Sports stats

WHL Edmonton Oil Kings

Edmonton Oil Kings Make King Size News

June 22, 2007 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Edmonton Oil Kings News Release


The Edmonton Oil Kings today made three significant announcements in preparation for their inaugural season of play at Rexall Place.

General Manager Bob Green introduced Steve Pleau as the Oil Kings Head Coach. Pleau was the Assistant Coach of the Spokane Chiefs (WHL) last season, and helped the team advance to the playoffs for the first time in three years with a record of 36-28-4-4. Prior to that, Pleau spent eight years working for the St. Louis Blues organization, most recently as Head Coach of the AHL's Peoria Rivermen (46-26-3-5), and Assistant Coach with the Worchester IceCats.

"I'm very excited to have the opportunity to come to Edmonton and coach the Oil Kings," said Steve Pleau. "This is a great opportunity for my family and I to join a quality organization, and work with a very well respected hockey person like Bob Green. I believe that we have the opportunity to build a very successful program that in the future can compete for league championships and Memorial Cups. I look forward to getting settled in Edmonton and begin preparing for training camp."

The Oil Kings also announced today that a radio rights agreement with Standard Radio has been reached that will see all 72 regular season games plus playoffs of their inaugural Western Hockey League season broadcast on the TEAM 1260.

"It's great to see the return of junior hockey to Edmonton, and we're absolutely thrilled to be partnering up with the Oil Kings. The raw energy of the young talent on the ice, combined with the enthusiasm of our three stations, should be a winning combination," said Marty Forbes, Vice President & General Manager of Standard Radio Edmonton. "Over the past five years we've tried very hard to develop a style and attitude on the TEAM 1260 and we fully expect to carry that blend over to our Oil King radio broadcasts".

The Oil Kings then concluded by announcing tentative details of their 2007-2008 Western Hockey League Schedule. The Oil Kings will open the Western Hockey League season when they host the Kootenay Ice at Rexall Place on Thursday, September 20. The home opener is just one of the 36 'wild rides' that the Oil Kings will take hockey fans on during their inaugural season. During the regular season, the Oil Kings will play four home games against the Red Deer Rebels, Calgary Hitmen, Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes. The first visit of the Calgary Hitmen will take place on Friday, October 19th, when the WHL's version of the Battle of Alberta kicks off. As well, the Oil Kings will host a number of teams from the U.S. Division this season, including the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs, Portland Winter Hawks, and the Tri-City Americans. Also announced was the Oil Kings home pre-season schedule, which features a six team pre-season tournament between September 1-3, 2007. The Oil Kings will host the Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Prince George Cougars, Regina Pats, and Swift Current Broncos at Servus Credit Union Place in St. Albert. As well, the Oil Kings will play the Red Deer Rebels on Tuesday, September 11th, in a pre-season game at the Black Gold Centre in Leduc. A complete Oil Kings tentative 2007-2008 WHL Schedule can be viewed by visiting www.oilkings.ca .

Check out the Edmonton Oil Kings Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from June 22, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Edmonton Oil Kings Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central