Kailer Yamamoto returns for his second rookie camp with the Edmonton Oilers and
 highlights a deep crop of prospects that are in attendance. The other big name
 is Evan Bouchard, who is penciled into having a real opportunity of cracking
the opening night roster whether some fans agree or not. More on Bouchard
later. With Yamamoto the goal is clear - force the club';s hand again and will
your way back onto the NHL club.Related: Edmonton Oilers - Top 10 Prospects

Last fall Yamamoto was brilliant coming off being drafted 22nd overall in the
2017 NHL Draft. He had an excellent training camp, started the year with the
club, but ultimately it was felt he needed more time to develop. What happened
next? Yamamoto torched the WHL and put up 64 points in 40 games. If he played a
 full season in the WHL that would';ve been good enough to finish top five in
league scoring.Kailer Yamamoto (Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Yamamoto is penciled into the Bakersfield Condors lineup to start the year.
But, if the Oilers right wing depth chart proves to be as weak as it looks in
the early going, the youngster should expect a phone call shortly after he
celebrates his 20th birthday this fall.

One name you won';t see on the rookie camp roster is Ryan Mantha. There';s
legitimate concern the talented offensive defenseman';s hockey career might be
over. If you';re not aware, Mantha developed a blood clot in one of his eyes
and that has caused some visual disturbances. For now, Mantha is on the
sidelines, and many folks in the hockey world are hoping this is just a
temporary setback in his career.

Here';s a full breakdown of the Oilers rookie camp roster, some news and notes,
 and expectations for the 2018-19 season.Oilers Rookie Camp Goaltenders

The Oilers are carrying three netminders through rookie camp. Dylan Wells
appears in his third rookie camp and is expected to turn pro and play for the
ECHL';s Witchita Thunder. The 20-year-old is expected to split the starting
duties in the ECHL with Shane Starrett who is not at camp. Under the OHL rules,
 Wells can go back to junior, if Edmonton decides to do so, and play as an
overager.Related - Edmonton Oilers Top Prospects: #11-20

Stuart Skinner is fresh off a dazzling campaign that saw him take the Swift
Current Broncos to a WHL Championship and an appearance in the 2018 Mastercard
Memorial Cup. The 19-year-old was the fifth goalie taken off the board in 2017,
 and like Wells, turns pro this season. He';s expected to split starting duties
 with NHL veteran Al Montoya (if the latter clears waivers).Stuart Skinner
(Robert Murray/WHL)

Olivier Rodrigue impressed the Oilers enough that they traded the 71st and
133rd overall selections in the 2018 NHL Draft to move up to 62nd and snag him.
 The 18-year-old is expected back as the starter for the Drummondville
Voltigeurs in the QMJHL. Rodrigue also has a shot at making Canada';s roster
for the upcoming World Junior Championships (WJC). He';s one of eight Oiler
prospects with a legitimate shot to make a WJC team for their respective
countries.

Oilers Rookie Camp Goaltenders (3)

PlayerAgeAcquired2017-18 TeamGPGAASV%

Olivier Rodrigue182018 Draft, 62ndDrummondville (QMJHL)532.56.903

Stuart Skinner192017 Draft, 78thSwift Current (WHL)*563.07.905

Dylan Wells202016 Draft, 123rdPeterborough (OHL)563.62.896

* Skinner started 2017-18 with the Lethbridge Hurricanes but was traded to
Swift Current before the WHL Trade Deadline.Oilers Rookie Camp Defense

There are nine defenders at rookie camp, but all eyes are on the Oilers
first-rounder Evan Bouchard. The 18-year-old has walked into a glorious
opportunity to potentially start the year with Edmonton thanks to the Andrej
Sekera injury. Ethan Bear who played 18 games with the Oilers in 2017-18, and
Caleb Jones both have outside shots to crack the Oilers lineup. However, both
are expected to start the year in the AHL.Related: 5 Oilers Prospects to Watch
in 2018-19

