This should come as absolutely no surprise, but the Edmonton Oilers have officially agreed to terms with University of Denver D Joey LaLeggia on a two-year entry level contract. The deal will take effect starting on July 1st, and LaLeggia will be in training camp next season.
In the meantime, the defender has agreed to an ATO with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, and he’ll report to the team immediately. This ATO allows LaLeggia the opportunity to play pro hockey the rest of the season without burning a year off of his entry deal. LaLeggia will be eligible for the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs should the Barons make it.
Personally, I’m thrilled about this move. I follow the NCAA quite a bit, and I must say I have fallen in love with LaLeggia’s game since his draft day. The 2012 5th round pick has dominated at Denver University, posting 40 points in 37 games this season.
LaLeggia is a dynamic offensive defender that can do it all with the puck. His passing skills are exceptional, and his breakout pass is a thing of beauty. While watching a few games this season, I noticed the offense really flowed through him when coming out of the zone. He’s a great puck-mover.
He’s also got a very good wrist-shot, which is coupled with a dangerous slapshot. He’s used a ton on the power-play, and can easily quarterback a unit, but that’s not all. LaLeggia does make offense happen at five-on-five, thanks to both his skills and his speed.
He’s a good skater, with an extra gear and a degree of shiftiness to him. On top of that, I’ve noticed he’s a smart player with the puck.
Defensively, LaLeggia is not as polished, but we knew that from his scouting reports. That said, he’s better defensively than one would expect. LaLeggia is quick when it comes to getting back after jumping in on the rush, in fact he rarely gets caught up ice.
While in his own zone, I’ve noticed over the season that LaLeggia doesn’t try to make the fancy play, rather he makes the safe play, simply getting the puck up ice. He’s sound defensively, but not dominant. For the NCAA level, he’s more than adequate, but he clearly needs some development time in this regard.
That said, LaLeggia has shown flashes of defensive brilliance while in college, showing that he does get it, but that he just needs to be able to piece it together.
Joey LaLeggia is certainly a prospect of note for the Edmonton Oilers right now, and could be a player down the line. It’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to the pro game during this small audition, and how he handles a pro training camp and full season next year.
I’d say LaLeggia needs at least one full AHL season, but you just never know with these college defenders, they are a lot more mature and NHL ready when turning pro than CHL defenders are due to their age.
Either way, Edmonton just locked up a pretty good prospect, count it as a potential win for the scouting department.
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