https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/tag/commitment/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:59:32 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/six-oil-kings-listed-in-nhl-central-scoutings-final-rankings Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:26:36 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/six-oil-kings-listed-in-nhl-central-scoutings-final-rankings Edmonton, Alta. - Six Edmonton Oil Kings have been named in NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings ahead of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Five skaters make the list for North American Skaters with Ethan MacKenzie (62nd), Dylan Dean (88th), Noa Ta'amu (109th), Andrew O'Neill (150th), and Lukas Sawchyn (151st) all seeing their names on the list. On the goaltending side, Parker Snell is ranked 19th among North American Goalies. MacKenzie slides up 12 spots from his mid-term ranking after a career year with the Oil Kings. MacKenzie played 59 games, scoring 22 goals and added 36 assists for 58 points. He is just the second Oil Kings defender to reach 20 goals in a season, and also just the second to reach 10 powerplay goals in a season as well. The Peachland, B.C. product also represented Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Minnesota this year, scoring five points in seven games, helping Canada win bronze at the event. In the playoffs, MacKenzie had three points in seven games for the Oil Kings. Dean, a rookie with the Oil Kings this year jumps up eight spots from his mid-term ranking. The Maple Grove, MN, U.S.A, product played in 52 games this season, scoring 15 goals and adding 14 assists for 29 points. He was also a +21 on the season and added three points in seven playoff games. Ta'amu, just finishing his second season with the Oil Kings, nearly doubled every offensive category from his rookie season. The San Diego, CA, U.S.A product played 62 games, scoring three goals and adding 12 assists. He also earned 81 penalty minutes, and was a +29. In the playoffs, Ta'amu scored one goals in seven games. O'Neill, in his first season in Edmonton did it all for the Oil Kings. The product of Fargo, N.D., U.S.A, scored 20 goals and added 23 assists for 43 points. Four of his goals came on the powerplay, and two were shorthanded. He also had four game winning goals. O'Neill was also one of the most reliable Oil Kings in the faceoff circle this season leading the team in attempts with 1077 and winning 51.7% of his draws. MacKenzie, Dean, Ta'amu, and O'Neill also all represented Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game in Langley in February. Sawchyn jumps up 17 spots from his mid-term ranking after his career year with the Oil Kings. The 2007-born forward scored 27 goals and added 61 assists for 88 points on the season along with a +34 rating. Sawchyn ranked third in the WHL in assists, and tied for seventh in points. His 61 assists are the third-most in a single season in Oil Kings history, and his 88 points are seventh most in team history. He also had six game winning goals which were second-most on the team this year. In the playoffs, Sawchyn had seven points in seven games. Meanwhile, Snell jumps up two spots from his mid-term ranking after a rookie season that added him to the Oil Kings record books. Snell was 21-9-1-0 on the season with a 2.74 goals-against-average, and a .895 save percentage. He also earned three shutouts and became just the fourth Oil Kings netminder to earn back-to-back shutouts back on February 27 and 28. His 21 wins also tied Sebastian Cossa for the most wins in a single season by a rookie netminder for the Oil Kings. Snell continued his stellar play into the playoffs where he was 2-1-1 with a 2.22 goals-against-average, and a .924 save percentage. The 2026 NHL Entry Draft goes on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, NY, U.S.A.]]> https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-graduate-zemlak-commits-to-ferris-state-university-for-26-27-season Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:36:20 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-graduate-zemlak-commits-to-ferris-state-university-for-26-27-season Edmonton, Alta. - An Edmonton Oil Kings graduate will be headed back to the NCAA next season. Defenceman Austin Zemlak has committed to Ferris State University for the 2026/2027 season. "I am excited to continue my education and hockey career at Ferris State University next season," Zemlak said. "I would like to thank the Edmonton Oil Kings for a memorable second half and end to my junior career. Playing at home to end my junior career was a pleasure and I think the Oil Kings are a world class organization." The Fort McMurray, Alta. product joined the Oil Kings this year after beginning the season with Arizona State University. Edmonton acquired Zemlak from the Tri-City Americans where he spent the previous season. With the Oil Kings, Zemlak played in 31 games, scoring twice and adding seven assists while also earning a +10 rating. In the playoffs, Zemlak had one assist in seven games as was a +1. Prior to his time in Edmonton, Zemlak played one season with the Americans earning 25 points in 60 games. He also played parts of four seasons with the Victoria Royals where he played 147 games, tallying 33 points. Combined through his WHL career, Zemlak scored 67 points in 234 games, along with one assist in 12 playoff games. Victoria had made him the ninth-overall selection in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft. The Ferris State Bulldogs played out of Big Rapids Michigan in CCHA in NCAA Division I.]]