior center in Sam Gagner who Jeremy Thompson graded here earlier this week. There are other ways to help sell players as good defenders, one of those are takeaways. According to sportingcharts.com, Hemsky ranks 30th amongst all NHL forwards in takeaways which tells you all you need to know about his backchecking abilities. It should be noted that at the top of that list amongst forwards, you will find Datsyuk/Hossa, each
with 40 & 33 takeaways respectively. That number drops off significantly after those two guys & you will find Hemsky right in the mix.

Team Play 85% B

Eakins says Hemsky has been his best fwd thus far: “We need more Ales Hemskys.” When’s the last time you heard a coach say THAT?

— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) October 6, 2013

That’s not all I called him. “@CapitalKep: @SportsnetSpec Hemsky played half the season with a broken foot. YOU call him soft (you did)”

— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) September 8, 2013

So much has nonsense has been made by local Oilers scribes that I for one, just don’t buy into. In the 1st week of the season, Eakins was quoted “we need more Hemsky’s” which caught the ire of fans & media alike. The fact of the matter remains, Hemsky is a playmaker therefore is & always will be a “team player”. Where does he show disdain? Skating off during line changes? Limited time at practice? Where?? When he was carrying the offensive load here post Hall/Eberle, Hemsky never shied away from contact, never skated around defenders, instead, he chose the hard areas, like skating through guys. Always took a hit to make a play & because of his small 6’0″, 185lb frame, he took a ton of abuse, physically. Soft player & Ales Hemsky, should never be used in the same sentence & when it is within earshot of yours truly, the kettle whistle begins to blow. And please, whatever you do, do not mention injuries as a result of softness. If you do, please be sure to compare Taylor Hall’s 189GP to Ales Hemsky’s 179GP over the same period of time. Both players drive the play & go into all the tough areas to make plays that inevitably lead to injuries.

Overall Grade B+

Make no mistake, paired with the proper line-mates, Hemsky has been & can be an effective hockey player. His ability to find players in open ice while turning players inside out with blazing speed has been his bread & butter over the years. He can help any PP while being able to backcheck opponents without the puck. Ales Hemsky has been a polarizing player here for the Oilers since his 1st season. Always the subject of trade rumors, fans either like him or they don’t & for those who don’t, I suggest the following frame of mind;

as per any NHL player, as fans we need to embrace what the player is, not what we’d like him to be.

I think it’s obvious where I stand.

Stay tuned as all of us here at The Oilers Rig continue with our player grades throughout the upcoming weeks

You can find me on twitter: @heavyoilcountry

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