Oilers make official roster cuts including player who impressed coach Knoblauch
This morning, the Edmonton Oilers announced the first cuts from the training camp roster.
All players being sent home now were expected to be heading home early as very young junior players. Forwards William Nicholl, Connor Clattenburg, Dalyn Wakely, and goalie Nathaniel Day were sent down to their respective CHL teams.
The most notable player going down is the 18 year old forward Connor Clattenburg, who really made a name for himself in rookie camp. Clattenburg was drafted by the Oilers in the fifth round of last year's draft, and analysts thought the pick to be controversial at the time. However, he made a real impression with his physicality on Coach Knoblauch - which is definitely a good sign for the future.
Goaltender Nathaniel Day also had a a standout performance in rookie camp. Day was drafted in the 6th round by the Edmonton Oilers in 2023, and has spent the last three years with the OHL's Flint Firebirds. William Nicholl, another late round recent pick of the Oilers, impressed some fans with his play in the rookie tournament.
The most recent first round draft pick Sam O'Reilly has survived the current wave of cuts, which is a testament to the strength of his play in the rookie tournament and preseason. It's likely he gets one more game tomorrow night before being re-assigned to the London Knights with teammate William Nicholl.
It's great to see some long shot draft picks showed some good signs at training camp, and hopefully now that can continue to develop with their respective junior teams this season. Now, the Oilers training camp roster will begin to be more comprised of players who have already turned pro, or have a real chance to this season. A few interesting Oilers prospects left on the roster include Max Wanner, Matvey Petrov, James Stefan. Then, there's real candidates to make the NHL squad - Matt Savoie, Noah Philp, James Hamblin, and more.
The Oilers will play their next preseason game tomorrow night on the road against the Winnipeg Jets, and they're expected to make more roster cuts after that game. The regular season opener at home on October 9th is fast approaching, and now it's crunch time to dial in the starting lineup.
| POLL | ||
Do you think any of these players cut today could be NHLers? | ||
| Yes, they could be | 30 | 44.1 % |
| No, definitely not | 8 | 11.8 % |
| Too early to tell | 30 | 44.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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