Another hopeful is William Lagesson who emerged as a top-flight shutdown
rearguard while playing for Djurgardens in the SHL last season. The 2014
selection has plenty of defensive upside and could get a handful of games with
the Oilers in 2018-19. Another Euro is Dmitri Samorukov, who';s expected to
play top-pair minutes with the Guelph Storm and be a returnee for Russia at the
 WJC this coming season.William Lagesson (Credit: Connor Mah/Flickr)

Edmonton also has four blueliners on AHL contracts that will participate in
rookie camp. Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin played 68 games with Wichita last
season. The 22-year-old played 195 games in the QMJHL with the Gatineau
Olympiques scoring 56 points. He';ll likely be a tweener between the AHL and
ECHL. Same can be said for Logan Day, who was signed out of Endicott College,
and who played ten games with Bakersfield to end the 2017-18 season.Related
- Oilers Roster Predictions: Goalies & Defense

Jake Kulevich, 25, is the oldest player at rookie camp. He played four seasons
with Colgate College before playing the last year and a half with the Manitoba
Moose in the AHL. Kulevich wasn';t tendered an extension by the Winnipeg Jets
organization and thus walked via free agency. He';ll likely factor into
Wichita';s lineup this fall. Jared Wilson is a new name. The 24-year-old
Calgary-native finished four years with RPI before playing ten games with the
Toledo Walleye to end 2017-18.

Oilers Rookie Camp Defense (9)

PlayerAgeAcquired2017-18 TeamGPGPTS

Ethan Bear212015 Draft, 124thBakersfield (AHL)*37618

Evan Bouchard182018 Draft, 10thLondon (OHL)672587

Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin22AHL ContractWichita (ECHL)68219

Logan Day23AHL ContractEndicott (NCAA III)*261538

Caleb Jones212015 Draft, 117thBakersfield (AHL)58217

Jake Kulevich25AHL ContractManitoba (AHL)3303

William Lagesson222014 Draft, 91stDjurgardens (SHL)49113

Dmitri Samorukov192017 Draft, 84thGuelph (OHL)621134

Jared Wilson24AHL ContractRPI (ECAC)*37714

* Ethan Bear played 18 games with Edmonton during the second half of 2017-18

* Logan Day played ten games with Bakersfield to close out 2017-18

* Jared Wilson played ten games with Toledo in the ECHL to finish 2017-18Oilers
 Rookie Camp Forwards

There';s 15 forwards at rookie camp highlighted by a good crop of selections
over the past three draft years. Tyler Benson, Kirill Maksimov, Ostap Safin
(injured), and Kailer Yamamoto headline camp, but this year';s camp also
provides the organization a chance to get a longer look at some key pieces for
Bakersfield. Joe Gambardella is hoping to shake off any worries about a
concussion problem from last year. He should factor into the top nine for the
Condors.Related: A Make or Break Year for Chiarelli, McLellan, and Oilers

David Gust was a welcomed surprise, and now the hope is he can build off a 24
point season and be a consistent contributor in Bakersfield. Cameron Hebig is
turning pro, and after scoring 41 goals and 90 points in the WHL, there';s hope
 he can help the Condors power play that desperately needs a spark. Colin
Larkin, 24, is a returnee who played 16 games with Bakersfield after finishing
up at UMass-Boston. The older brother of Dylan Larkin will be a middle-six guy
for the Condors.

You can go ahead and throw Evan Polei and Nolan Vesey into depth roles with
Bakersfield as well. Polei, 22, went undrafted but had a strong season with
Wichita and willed his way into a bottom-six job with the Condors last season.
The younger brother of Jimmy Vesey, Nolan asserted himself into full-time
duties down on the farm after a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ostap Safin and Kirill Maksimov are two promising players we';ve raved about
since they were drafted 115th and 146th respectively in 2017. Safin will miss
the on-ice festivities with a hip flexor injury. If Safin returns to the QMJHL,
 the hope is that he';s traded to a deeper team that might give him some better
 players to play with. One team in mind is the Halifax Mooseheads, who are a
Memorial Cup contender this year. Regarding Maksimov, he could end up scoring
50 goals in the OHL.

