The Edmonton Oil Kings continue to be more exciting during the 2023-24 season than they have been in recent seasons. Coming off of a ten-win season, they have bounced back in a big way and have built a much stronger team to contend with. They currently sit last in the Eastern Conference with a 3-8-0-1 record through their first 12 games and unfortunately have found themselves in the middle of a seven-game losing streak.
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The Oil Kings have made some moves in recent days bringing in Skyler Bruce from the Vancouver Giants, and also decided to part ways with 2003-born forward Kian Bell who cleared waivers after no other Canadian Hockey League (CHL) team decided to claim him. Bad luck with injuries has also riddled the Oil Kings this season, as both Aidan Litke and Nathan Pilling, who are massive offensive producers for the team, will be out long-term. Taking all of that into consideration, here are a couple of takeaways during this seven-game skid.
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Current Record Through 12 Games: 3-8-0-1
Previous Three Games:
Sunday, Oct. 15: 5-2 loss to Red Deer Rebels
Tuesday, Oct. 17: 4-0 loss to Rebels
Sunday, Oct. 22: 6-2 loss to Seattle Thunderbirds
Unexpected Defencemen Stepping Up
The Oil Kings made some huge improvements in the offseason, one of them being Marc Lajoie who has stepped up as the team’s number one defenceman. Vojtech Port, an Anaheim Ducks sixth-round draft pick, has also been really solid on the back end. While that was expected, there have been a few other players that have stepped up and played solid in depth roles so not all of the pressure is on the top-pairing. The team decided to move on from 2003-born defenceman Jacob Hoffrogge and in his absence, Parker Alcos, Ethan Mackenzie and Blake Fiddler have all had huge impacts and have stepped up big time in their own end.
Fiddler was drafted first overall by the Oil Kings in the 2022 Western Hockey League (WHL) U.S. Priority Draft, and has made an impact right away defensively. He has no points through 11 games played, but he’s holding his own as a 16-year-old in the WHL. Alcos has already doubled his point totals from last season, scoring no goals but adding four assists through his first 12 games this season, and continuing to be a stud in his own end. Lastly, Mackenzie has done really well in his sophomore season with the Oil Kings. He doesn’t have a point in the team’s first 12 games, but he’s been physical and sound defensively, which is all they need him to do.
Hodnett, Woodward & Jecho Will Need To Elevate Their Game
The Oil Kings are obviously dealing with some unfortunate injury trouble with Litke and Pilling both scheduled to miss a lot of games. For Litke, that means his WHL career has come to an abrupt end, and the Oil Kings will miss his offensive production. For Pilling, he has this season and next season before he is finished, but he started off the season hot before getting injured, and the team was left with a massive hole in their offence.
New acquisition Roan Woodward along with Adam Jecho and Gavin Hodnett will be the players the team leans on going forward, as they look to find a strong offensive game from all three of them. With their leading scorer in Litke out for the season and Pilling, who had four points in four games, out for a while, all three of them will need to continue to elevate their game in order for the team to be successful.
Jecho has ten points through 12 games, Hodnett has two points through five games and Woodward has a goal in three games since being traded to the Oil Kings. Hopefully, all three of them can help lead the Oil Kings out of their slump and try to push their way back into a playoff spot. The Oil Kings are back in action tonight (Oct. 27) in Medicine Hat to take on the Tigers, and they’ll be looking to snap this awful seven-game losing streak.