Oilers Recall Brandon Davidson

The Edmonton Oilers lost defenders Mark Fayne and Andrew Ference to injury in the last two games. Ference is out with a concussion and could miss the rest of the season, while Fayne injured his shoulder on Wednesday night and is expected to miss time.

With that being said, the Oilers recalled shut-down defender Brandon Davidson, the team’s 6th round pick in the 2010 entry draft. Davidson stands in at 6’2” and 214 pounds, providing some real size to Edmonton’s line-up.

This is a really good story, it honestly is. Davidson was drafted late, given little chance to succeed, and had to face an extremely tough battle, cancer, to reach where he is today. While he played four games for the team back in December, this is likely going to be his first extended look in orange and blue.

Davidson is one of the Oklahoma City Barons’ top defenders currently, playing big minutes for the team in a shut-down role. He’s scored ten points for them this year, and accumulated 41 penalty minutes in 52 AHL games. He’s not an elite player, but he’s a solid stay-at-home kind of defender.

Davidson can move the puck, but it’s not his specialty. He is best suited to playing a physical style of hockey while providing a shut-down style. To me, he’s a player the reminds me a lot of Steve Staios from back in the day, he’ll do the dirty and gritty work and be that glue guy on the back-end.

While this recall likely means nothing for the here and now, it’s a huge chance for Davidson to prove his worth. While I expect Edmonton to add a defender or two this summer, Davidson still has a chance at making the roster as the number six or seven defender next season. He’s played three seasons in the minors, and is established at that level, it’s time to make the jump.

This last handful of games will give Davidson a real chance to show he belongs in the NHL and with the Edmonton Oilers. A solid stint will no doubt earn him a contract, and it might even earn him a leg up in the competition for a roster spot next fall. Can Brandon Davidson outperform Keith Aulie? I’d like to think so at this point.

The performance of this young shut-down defender will no doubt be something to watch over the last handful of games. If he can emerge a little bit, it could be another late-round pick finally budding through at the NHL-level for Edmonton. The opportunity is here Brandon, seize it.