Edmonton Oilers announce major wave of roster cuts including top prospect

According to a statement from the team, the Oilers have released Sam O'Reilly, Matt Savoie, Seth Griffith, Connor Carrick, and Cam Dineen. Savoie and O'Reilly are two of the Oilers top prospects, and both had excellent training camps.

Sam O'Reilly had a surprisingly excellent camp as the team's most recent first round draft pick, even being called a dark horse to make the roster. O'Reilly impressed the Oilers throughly with his mature 200 foot game, and earned an extended look in camp far beyond his junior peers. Matthew Savoie showed flashes of elite offensive talent in preseason games, but didn't do enough to force his way on the roster.

There's still an ongoing battle for a forward position and two defensive positions before the season begins. The Oilers may not want to play two veterans pushing 40 in Derek Ryan and Corey Perry on the same line every night, and could work in some younger players like Noah Philp or James Hamblin. The Oilers may need some secondary scoring this year too, and Raphael Lavoie or Mike Hoffman could fulfill that role. All four forwards are still at camp and will be battling for the position until the final day.

The Edmonton Oilers now have 36 players left on their roster with three preseason games left to go before their home opener. Their season begins at home against the Winnipeg Jets on October 9th, and in a season where the Oilers could be contending for the Stanley Cup, every roster spot will matter. Gear up Oilers fans, hockey is finally back!