> https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-season-comes-to-end-in-game-7-overtime-against-blades Tue, 07 Apr 2026 04:44:14 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-season-comes-to-end-in-game-7-overtime-against-blades Edmonton, Alta. - The Edmonton Oil Kings season came to an end on Monday night after a game seven, 3-2 overtime loss to the Saskatoon Blades. It was a game that went saw back and forth action from the beginning of the game as each team felt the energy of game seven. Neither team was able to score in the first frame but both teams had their chances. Saskatoon opened the scoring with a goal from David Lewandowski on the powerplay almost seven minutes into the second. But in a series that responses on both sides throughout, the Oil Kings answered just two minutes later off the stick of Aaron Obobaifo on an Oil Kings powerplay to tie the game 1-1 after 40 minutes of hockey. An exciting third period saw chances on both ends and the Oil Kings would take a brief lead off the stick of their Captain Gavin Hodnett to give Edmonton the 2-1 lead with just over five minutes to play. However, less than a minute later, Cooper Williams scored for the Blades to lock the game back up 2-2, leading to the third overtime of the series. In the overtime, Edmonton was unable to capitalize on a powerplay before the Blades got a powerplay of their own. On this one they would capitalize as Rowan Calvert tipped home a point shot to win it in game seven for the Blades. Edmonton was 1-for-4 on the powerplay and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill. Parker Snell made 29 saves in the game.]]> https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/holinka-named-whl-player-of-the-week Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:00:42 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/holinka-named-whl-player-of-the-week Edmonton, Alta. - A terrific week for Edmonton Oil Kings forward Miroslav Holinka has led him to be named by the Western Hockey League as the Player of the Week this week. Holinka led all WHL skaters in points over the last seven days with six goals and two assists for eight points in four games. No other WHL player had more than four goals in that stretch, and nobody had more than six points. The 20-year-old out of Zlin, Czechia has been on a tear the last four games, scoring at least one goal in each of them, highlighted by his hat-trick on April 1 in Saskatoon to help the Oil Kings tie the series at 2-2. If that wasn't enough, the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect had the double-overtime winner on April 5 as the Oil Kings won game 6 by a 3-2 score after 94:05 of hockey, making it the longest WHL Playoff game in Oil Kings history. Through the last five games in this series, Holinka has points in each one, and has four multi-point games. He is tied for the WHL lead in points during the playoffs with 11 points in six games.  ]]> https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-and-blades-play-in-decisive-game-seven-in-edmonton Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:00:44 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-and-blades-play-in-decisive-game-seven-in-edmonton Game Notes Edmonton, Alta. - It's winner-take-all territory now as the Edmonton Oil Kings and Saskatoon Blades battle in a decisive game seven at Rogers Place tonight. The Oil Kings forced the game seven after the longest game in Oil Kings WHL Playoff history, a 3-2 double overtime win yesterday in Saskatoon. Miroslav Holinka scored the game winner on a powerplay 94:05 into the hockey game. Holinka also had an assist in the game and now has seven goals in the last five games of the series. Parker Snell also returned to the lineup and stopped 37 shots in his first appearance since game two. Game seven is not something new to either of these clubs however with a smattering of game seven experience on both sides. For Edmonton, 14 players from last season's playoff roster are back this season, with 10 of those players having played in that game seven, including netminder Ethan Simcoe. Assistant Coaches Devan Praught and Kyle Chipchura were on the bench for last season's game seven as well. Chipchura and Praught both played in Game 7’s in their Junior Careers, Chipchura with the Prince Albert Raiders in 2005, and Praught with the Summerside Western Capitals in the MJAHL in 2007. Oil Kings Head Coach Jason Smith played in two game 7’s in his NHL career, going 1-1 in those games. As a