Oilers Trim Camp Roster

A little late, I know, but I feel like there should be something up on this. The Oilers made another round of cuts on Sunday afternoon, sending eight players packing. Seven of them will be off to the AHL, while one returns to his junior hockey club.

Forward Jujhar Khaira was returned to the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. Khaira played in one pre-season game, looking pretty good in it on Saturday night. Khaira will make his junior debut this season after a good year in the NCAA last year. The kid has the skill set the Oilers need and will be an asset one day. He’s got some promise, and will be a guy that people should pay attention to in juniors this year. Best thing for him is to develop.

Goalie Ty Rimmer was sent to the OKC Barons and their training camp. Rimmer was a rookie camp invite, and impressed enough to earn a spot on the NHL training camp roster. He looked pretty good in his lone pre-season appearance on Saturday, and in my mind outperformed both Tyler Bunz and Olivier Roy. Think he gets a contract and plays in the ECHL for the season. Could be a good find here.

Defender Oscar Klefbom will start in the AHL, which is for the best. He wasn’t bad, but he certainly didn’t knock anyone’s socks off. He’s going to be a good player, and I suspect we see him at some point this season. Again, best thing for these young players is development.

Defenders Brad Hunt and Martin Marincin will also be going to OKC. Marincin had a good camp and looks close to being NHL ready, while Brad Hunt really impressed in his extended camp look. Both these players will play big roles on the Barons defense this season.

Forwards Andrew Miller and Ryan Martindale were sent down as well, but neither is a real surprise. Both need more seasoning at the AHL level, and neither impressed during camp. That said, both should play decent roles in the Barons offense. Each will get a chance to step-up this coming season.

Lastly, goalie Richard Bachman was placed on waivers and is expected to pass. If he does, he’ll end up being the Barons starting goalie. He looked decent in camp, and I’m actually a bit surprised the Oilers didn’t keep him around for one more game. I actually thought he looked better than Jason Labarbera.

Some surprises of players still in camp? Darnell Nurse is still there, and is really impressing. He looked great in the last two pre-season games, and is making it tough on Dallas Eakins. I think he gets another game this week and then heads down, but who knows. Forward Tyler Pitlick is still in camp too. He’s playing for a career this year, so this is great to see.

I expect we’ll see more cuts on Wednesday night. The Oilers host the Jets tonight and Rangers tomorrow night at Rexall place. I suspect almost everyone will get some game action here. Cut week continues….