The Week That Was - December 15th

 It's hard to believe, but it's the final week before the Christmas break and it's a busy final stretch for the Oil Barons. December has been a successful month so far for the MOB, but they will really have to push hard to find victories over this final week. 

Man, Fort McMurray has had to scrap out some results. They put up wins against Bonnyville, who were on a six game point streak at the time. They defeated number one Whitecourt and beat the current top team in the South Division, Camrose. However, all four games this month were tight, including two that went to overtime or a shootout. What this tells me is that Fort McMurray is a team who can ill afford to take shifts off, otherwise it could haunt them. The Oil Barons are a team that needs to put forward their best effort every night, or they run into trouble, like their 7-2 loss to Devon on November 28th. It has led to some entertaining hockey, the question now is, can they keep it up.

Looking at that observation about the Oil Barons, it leads to this next one. I don't believe there is a truly elite team in the AJHL this season. Last year you could call Grande Prairie, Whitecourt and Calgary elite teams. Before the defections it was Brooks, Spruce Grove, Okotoks and Sherwood Park. Teams that you look at and say "oh, they are going to win, no brainer". This season I don't see that, even with Whitecourt. The parity is so big this year, there are no guaranteed victories. Look at Olds vs Whitecourt this season as an example. Should be an easy win for the Wolverines. In the three games, Whitecourt needed a third period push to win 4-1, a come from behind overtime win, and the Grizzlys beat the Wolverines 3-1. Fort McMurray has beaten the "top teams" in the league and lost to the bottom three teams in the standings. With every playoff race being super tight, you truly cannot easily pick who will win in this league, and that makes the games so exciting to watch.

It has been fun watching some of the individual success from the Oil Barons this season. Ryan Arnold's 16 game point streak at times has felt like a game in itself. I want to see how much it grows, fans want to see how much it grows. It has been truly remarkable! What makes it even more impressive, the Oil Barons haven't had a point streak this long during the internet era of tracking stats (dating back to the 2006/07 season!). With all those successful seasons, no Oil Baron has gone longer than 13 games. Wow! Another fun part of this point streak is the milestone that was picked up along the way by Arnold, and that was getting his 150th career point on Saturday. 

Speaking of milestones, Justin Dumais is closing on 100 points in his career. The Montreal native is having a career year, with his 40 points the 3rd most in the AJHL. Dumais is arguably the MOB's most explosive player, and I can tell you right now that the coaches were thrilled he wasn't selected for the Junior A World Challenge. What is even more impressive is the fact Dumais has been producing in all situations. His 15 power-play points is 5th in the league, he has the most shorthanded points, the second most assists. The line of Dumais, Arnold and Good has been one of the most lethal in the AJHL and it shows on paper.

Around The League:

The Grande Prairie Storm continues to build momentum. Talking with coaches around the league, the Storm are becoming the team they expected. One of the AJHL's best. An excellent tandem in net with Gill and Perry, a balanced attack that comes at you in waves, and a defence with snarl. This is a fairly complete team. The addition of Braeden Veldhuizen is terrific. If you asked me to take the Grande Prairie Storm and put it into one player, Veldhuizen is that guy. My only question is if he can stay healthy. The return of Matthew Gillard on defence is massive too. That team isn't the same without the presence of Gillard. Watch out Whitecourt, this red hot Grande Prairie is coming for you.

The return of hockey to St Albert for a night was a resounding success! Saturday saw the Devon Xtreme beat the Canmore Eagles 4-2 in front of 1,167 fans. Now, I am not saying that the league should try St Albert for a third time, but that is a terrific turnout at the Performance Arena. Unlike most teams, I'm led to believe that number for attendance is accurate too. There are always questions swirling around whether the AJHL will expand or if current teams will relocate. After that night, some people have to wonder if St Albert is a viable AJHL city.

Speaking of Devon, where would they be without Lucas Knorr? That kid has been on fire! Riding a seven game point streak, where he has 16 points in that span, Knorr has rifled up the scoring leaders charts. What's even more impressive is that this past week he has been doing it without his partner in crime in Ben Deacon! Knorr is a big reason why the Xtreme have a new franchise record in wins and I have him in the league's elite players alongside Dumais, Jalen Bianchet and Maxwell Pendy.

Finally, Tucker Tullikopf might be having the quietest point streak in the league. The 2008-born forward is sometimes overlooked on Camrose because of the likes of Junshi Hideshima, Liam Payne and Bowen Grycan. But he is currently on an eight game point streak, the second longest active streak. What I see is a young player whose ceiling is through the roof. He is probably the best 2008-born player in the league. The question is, how long does he stay? With the Western Canadian Development Model, it isn't a stretch to see Tullikopf eventually join the Edmonton Oil Kings. Whether it's this season or next, it feels like the Olds product is a WHL player. Enjoy him while he's here Camrose fans, I know I've marveled at watching him over the last season and a bit.

Wrap Up:

It is a massive week for the MOB as they take on the gauntlet of a four game in a five night road trip. To me, they need three wins or points in all four games. With Grande Prairie having won seven in a row, the Oil Barons tied with the Bobcats who are getting everyone back from the JAWC, and only seven points separating them from last place Devon, Fort McMurray needs to get on a heater. The fun part is keeping the boys focused with the thoughts of going home in their heads. This will be the biggest test of the year for the coaches.

Oil Barons Games This Week:

Tuesday, December 16th @ Calgary 7pm
Wednesday, December 17th @ Canmore 7pm
Friday, December 19th @ Drumheller 7pm
Saturday, December 20th @ Olds 6pm

All games can be found on the MOB Radio Network.



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