coach, this will be Smith’s first game seven. Oil Kings Defenceman Carter Sotheran has played in two game 7’s in his career as well, winning both and compiling 2 assists and a +4 rating with the Portland Winterhawks. Meanwhile, on the Saskatoon side, Head Coach Dan DaSilva has been on the bench for the most recent three game 7’s in Blades history in an Assistant/Associate Coach capacity alongside Assistant Coach Jerome Engele. Meanwhile, Rowan Calvert, and Tyler Parr played in the 2024 Game 7 against Moose Jaw as did Evan Gardner stopping 22/25 shots. Elsewhere, as a player, DaSilva played in two while with the Portland Winterhawks in 2004 and 2005. Blades Defenceman Tristen Doyle was in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final last season with Lethbridge. To this point, the series has seen a lot of back-and-forth and not many trends to follow. The team that scores first is 4-2 in the series, and neither team has been able to win back-to-back games yet in the series. All-time, the Oil Kings are 3-1 in game seven's while the Blades are 3-9. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at Rogers Place.]]> https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/holinkas-double-overtime-winner-sends-oil-kings-to-game-seven Mon, 06 Apr 2026 01:17:57 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/holinkas-double-overtime-winner-sends-oil-kings-to-game-seven Saskatoon, Sask. - It was the longest Edmonton Oil Kings WHL Playoff game in franchise history, but the Oil Kings forced game seven with a 3-2 double overtime win over the Saskatoon Blades in game six of their first round series. For the third consecutive game, the Oil Kings opened the scoring after the Blades did in the first three games of the series. This one came from Aaron Obobaifo in his return to the lineup after missing three games. That came 7:28 into the period, which was then followed about nine minutes later with a goal from Dylan Dean on an Edmonton powerplay to make it 2-0 Oil Kings. However, 18 seconds later, Brayden Klimpke scored for the Blades to bring the game back to within a goal. No goals in the second period led to an exciting third period with Edmonton holding a one goal lead. The Oil Kings came out flying in the third with a few fantastic chances, outshooting the Blades 10-3 in the period, but with seven seconds left and the Blades net empty, Cooper Williams scored for Saskatoon to tied the game, forcing overtime for the second time this series. Nothing got decided in the first overtime, leading to just the second double overtime game in Oil Kings WHL Playoff history. This game needed a total of 94:05 to finish as the Oil Kings longest WHL Playoff Game in franchise history and it came off an Oil Kings powerplay. Carter Sotheran found Miroslav Holinka on a cross ice pass for a one-timer to win the game for the Oil Kings 3-2 and force game seven. Parker Snell made 37 saves in the game, including 21 over the two overtime periods. The Oil Kings powerplay was 2-for-2 and the penalty kill was 1-for-1. Game seven will take place on Monday at 7 p.m. in Edmonton.]]> https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-down-to-final-strike-against-blades-in-game-6 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 14:00:13 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-down-to-final-strike-against-blades-in-game-6 Saskatoon, Sask. - The Edmonton Oil Kings are in must-win territory as they approach game six tonight against the Saskatoon Blades at the SaskTel Centre. The Oil Kings are coming off a 4-2 loss at home in game five of the series on Friday and will look to flip the script tonight in Saskatoon. On the Oil Kings side though is the fact that neither team has won back-to-back games in this series, the clubs have switched wins and losses through the first five games. Plus, Edmonton has already shown an ability to win in Saskatoon, doing so 5-2 in game four of the series. Miroslav Holinka and Lukas Sawchyn, as well as Kayden Stroeder continue to produce offensively for the Oil Kings. Holinka had two points in game five and has goals in four straight, and nine points in those four games. Sawchyn is also on a four-game point streak and has six points in that stretch after being held pointless in game one. Meanwhile, Stroeder, the Oil Kings lone 16-year-old full-time player this season, scored in game five, and has five points in the series. Goaltending for both clubs has been excellent as well, even with both teams scoring 16 goals through five games. Ethan Simcoe has started the last three games and has a .913 save percentage, while Parker Snell started the first two games, and sports a .919 save percentage. Saskatoon's Evan Gardner has a .907 save percentage and has played every minute for the Blades. Edmonton is 2-5-2 all-time in game six's and if they were to force a game seven, it would be a quick turnaround as the two clubs would faceoff in Edmonton on Sunday at 7 p.m.]]