TULSA, Oklahoma — It’s almost that time of the year again. The time all Central Hockey League fans have been waiting for; the start of a new season. Players are in camp and coaches are surveying the talent. In Tulsa, Oilers head coach Bruce Ramsay is glad to finally get a look at his new team on the ice.
Photo Credit: Central Hockey League
During the off-season, Ramsay has made several acquisitions, including the signings of Rick Kozak, Marty Standish, Aaron Davis and player/assistant Tyler Butler.
Even with those additions, Ramsay continued to look for what he calls “diamonds in the rough”. The team held a free agent camp between September 30th and October 3rd to get a last minute look at some undiscovered talent.
“This is an idea that me and Taylor (Oilers general manager Taylor Hall) had come up with, Ramsay said. “We are limited with the number of spots we can have in our main camp, so we decided it would be a good opportunity to get a look at some younger players. Hopefully you can find one or two that can come in and make an impact with your hockey club.”
The timing of the camp was advantageous for Ramsay, with the Oilers training camp starting two days after the free agent camp concluded. He said it allowed the team to have players available if they were to lose anyone before or during their main camp.
“It’s a great thing and obviously, it gives young guys that don’t have an opportunity to go to a main camp to show their stuff,” Ramsay said.
He added that they will be working to help those that attended the free agent camp to find a spot, whether it be with the Oilers or another team.
The Oilers opened their training camp on Monday and will play two pre-season games in Odessa on October 8th and 10th. Ramsay has what seems to be a talented group, from the netminders out to the front line, but adds that it is still too early to find the true identity of his team.
“A lot of times you have to find out what the best makeup of your team is going to be before you decide what kind of team you are going to have. We want to be very solid defensively, but you’re not going to win a lot of games if you don’t score goals. I think our D is going to be strong, and upfront we’ve got all kinds of firepower. I think we have a good mix of toughness, energy and scoring,” Ramsay said.
In net the Oilers will depend on Marty Magers, who spent last season with the Rocky Mountain Rage, and Kevin Armstrong who spent time with Ramsay last season in Muskegon.
“I brought him in from major junior towards the end of the season and he basically stole my number one job in the playoffs,” Ramsay said of Armstrong. “He was one of the main reasons why our team went to the finals last year. He’s a very capable young goaltender that has a very bright future.”
Magers, 26, provides experience, having played in the CHL, ECHL, IHL and UHL. He won 14 games while accumulating a .909 save percentage with the Rage.
“I think we’re very solid back there with both guys that we have,” Ramsay said.
The Oilers have eleven blue liners in camp with veteran Tyler Butler anchoring the group.
“He’s been around the Central Hockey League for a number of years and his stats speak for themselves. He is a very good leader on and off the ice as my player/coach,” Ramsay said. “We have a number of defensemen coming into training camp, and there are some very bright players in there with good futures and some veteran players that bring experience. I like to have very, very mobile defensemen which we have recruited here.”
New faces like Derek Eastman, with three years experience in the ECHL, will help shore up the defensive unit. “He’s going to be one of the premier defensemen in the league,” Ramsay said.
Jeff White will also help the defensive cause after spending the last nine seasons in Europe.
“He has put up some outstanding numbers over there. He’s very solid and moves very well,” Ramsay said. “We’re very solid on the back end. The toughest part to start the year is going to be to try to fit everybody in with the salary cap and also which ones I’m going to keep.”
Up front the Oilers have some exciting new prospects. Ramsay pointed to center Rob Hisey and winger T.J. Caig, both of whom spent last season in Europe.
“He played for me as a 19 year-old and when he came in as a 19 year-old was one of my best players,” Ramsay said of Hisey.
According to Ramsay, Caig is capable of putting up good numbers and he describes him as a player with outstanding skill. Rick Kozak, Aaron Davis, Marty Standish, Dallas Steward and returning forwards Michel Beausoleil and Jake Riddle are just a few more that Ramsay spoke of.
“Kozak is a tough, strong, gritty power forward that can score goals, fight, hit, do everything. Davis is a very solid two-way centerman with good size and a great touch. We’re very solid up and down up front. I think out of that group we’re going to find our good core players that are definitely going to contribute to our success this season,” Ramsay said.
With the regular season yet to begin, what does Ramsay think of his team’s chances this year?
“Forecasting is never a thing a coach wants to do, but I didn’t come here to be a sub-par coach of a sub-par hockey team,” Ramsay said, adding that he wants a team that is capable of beating the best teams the CHL has to offer.
“We want to be a team that is not just in the run for the playoffs, but a team that is fighting for one of the elite spots in the league.”
Ramsay admits that with just five players returning from last season, hard work must be put in to make the team competitive.
“We’ve got a huge turnover from last year, so it’s going to take time,” Tamsay said. It’s not like a lot of the teams in this league where they’re bringing back 12, 13, 14 players from last year’s team. It is going to take time for our guys to gel together, but I firmly believe we have what it takes within our roster to be a team that is capable of doing some pretty awesome things throughout the season.”
Ramsay definitely has the passion needed to build the Oilers into a contender, but remains grounded as he understands that there is plenty of work to come.
“There are going to be ups and downs throughout the season, but as long as we have more highs than lows it is going to be a good year. We feel that we have a team that the fans are going to love. I know that Tulsa has been a hockey town steeped in tradition for a lot of years. We’re going to have guys on our team that I want the fans to know are going to work hard and be entertaining every given night. We want to be relentless and we’re going to work hard from the start to finish. We’d like for them to come out as much as possible to enjoy hockey and enjoy these young kids working their butts off every night for them. Our main goal is the playoffs; it’s not how good you are when you start the season. It’s how good you finish the season and we want to finish strongly. You’re only as good as your last game.”
Contact the author at john.hall@prohockeynews.com
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