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Scout
08-24-2007, 07:15 AM
By Jesse Watts,
whl.ca
It’s been a long time coming.

Over 18 months after being announced as the WHL’s newest expansion franchise, the Edmonton Oil Kings are set to take to the ice for their first training camp.

“We’re pretty excited about it, and a bit relieved to finally get things going here,” said Oil Kings’ General Manager Bob Green. “It’s been a long time preparing for this, and to finally get some kids out on the ice, do some evaluating, and start putting together a team is going to be a lot of fun.”

Of course, it’s not like there has been a lot of sitting around and twiddling of thumbs since the WHL conditionally approved the granting of an expansion franchise to the city of Edmonton in March 2006 (they were officially awarded the expansion franchise in June 2006). Lots of hard work, planning and organizing has gone into getting WHL’s 22nd member Club ready for their first training camp.

The hiring of staff, choosing a Club name, and building a stable of players through the WHL Bantam Draft, Expansion Draft and Import Draft among many other tasks have kept the Oil Kings’ brass very busy.

Now, though, with WHL clubs opening rookie camps in preparation for the 2007-08 season, the Oil Kings organization can finally look forward to seeing the fruits of their labours culminate on the ice.

Green, who previously headed up the scouting department for the Medicine Hat Tigers, says although the process of building an expansion team was different that what he’d been through with already established Clubs, he’s happy with the group that the Oil Kings have managed to assemble.

“The expansion process was a good thing to go through because it helped us all learn things about the League that maybe we didn’t know,” said Green, who, along with Assistant G.M and Director of Player Personnel Randy Hansch, was responsible for putting together the team’s roster.

“It was a neat process (at the Expansion Draft) to sit and piece the bulk of the team together like a puzzle, and to do it over a six-hour period,” said Green. “We think it worked out pretty well for us.”

Being a first-year expansion team in the WHL doesn’t necessarily mean a guaranteed spot at the bottom of the standings. The WHL’s two most recent expansion teams – the Everett Silvertips (2003-04) and the Chilliwack Bruins (2006-07) – each made the post-season in their first campaigns. The Silvertips set the bar for expansion teams by winning their Division and battling their way to an appearance in the 2004 WHL Championship series.

Green is confident that the group he has helped assemble in Edmonton will be competitive in their first season of play.

“I think we’re pretty happy with what we’ve been able to put together through this expansion process,” he said. “Obviously, our group will lack the camaraderie and the togetherness that most teams have that have been together for a few years, but that’s something we’re really going to focus on. If our guys work hard on getting to know each other and each other’s tendencies, hopefully we can find ourselves ahead of schedule in terms of where we want to be.

“We were able to get a 20-year-old goaltender and some 20-year-old defensemen, which we thought will be a key for us early on in the season. Hopefully our young group of forwards can develop fairly early and start to be productive,” he said.

The city of Edmonton has a rich history of Junior hockey, beginning with the first edition of the Oil Kings, who were an original member Club during the WHL’s inaugural season in 1966-67, and WHL Champions in 1971 and ’72. The franchise, which actually dates back to 1950, won a pair of Memorial Cups in 1963 and ’66 prior to the WHL’s formation.

The city was also home to the Edmonton Ice from 1996 to 1998 before the franchise relocated to Cranbrook, becoming the Kootenay Ice.

The current edition of the Oil Kings, whose logo is the same one used by the original franchise in the 60’s, has Edmonton hockey fans excited and ready for a new chapter in the city’s junior hockey history books.

“It’s been really great,” said Green. “The media has been very involved in what we’re doing, following us from announcement to announcement.

“I think adopting the “Oil Kings” name has meant a lot to the people of Edmonton. It’s a big area now, the people here are hockey-crazy, and they watch a lot of hockey at different levels. The Junior level is something that has been missing for many years, and I think with the number of WHL players who have ties to the city, it will translate into full seats in the stands,” he said.
© Canadian Hockey League 2007