Photo by: Andy Devlin
November 5th, 2023
Rogers Place/Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
The Edmonton Oil Kings hosted the Medicine Hat Tigers in their second match-up of the season. Shots may have indicated a close game; however, the Tigers dominated the game, with most of the play staying in the Oil Kings’ end.
Edmonton – Ethan Mackenzie (LHD)
September 2, 2006 (2024 NHL Draft Eligble)
MacKenzie was by far the most noticeable Oil King tonight, demonstrating his skating ability, passing and defensive capabilities. He played with composure, consistently making the right reads. MacKenzie showed off his skating ability and edge work, along with his ability to make quick direction changes. I really liked his passing ability tonight, making the right passes breaking into and out of the zone. He got the puck on his teammate’s sticks, creating very good scoring chances. He does still need to work on his puck control, as was evident in his giveaway, which led to the fifth goal.
Medicine Hat – Andrew Basha (LW)
November 8, 2005 (2024 NHL Draft Eligible)
Basha did not display any flashy play tonight but still showed his potential as a solid two-way player. Basha, along with linemates Cayden Lindstrom and Tyler MacKenzie, always seemed to be out there when the play was going in a positive direction for the Tigers. I noticed that, more often than not, they either spent the whole shift in the offensive zone or were getting in on the forecheck and making it tough for the Oil Kings to break out. Basha seemed to be the main driver of his line, getting into the dirty areas and digging pucks out along the boards. As the game progressed, it became evident that Basha was doing a lot of the little things around the ice that could be easily missed making life easier for his teammates. Basha also got two points on the night, both assists.
Edmonton – Adam Jecho (C)
March 24, 2006 (2024 NHL Draft Eligible)
Jecho was clearly showing signs of slowing down after a hot start to the season and that continued into tonight, with clear struggles showing up. My one concern with him entering this season has been if he can learn to use his 6’5″ frame to his advantage, and tonight, it was clear that his lack of ability to use his frame hindered his game. There were times his lack of explosivity in his first three steps was frustrating, particularly in his puck races. I also feel that Jecho relies too much on his shot, especially on the powerplay, where he would plant himself at the left faceoff dot and wait for a pass that never came. I want to see him move around more to find those openings rather than stay in one spot. One aspect of Jecho’s game that I feel is untaped is his creativity. There were times when I could see flashes of him getting the puck up ice and looking for an opportunity to make a play, which I want to see more of.
Medicine Hat – Cayden Lindstrom (C)
February 3, 2006 (2024 NHL Draft Eligible)
Lindstrom did not have the most explosive game tonight, but he still managed to get a goal and an assist. He showed off his hands as well as his playmaking ability. One thing I liked about Lindstrom’s game was his willingness to drive the net. He was also doing an excellent job of getting himself into positions to receive a pass. Defensively tonight, I noticed Lindstrom was doing a good job at his own blueline, chipping pucks past defenders as well as forcing them into making a mistake.
Quick Notes
Edmonton – Gavin Hodnett (LW)
April 9, 2006 (2024 NHL Draft Eligible)
The Tigers did an excellent job at shutting down Hodnett tonight, as he was unable to really get going. He was also easily knocked off the puck by the Tigers defenders.
Edmonton – Jager Gugyelka (LHD)
January 11, 2007 (2025 NHL Draft Eligible)
I thought Gugyelka made good of the shifts he was given. He made very few mistakes and looked composed with the puck. I’ll be interested to see if he gets any more playing time once players return from injury and the World U17’s.