Edmonton Oilers prospect roundup: Damien Carfagna joins the system

Playoffs in most junior and European professional leagues are well underway. There are also plenty of new faces for the Bakersfield Condors, and the Fort Wayne Komets. A new face has also entered the Oilers pipeline in the form of defender Damien Carfagna.

Lots of content to examine in this week’s iteration of the Oilers prospect update.

Welcome to the TOR Edmonton Oilers prospect update. Each week, we’ll take a dive into how the Oilers’ prospects have done in their respective leagues. We have defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games, and is younger than 25 years of age.

Damien Carfagna joins the Oilers system

The Ohio State product signed his first NHL contract with the Edmonton Oilers, officially on the March 31. So the question remains, what does the young defender bring to the Oilers’ system?

Carfagna plays a heavy transitional game as a capable offensive minded defender. His game is highlighted by quality senses at both ends, puck skills, and a strong skating base.

Carfagna’s senses are evident in both offensive and defensive transition as he is consistently scanning even when he doesn’t have the puck. This hints at overall good play awareness, situational awareness, risk assessment, and play option identification. This also demonstrates above average play anticipation.

These senses combine with some quality puck skills that are particularly deceptive. With notable look offs/manipulation, passing ability/diversity, and quality on-ice vision that constantly looks for backdoor passes, open lanes. These senses show some quality offensive instincts, and he serves as a capable play facilitator with quality decision making ability.

Skating is solid, with a cleanish stride, some changes of pace and deception, and notable acceleration that makes him extra effective on both retrievals and activations, and for keeping pace in transition. This further allows more effective gap control on the defensive side, and cleaner zone entries and route creation offensively.

Carfagna shows capable compete level around hustle, intensity, and pressure exertion. He also shows good poise, and plays a calm and collected game.

There are some barriers, particularly around his physical play, as he has a shorter frame, and less muscle which means that despite his risk assessment and defensive positioning other players, particularly pros will establish better body leverage and positioning against him.

Edmonton Oilers prospect updates

AHL

• The Bakersfield Condors are currently seventh in the AHL’s Pacific division with a 28–25–10 record. They went 2–1–0 this past week and enter the April 1 game against Abbottsford on a two-game win streak, collecting wins against Tuscon and Calgary.
• Lots of college seasons are ending and look for the AHL and the ECHL to ramp up in recruitment.
• There were a flurry of moves on the March 27.
• Goalie Oliver Rodrigue got called up to the Oilers, resulting in goalie Brett Brochu being called up to the Condors.
• Brady Stonehouse got assigned to the Condors and further appeared in his first two pro-games.
• University of Alberta Captain, Josh Prokop got signed to an ATO, and appeared in and scored his first pro-goal on the March 28 against the Calgary Wranglers.
• Condors forward, James Stefan, was reassigned to the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets on March 31.

ECHL

• The Fort Wayne Komets sit fourth in the ECHL’s Western Conference, and second in their division with a 38–20–7 record. With that record they have clinched a spot in the ECHL playoffs.
• They split a pair of games this past week against the newest ECHL expansion team, the Bloomington Bison.
• The Komets released defender Dennis Busby from his contract on the 26th. They have also added goaltender Tommy Scarfone as an emergency backup on the 28th to account for the Brochu call up.
• Expect them to put James Stefan to work immediately, which could be beneficial to the forwards development.
• A strong week for Connor Ungar, appearing in two games, while collecting one win he stopped a combined 59 of 63 shots good for a .936 save percentage.

Europe

• Tomas Mazura’s playoff run has come to an end, with BK Mlada Boleslav getting eliminated by Mountfield HK on March 28, after a 3–0 loss. In total he appeared in 11 games, and posted three points.

NCAA

• The Edmonton Oilers have dipped into the NCAA talent pool by signing Ohio State, and former University of New Hampshire defender, Damien Carfagna to an ELC on March 31.

OHL

• Beau Akey posted two assists in the first two Barrie Colts playoff games this past week. Not to be outdone, Dalyn Wakely posted four assists across those same two games. Looks like both have found their playoff scoring touch.
• The London Knights have had two statement victories against the Owen Sound Attack to start the playoffs. William Nicholl collected an assist in the first game, and Sam O’Reilly finding the scoresheet, in both games with one goal and one assist. O’Reilly also collected seven penalty minutes in the second game, that’s how you know it’s getting intense.

Russia

• Denezhkin’s team has picked up two wins against Ak Bars Kazan in their first round matchup. The Oilers prospect played almost double his normal allotment with 24:50 in TOI in their second matchup on March 30, where he picked up an assist.
• Maxim Beryozkin continues to find the scoresheet in the playoffs, posting three assists and one goal across three playoff games so far. This offensive finish and confidence could really elevate his game next season.