Aside from Yamamoto, the guy who will have a lot of eyes on him, and one that
has a real shot at cracking Edmonton';s roster, is Cooper Marody. The Oilers
acquired him in a deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, and Marody was one of the
best collegiate players last season. In a brief three-game appearance in
Bakersfield, Marody put up just as many points. He';s currently No. 5 on the
organization';s depth chart at center.Related: Edmonton Oilers - 2018 NHL Draft
 Review

Ryan McLeod is coming off a stellar OHL campaign that saw him post 26 goals and
 70 points. The younger brother of New Jersey Devils first-round pick Michael
McLeod has a real shot at making Canada';s squad at the upcoming WJC. He';s a
two-way forward with plenty of skill and offense. Scoring 80-plus points is a
possibility in his draft-plus-one year. Lots of folks had McLeod as a late
first-rounder, but he fell into the Oilers lap at 40th this past June.Ryan
McLeod (Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

Tyler Vesel, 24, is one of the older players at rookie camp. The long wait is
over, and Oiler fans will finally get to see a full season in the pros for
Vesel. The 153rd overall selection in 2014 is a diminutive forward that has
shown excellent offensive abilities with the Omaha Lancers, and then in four
years with Nebraska-Omaha in the NCAA. He scored six points in 11 games at the
end of the year with the Condors and should be a top-six threat this coming
season.Related - Oilers Roster Predictions: Forwards

Lastly, there are two new guys. One of them is Luke Esposito, who is on a
tryout as he tries to earn an AHL contract for the upcoming season. Esposito
has an NHL bloodline that includes his two uncles (Paul and Mark Messier), his
grandfather (Doug Messier), and great uncle (Murray Murdoch). The soon-to-be
25-year-old played his junior days with the Chilliwack Chiefs in the BCHL and
then played four years with Harvard University.

The last year of which he was a point-per-game player. He split the 2017-18
season between the AHL and ECHL playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins and
Toledo Walleye respectively. The other new addition is Ryan Van Stralen who
just wrapped up four years at Carleton University. The 24-year-old got an
audition with Wichita to end the 2017-18 season and knocked it out of the park
putting up 15 points in 16 games. Good enough to earn an AHL deal.

Oilers Rookie Camp Forwards (15)

PlayerAgeAcquired2017-18 TeamGPGPTS

Tyler Benson202016 Draft, 32ndVancouver (WHL)331142

Luke Esposito24ATO*Grand Rapids (AHL)3118

Joe Gambardella24College FA (2017)Bakersfield (AHL)501319

David Gust24AHL ContractBakersfield (AHL)531324

Cameron Hebig21WHL FA (2018)Regina (WHL)*664190

Colin Larkin24College FA (2018)UMass-Boston (NCAA III)*272446

Kirill Maksimov192017 Draft, 146thNiagara (OHL)623480

Cooper Marody21Trade (2018)*Michigan (NCAA)401651

Ryan McLeod182018 Draft, 40thMississauga (OHL)682670

Evan Polei22AHL ContractBakersfield (AHL)*3025

Ostap Safin192017 Draft, 115thSaint John (QMJHL)612658

Ryan Van Stralen24AHL ContractCarleton (USports)251119

Tyler Vesel242014 Draft, 153rdNeb-Omaha (NCAA)*361132

Nolan Vesey23Trade (2018)*Maine (NCAA)371125

Kailer Yamamoto192017 Draft, 22ndSpokane (WHL)*402164

* Luke Esposito is on an amateur tryout (ATO)

* Cameron Hebig was traded from the Saskatoon Blades to the Regina Pats

* Colin Larkin finished the 2017-18 year with 16 games with Bakersfield

* Cooper Marody was acquired via trade with the Philadelphia Flyers, played
three games in Bakersfield last year

* Evan Polei played 32 games with the Wichita Thunder in 2017-18

* Ryan Van Stralen concluded the 2017-18 season playing 16 games for the
Wichita Thunder

* Tyler Vesel turned pro at the end of the NCAA season, finished with 11 games
with Bakersfield

* Kailer Yamamoto started the 2017-18 season with the Edmonton Oilers

The post Oilers 2018-19 Rookie Camp Roster & Thoughts appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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