On September 18th, just under three weeks from today, the Edmonton Oilers will open training camp at Rexall Place. The team will have some young players fighting to establish themselves, and some minor league veterans looking to make the step to the NHL. It’ll be interesting, as there are spots open on the roster and many possibilities not only up front, but on the back end and even in net.
There are two players that will come to camp not really fighting for NHL roster spots. They’ll be coming to camp fighting for jobs period. AHL, NHL, heck ECHL, they are just here fighting for a contract.
Who are they? They are little known forwards, one from the QMJHL and one from Switzerland. The QMJHL player, forward Vladimir Tkachev, is highly talented, but has major size issues. The other player, forward Chris Baltisberger, is a decently sized winger who has some offensive issues. Will either get a contract? Let’s take a look at them.
Tkachev:
The Russian forward went undrafted this past June, but it wasn’t for a lack of skill. Many believe he was good enough to get picked, but his size was the major issue and it kept him off the board. How small is the skilled Russian? He’s only 5’8” and 163 pounds, which is REALLY small. That being said, he showed some real flashes last season in the Q, and in the KHL before that.
Tkachev started his MHL career in Russia back in 2012-13, where he played in 47 games for Omskie Yastreby. He put up solid totals, recording 35 points in that span. This past season, he played in 16 more MHL games with the same squad, registering 19 points in that span. He also got a taste of the KHL, playing in two games for Omsk before heading to the QMJHL.
After joining the QMJHL, Tkachev played in 20 games and scored a highly impressive 30 points, and then added nine more points in six playoff games. Some real solid offensive production for a player that just joined the QMJHL.
His MHL stats suggest a player who made showed improvement year over year, and suggest a player who was an impact offensive talent. His QMJHL numbers suggest the same, leading me to believe that this is a player with a knack for finding the score sheet.
Can he get a contract? I think it’s highly possible. The Oilers badly want to add skill to the system, and while he does lack size, he brings a level of skill that only Marco Roy and Greg Chase have shown at the CHL level.
Tkachev can earn a contract with Edmonton and be sent back down to juniors due to his age, making him a highly appealing prospect for Edmonton to add to the system. Should he impress in Edmonton, and I think it is totally possible, he could be a candidate for a contract this camp.
Baltisberger:
Edmonton loves players with size. They’ve been adding players like this since MacT took over as GM, at both the NHL and AHL level. Baltisberger is a young player, only 22 years old, and has pro experience. He’s not huge, but he’s decently sized at 6′ even and 201 pounds. Sure he isn’t a mammoth, but he’s certainly not going to get pushed around.
The Oilers like Baltisberger, they brought him to prospect camp back in July, and likely will bring him to the youngstars tournament later this month.
His offensive boxcars aren’t anything special. This past year for ZSC, Baltisberger scored just nine points in 48 games. The year prior, he scored only five points in 49 games. He’s not an offensive difference maker, and considering the league he is in that is a bad sign for his NHL potential.
That said, Baltisberger has been a relatively even player when it comes to +/-, suggesting a player that isn’t really a defensive liability. We don’t know a ton about this player outside of the fact that he struggles offensively, has decent size, and has been on the Oilers radar for a little bit.
The Prediction:
It’s going to be tough for either of these players to make the cut. At the NHL level, the Oilers are basically set everywhere but the 4th line at right wing, but neither of these players are likely to hop over Tyler Pitlick, Jesse Joensuu or Steve Pinizzotto.
At the AHL level, Edmonton added a number of young players on AHL deals and have a few prospects graduating to the pro ranks. For Tkachev, I believe there is a great chance to get a deal. He can go back to juniors for another two seasons, and there is no rush to fit him in on the long-jammed AHL team this year. On top of that, he is what is lacking from the prospect group, a highly skilled forward.
As for Baltisberger, I’d be surprised if he gets a contract. His style and skill-set is already in the pro ranks, and he’d have to play pro this coming season. In my mind, there just isn’t enough room for a guy like Baltisberger, who is a long-shot at best to ever make the NHL roster.
It’ll be an interesting training camp this year, and these two are just another story-line to pay attention too.
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