The Long Road

 After a much needed holiday, I am back in the saddle! Lots happened when I was gone; the announcement of Phase Two of the Western Canadian Development Model, the AJHL schedule being released and a number of Oil Barons' prospects signing their Letters Of Intent. We'll touch on all these topics over the next couple of weeks, but first let's take a look at the Oil Barons schedule.


Preseason
Tue. September 2nd - vs Bonnyville in Lac La Biche
Thu. September 4th - @ Olds
Fri. September 5th - @ Devon
Sat. September 6th - @ Devon
Fri. September 12th - vs Grande Prairie in Slave Lake
Sat. September 13th - vs Grande Prairie in Slave Lake

The preseason comes fast and furious at the Oil Barons. Starting with four games in five days, several players battling for roster spots should get a good look to keep everyone fresh. What's frustrating is that Fort McMurray has zero games at Centerfire Place. I know it's difficult to bring an opponent to the isolated community in northeastern Alberta, but this means that there is no opportunity for the production crew to test their equipment at Centerfire Place, adds additional costs to a team that already has one of the biggest operation budgets in the league, and potentially puts some fatigue into the team to start the season. From a broadcaster perspective, I'm just praying the neutral site games in Lac La Biche and Slave Lake have decent internet to set up a broadcast.

September 
Fri. September 19th - @ Lloydminster
Sat. September 20th - @ Lloydminster
Fri. September 26th - @ Devon
Sat. September 27th - @ Whitecourt

Four games on the road to start the regular season for the Oil Barons and the first one will be a little bit of history. Fort McMurray will play in the first regular season at the brand new Cenovus Energy Hub in Lloydminster. The Bobcats new home promises to have all the modern amenities and I for one am excited to see it. The other game of note on this road trip is September 27th. It will be the MOB's first visit to Whitecourt since falling in overtime in game 5 of last year's playoffs, ending the Barons season. How much motivation will the returning players have based on that memory?

October
Thu. October 2nd - vs Drumheller
Fri. October 3rd - vs Drumheller
Sat. October 11th - vs Calgary
Sun. October 12th - vs Calgary
Fri. October 17th - vs Grande Prairie
Sat. October 18th - vs Grande Prairie
Sun. October 19th - vs Grande Prairie
Fri. October 31st - vs Whitecourt

Nothing but home cooking in October! Potentially. The Oil Barons will be the final team in the AJHL to host their home opener. But could it be on a worse day? The ideal situation would be to schedule it on a Friday and see the fans flood Centerfire Place. Hopefully they still do that for this "new era" team. Other than that, it could potentially be a gauntlet for the MOB. The defending national champions will make their visit to Centerfire Place, but how will the Canucks look after losing so many pieces from last year. Grande Prairie gets all of their games in Fort McMurray done in one go, something the Barons will also do in January. Then a Halloween showdown with Whitecourt. If the right promotion is done, that could be one of the largest attendances of the season. The only thing that may break up the nine game home stand is the AJHL showcase. The yearly showcase has yet to be announced, but it's a good bet it will be held between the Oil Barons games against GP and Whitecourt.

November
Sat. November 1st - vs Whitecourt
Tue. November 4th - @ Drumheller
Wed. November 5th - @ Olds
Fri. November 7th - @ Canmore
Sat. November 8th - @ Calgary
Sat. November 15th - vs Drayton Valley
Sun. November 16th - vs Drayton Valley
Fri. November 21st - @ Devon
Sat. November 22nd - @ Devon
Tue. November 25th - vs Lloydminster
Wed. November 26th - vs Lloydminster
Fri. November 28th - vs Devon

A jam packed month for the Oil Barons! November sees the MOB wrap up their nine game home stand with a Saturday showdown against Whitecourt before they embark on what is one of my favorite road trips of the year. The first of two southern road swings takes place early in November. Usually Fort McMurray starts with Canmore and Calgary, this trip they are doing the opposite. It will be an excellent opportunity for the team to get to know each other better. Then the games come in waves. A home series against Drayton Valley, then five games in eight days. The plus of that final stretch is that the majority of those games will be at Centerfire Place, reducing travel. Three games against Devon during that final stretch is intriguing. We could see a lot of bad blood between the two teams.

December
Wed. December 10th - @ Bonnyville
Fri. December 12th - vs Camrose
Sat. December 13th - vs Camrose
Tue. December 16th - @ Calgary
Wed. December 17th - @ Canmore
Fri. December 19th - @ Drumheller
Sat. December 20th - @ Olds

While Christmas bells will be ringing, the Barons will be looking to stay focused with a road heavy month of December. There is a sizable gap between their last game of November and first game of December, which could be another timeline for the AJHL Showcase. What is interesting is the Barons playing their second and final southern road trip right before the Christmas break. Traditionally the MOB plays on the road to allow easy access to major airports for their players to head home. In my first two years, they've wrapped up near Edmonton, this season, it's in between Calgary and Edmonton. With the four games in five nights, it will be interesting to see if the team leaves everything on the line before the players leave for a two week break.

January
Sat. January 3rd - vs Devon
Sun. January 4th - vs Devon
Thu. January 8th - @ Grande Prairie
Sat. January 10th - @ Grande Prairie
Sun. January 11th - @ Grande Prairie
Fri. January 16th - vs Olds
Sat. January 17th - vs Olds
Mon. January 19th - vs Whitecourt
Sat. January 24th - @ Whitecourt
Sun. January 25th - @ Whitecourt
Fri. January 30th - @ Lloydminster

Once again, the Oil Barons will open the post-Christmas portion of their schedule at Centerfire Place. The last time Fort McMurray started on the road was the 2017/18 season. Circle the calendar. Fort McMurray will get all of their games in Grande Prairie out of the way in one go with three games in four days. There will also be three straight meetings against Whitecourt. The Oil Barons had that happen last season, where things got testy towards the end. January promises to be rivalry month and with the playoff picture beginning to take shape, every game should be intense. Intense equals must watch hockey.

February
Wed. February 4th - vs Bonnyville
Sat. February 7th - vs Canmore
Sun. February 8th - vs Canmore
Fri. February 13th - @ Drayton Valley
Sat. February 14th - @ Camrose
Wed. February 18th - @ Bonnyville
Sat. February 28th - @ Bonnyville

February is a light schedule for the Oil Barons, however, most of it will be on the road. After the three games at Centerfire Place, the Barons will open up a stretch of six games in seven on the road. Strange things always seem to happen at the Drayton Valley Omniplex, the MOB had two dramatic come from behind wins last year in Camrose, then a natural rivalry against Bonnyville. The ten day break could be beneficial for Fort McMurray in February.

March
Sun. March 1st - vs Bonnyville
Fri. March 6th - @ Drayton Valley
Sat. March 7th - @ Camrose
Wed. March 11th - vs Bonnyville
Sat. March 14th - vs Lloydminster

The month of March sees the Oil Barons wrap up a home and home series against the Pontiacs. With it being close to the postseason, fans should be arriving at Centerfire Place in droves, especially with division rivals in the building. Fort McMurray will want a playoff spot locked down by the time they reach March, but if they haven't, all five games will be massive, must-see hockey.

What About The Showcase?
One big question mark on the season is the AJHL Showcase. The league said that every team will play a 54 game season and every game has been announced. The league also said they will be announcing a new format with their partners for the showcase. So, what could this look like? Could the league be bringing back an all-star format similar to the BCHL? Could they be creating a collaboration with the SJHL and MJHL? What we do know is that it will be unique from what we've seen in previous seasons and it will be announced later in the off-season 

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