Oilers Rookie Camp Puts The Next Wave Under An Early Spotlight

As the Edmonton Oilers unveil their rookie camp roster, anticipation builds for the clashes ahead and the fresh talent set to skate against the Calgary Flames.

The Edmonton Oilers have set their rookie camp roster, with 27 players due at the team’s facilities on Friday.

The group will go through medicals and then hit the ice for its first practice at Downtown Community Arena, according to a team statement released Thursday. Friday afternoon’s session is the first of three practices scheduled for the camp, which will be run by the Bakersfield Condors coaching staff.

The most recognizable names on the roster are forwards Isaac Howard, Josh Samanski and Quinn Hutson. Howard, Samanski and Hutson are among the players who signed out of college or Europe and will be in camp, along with Viljami Marjala, Owen Michaels, Damien Carfagna and Tomas Cibulka.

There is also one rookie game on the calendar: Monday, Sept. 14 against the Calgary Flames.

A long list of Oilers draft picks will be in attendance as well, including Rudolfs Berzkalns, Connor Clattenburg, Caden Harvey, David Lewandowski, William Nicholl, Beau Akey, Andrew Robinson, Ryan Cameron, Nathaniel Day, Samuel Jonsson and Eemil Vinni.

The club also brought in five invitees for camp. Up front, those players are 18-year-old Kitchner Rangers centre Weston Cameron, 18-year-old Edmonton Oil Kings winger Olli Wahlroos and 25-year-old winger Simon Tassy, who signed with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. On defence, the invitees are 18-year-old Lethbridge Hurricanes defenceman Kyle Heger and 24-year-old Zach Bookman, who played last season at Western Michigan University and signed with the Condors.

Here is the full roster the Oilers announced for rookie camp: Rudolfs Berzkalns, Weston Cameron, Connor Clattenburg, Caden Harvey, Isaac Howard, Quinn Hutson, David Lewandowski, Viljami Marjala, Owen Michaels, William Nicholl, Rhett Pitlick, Josh Samanski, Simon Tassy, Olli Wahlroos, Beau Akey, Zach Bookman, Damien Carfagna, Tomas Cibulka, Kyle Heger, Andrew Robinson, Samuel Sjölund, Ryan Cameron, Nathaniel Day, Samuel Jonsson and Eemil Vinni.

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