AHL Notebook: Oilers pipeline ripe with talent

Ken Hitchcock was named coach of the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 20 and will look to turn the team around, although some players he could be coaching in the near future are still developing.

Under the guidance of former Oilers assistant coach Jay Woodcroft who is in his first year as coach, Bakersfield is 9-7-0-0 and has tightened up defensively ranking seventh in the American Hockey League in shots against per game (28.0).
Here is a look at several Oilers prospects who could be ready to make an impact in the NHL.

Tyler Benson

Benson (6-foot, 190 pounds) had numerous injuries when he was with Vancouver of the Western Hockey League but was still able to put together a successful junior career.
The 20-year-old forward, had a sports-hernia that required surgery and limited him to 33 regular-season games as an 18-year-old in 2016-17. The Oilers selected him in the second round (No. 32) of the 2016 NHL Draft and he stayed healthy in his final WHL season and finished with 69 points (27 goals, 42 assists) in 58 games in 2017-18.
Benson has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 16 games with Bakersfield, tying him for fifth in AHL rookie scoring. He has a team-leading 45 shots on goal.

Cameron Hebig

Hebig (5-10, 184) missed the 2016-17 season with an upper-body injury and was undrafted. That led to the 21-year-old playing in the WHL last season as an over-age forward.
He had 58 points (30 goals, 28 assists) in 40 regular-season games with Saskatoon before he was traded to Regina and gavehad 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 26 games. Regina was eliminated in the first round of the WHL playoffs, but their season was extended as the Memorial Cup host team. Hebig finished the tournament with six points (four goals, two assists) in five games.
Hebig, who signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Oilers as a free agent Dec. 28, 2017, leads Bakersfield with 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 16 games, which is tied for fourth in AHL rookie scoring.

Cooper Marody

The Oilers acquired Marody from the Philadelphia Flyers on March 21, 2018 for a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft after Philadelphia selected him in the sixth round (No. 158) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Marody (6-0, 184) will turn 22 on Dec. 21, but already has played six games for the Oilers after coming out of the University of Michigan. His 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 40 games led the Big Ten in scoring and put him on the conference first all-star team. Like Benson and Hebig, Marody battled health concerns (mononucleosis) before turning pro.

The forward, who has been recalled by the Oilers several times this season, has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in eight AHL games. He has also found chemistry with Benson and Hebig; the three have played together on a line at times and combined for seven points (three goals, four assists) in a 5-4 overtime win at Iowa (Minnesota Wild) on Nov. 8.

Kailer Yamamoto

Yamamoto, who was selected in the first round (No. 22) of the 2017 NHL Draft, has five points (one goal, four points) in his first 21 NHL games, but Oilers management opted to send the 20-year-old forward to Bakersfield on Nov. 10th.
The move will give Yamamoto (5-8, 153) much-needed minutes and a chance to round out his two-way game. Through five AHL games, he has three points (one goal, two assists).
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Defenseman
Caleb Jones
(6-1, 194) leads Bakersfield defensemen in scoring with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 11 games in his second pro season. The Oilers drafted the 21-year-old in the fourth round (No. 117) of the 2015 draft.
Ethan Bear
(5-11, 197) played 18 regular-season games with the Oilers last season in his first pro season. The 21-year-old defenseman, who was a fifth-round pick (No. 124) in the 2015 draft, could be a permanent fixture in Edmonton before long.
Defenseman
William Lagesson
(6-2, 207) is in his first pro season in North America. Lagesson, who played last season with Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League, has previous North American experience that includes two seasons at the University of Massachusetts. The 22-year-old, who was selected in the fourth round (No. 91) of the 2014 NHL Draft, has seven points (two goals, five assists) in 15 AHL games this season.