WHL Edmonton Oil Kings

Crown Chronicles: Hitting Their Stride

February 14, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Edmonton Oil Kings News Release


The Edmonton Oil Kings are riding a four-game win streak and sitting atop the Eastern Conference as they enter their final 20 games of the season thanks victories in all three of their games last week.

The Oil Kings opened the week with a Tuesday morning triumph over the Regina Pats in a little Hockey Hooky action at Rogers Place before hitting the road for dates in Red Deer and Medicine Hat on the weekend where the team continued their winning ways over the Rebels and Tigers.

Sitting at 34-11-2-1 on the season, the Oil Kings maintain a six-point cushion atop the Eastern Conference over the Winnipeg ICE and now lead the Rebels by 10 points for top spot in the Central Division.

Highlight of the Week

Edmonton Oil Kings forward Justin Sourdif had a big night on Friday as he picked up two goals and an assist to help the Oil Kings skate past their Central Division rivals, the Red Deer Rebels. His first goal of the contest would hold up as the winner as he showed off some quick hands and an even quicker release.

Weekly Review

Oil Kings 6 vs Regina 3 (Tuesday)

After racing out to a 3-0 lead early in the second period, the Oil Kings fended off a third period comeback bid by the Pats as they would score three times in the third period to roll to victory. Six different Oil Kings found the back of the net in the win, while Jake Neighbours and Luke Prokop each factored in with a pair of assists.

FULL STORY

Oil Kings 4 @ Red Deer 0 (Friday)

In maybe the most complete game the Oil Kings have played all year, they walked into the Peavey Mart Centrium in Red Deer and blanked the Rebels behind a 21-save performance from Sebastian Cossa for his league-leading fifth shutout of the season. Justin Sourdif paced the offence with two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist.

FULL STORY

Oil Kings 5 @ Medicine Hat 3 (Saturday)

Once again, the Oil Kings depth was on display as five different skaters etched their name in the goal column on Saturday to help the team battle back from an early second period 3-1 deficit. Kolby Hay picked up his fourth win in his last four starts while Josh Williams tallied the game-winning goal in his 250th career WHL game.

FULL STORY

Three Stars of the Week

3. #6 Luke Prokop - The Nashville Predators prospect had a big week for the Oil Kings notching a goal and two assists. On two separate occasions he helped turn the tides of momentum in a game, first on Tuesday, just two minutes after the Pats had tied the score 3-3, he fired a shot towards the Regina net that Jakub Demek would tip home to restore the Oil Kings lead, and then on Saturday, he found the back of the net just 20 seconds after the Medicine Hat Tigers had gone up 3-1 over the Oil Kings, the goal would be the first of four unanswered for the Oil Kings on their way to victory. In 39 games with the Oil Kings, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenceman has scored nine goals, surpassing his career total as a member of the Calgary Hitmen where he had eight goals in 153 games. Over his last seven games, he has recorded seven points (1G, 6A). His 10 goals this season ranks eighth amongst all WHL defenceman.

2. #23 Jalen Luypen - The Chicago Blackhawks prospect recorded at least a point in all three Oil Kings games this past week, finishing with four points (1G, 3A). On Tuesday, he scored his 6th career shorthanded goal, tying the franchise record with T.J. Foster and Rhett Rachinski. He is currently riding a four-game point streak (2G, 4A) and now has eight points (4G, 4A) over his last seven games. The fourth year forward is currently enjoying yet another career year having put up 48 points (19G, 29A) in just 46 games.

1. #42 Justin Sourdif - The Florida Panthers prospect has shown an ability to score in bunches in his time with the Oil Kings. On Friday night in Red Deer, he recorded his second two-goal game as a member of the Oil Kings as he helped galvanize the team's offensive attack in their 4-0 win over their QEII rivals from Central Alberta. He finished the week with four points (2G, 2A) over his last two games. In 10 games since be acquired by the Oil Kings, he has put up 11 points (4G, 7A), two game winning goals and a +7 plus/minus rating.

Quick Hits

The Oil Kings are on a three-game road winning streak, matching their longest road winning streak of the season.

The Oil Kings have outshot their opponents in eight straight games, and by a significant margin; 316-147. They've held their opponents to below 20 shots in four of those eight games while having registered at least 35 shots of their own in seven of the eight games.

This past week, the Oil Kings penalty kill was nearly perfect killing off 14 of the 15 times the team was shorthanded. The PK unit actually outscored it's opposition PP units after tallying a pair of shorthanded goals. The Oil Kings currently ranked 2nd in the WHL in penalty kill percentage at 83.0% while also leading the league in shorthanded goals with 10.

Several Oil Kings have shot up the all-time ranks in the Oil Kings record book this season. Between the pipes, Sebastian Cossa has moved to 3rd all-time in wins (61), 2nd all-time in shutouts (13) and 5th all-time in saves (2071). Meanwhile, Jake Neighbours now sits 8th all-time in points (170) and 6th all-time in assists (114). Carter Souch ranks 10th all-time in points (166) and 6th all-time in assists (114). Josh Williams is 9th all-time in goals (70) while Dylan Guenther is 10th (69).

Next Up

The Oil Kings host a pair of East Division opponents this long weekend with the Saskatoon Blades coming to town on Saturday night for a 7:00 PM puck drop, while the East Division leading Winnipeg ICE make their final visit to the Alberta Capital on Family Day Monday for the Oil Kings Family Day Fireworks Frenzy slated for a 2:00 PM opening faceoff.

The Oil Kings are 2-1-1-0 against the Blades this season, and are 2-1-0-0 against the ICE.

Edmonton Oil Kings Season Seats, Flex-Packs, Weekend Passes and Single-Game tickets, for as low as $20 per game, are currently on sale at oilkings.ca.

The Oil Kings next home game is Tuesday, February 8 when they welcome the Regina Pats to Rogers Place at 11:00 AM for Hockey Hooky.

Check out the Edmonton Oil Kings Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from February 14, 2022


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