Farm Workers

The Edmonton Oilers rebuild includes a complete overhaul of the minor league system. The Oilers have been spending time and money scouting colleges on both sides of the border in acquiring men like Taylor Fedun, Tanner House, Hunter Tremblay and Mark Arcobello. What should we expect these players to turn into? What types of players do NHL teams normally develop via their minor league system? Are they skilled men or role players? Both? I looked at these questions in December 2008 (item is here) and thought it might be time to revisit the conclusions and see if they remain reasonable arguments. Men who are over 30 and come out of the minors to establish (0r re-establish) themselves are pretty much a thing of the past. This remains true despite quality performances in OKC from goalie Martin Gerber (35 years old) and defenseman Bryan Helmer (38). Along with Brad Moran (31) these players are among the most valuable Barons but are miles from regular duty in the NHL. Hell, Gerber has been ...