> https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-fall-to-blades-in-game-five Sat, 04 Apr 2026 03:44:04 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-fall-to-blades-in-game-five Edmonton, Alta. - The Edmonton Oil Kings are down to their final strike after a 4-2 loss to the Saskatoon Blades on Friday night at Rogers Place. It was another back-and-forth game in what's a back-and-forth series as Edmonton opened the scoring for the second consecutive games. This time, it was Miroslav Holinka who fired one home on a partial break to make it 1-0. However, Saskatoon scored twice in short order to make it 2-1 as Zach Olsen's first of the playoffs with under two minutes to play in the first, and then Hunter Laing almost two minutes into the second period. The Oil Kings responded 90 seconds later from Kayden Stroeder to tie the game once again. But with just under 10 minutes to play in second, Hayden Harsanyi gave the Blades the 3-2 lead, a lead they would hold on to for the remainder of the game. Edmonton would push late in the contest, but could not get the equalizer as Tyler Parr notched an empty net marker with 10 seconds to go in the game. The Oil Kings powerplay was 0-for-3 in the game and the penalty kill was 2-for-2. Ethan Simcoe made 34 saves in the game for the Oil Kings, a new playoff career-high. Game six of the series goes at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Saskatoon.]]> https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-and-blades-now-involved-in-best-of-three-series Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:25:38 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/oil-kings-and-blades-now-involved-in-best-of-three-series Game Notes Edmonton, Alta. - It's been a series with not much separation as the Edmonton Oil Kings and Saskatoon Blades are now in a best-of-three to punch their ticket to the second round of the playoffs. With the series now tied 2-2, the series shifts back to Edmonton tonight for game five after the Oil Kings earned a split in Saskatoon thanks to a 5-2 win in game four. That game was the first to not be decided by a single goal. Miroslav Holinka's hat-trick, just the second in Oil Kings playoff history, was the highlight of the game as there were a number of firsts in the game. It was the first time Edmonton had led after one period, and the first time the Oil Kings had scored in the first period. Edmonton was able to hold onto their lead in the game backed by Ethan Simcoe making 31 saves for a playoff career high. Holinka and his linemate Lukas Sawchyn will look to stay hot in game five. After being held pointless in the first game, the two have notched points in each of the last three games, combining for 12 points. Meanwhile, Captain Gavin Hodnett's return seemed to add some energy to the lineup after he missed six games dating back to the final week of the regular season. He had an assist in game four. The Oil Kings will look to hold down home ice in tonight's game five after splitting games one and two in Edmonton on March 27 and 29. All-time, the Oil Kings are 10-4-1 in game five's.]]> https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/holinkas-hat-trick-helps-oil-kings-tie-series-with-blades Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:15:34 +0000 mbarrett https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/article/holinkas-hat-trick-helps-oil-kings-tie-series-with-blades Saskatoon, Sask. – The Edmonton Oil Kings are now deadlocked at 2-2 in their best of seven series with the Saskatoon Blades after a 5-2 win in Saskatoon on Wednesday night. It was a first period of first for the Oil Kings in the hockey game, as Miroslav Holinka scored for Edmonton just over seven minutes in to make it 1-0 as the Oil Kings opened the scoring for the first time in the series. Saskatoon would respond though with a Kazden Mathies goal at the 14:21 mark of the period. However, a late powerplay gave the Oil Kings a chance to get the lead back, which they did as Holinka sliced his way through the Blades penalty kill for his second of the period and first multi-goal game of his WHL Playoff career. The game marked the first time in the series the Oil Kings led after one frame, and the first time they’ve scored in the first period through four games in this series. In the second, Lukas Sawchyn gave the Oil Kings the 3-1 lead almost five minutes into the period before Saskatoon got another one back to make it 3-2 off the stick of Hunter Laing. Then with 22 seconds to go in the period, Miroslav Holinka pounced on a rebound off a Gavin Hodnett shot to score his third goal of the game for just the second playoff hat-trick in Oil Kings history. The Oil Kings held on in the third, blocking numerous shots and killing off a four-minute penalty as well. Adam Jecho chucked one into the empty net with two seconds to go to seal the deal and tie the series at two games apiece. Ethan Simcoe made 31 saves for a new playoff career high. Lukas Sawchyn had two assists along with his goal for another three-point night for the Oil Kings. The powerplay was 1-for-2 and the penalty kill was 3-for-3. Game five of this series will go in Edmonton on Friday at 6 p.m.]]>