<p>When the Oilers <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2023/06/29/with-their-first-pick-in-the-2023-nhl-draft-the-oilers-select-defenceman-beau-akey/">drafted Beau Akey</a> in the second round of the 2023 draft it was notable for two reasons. The first was that it was one of the rare forays for the Holland regime into the OHL. The second was Akey is a right shot defenceman and the team was relatively thin at the position.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The Oilers had sent <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/analyzing-the-edmonton-oilers-and-arizona-coyotes-swap-of-ahl-players-michael-kesselring-and-cam-dineen">Michael Kesselring to Arizona</a> by this time leaving only Max Wanner and Phil Kemp as legitimate NHL prospects on the right side. The journey for Akey since his draft year has been a wild one. After 14 games in his draft plus one year, he was shut down for shoulder surgery to deal with nagging issues that he dealt with for some time. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/12/12/beau-akey-talks-world-juniors-getting-back-into-game-shape-and-watching-oilers-stanley-cup-run/">Akey returned at the start of this season</a> and was off to a tentative start. Not surprising given the length of time away and the injuries involved.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, his play was good enough to warrant an invite to the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/12/13/oilers-prospect-beau-akey-named-to-canadian-world-junior-team/">World Juniors</a> and a spot as a seventh defenceman on the team. Although he played sporadically, he played well. The stint with the National team seemed to provide some confidence to Akey because he has returned to Barrie with some added spark to his play. This is timely since Akey will have the option to turn professional this coming season. How he fares the remainder of the season will be key in determining just what happens. More on the Akey emergence, a power forward in waiting and all the week&#8217;s news and notes right here in the Oilers Prospect Report.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2107" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="325"></div>
<h1>Who Caught My Eye?</h1>
<h2>Beau Akey</h2>
<p>Now it may seem strange, but I am going to start with a criticism. There is too much offensive potential in Beau Akey&#8217;s game to score at the rates he does. He has 25 points in 37 games this season in Barrie. It isn&#8217;t enough for someone with his skill set. It gets worse when you realize that his .68 points per game is lower than the .71 points per game in his draft year. If the numbers don&#8217;t convince you, watch Akey in this powerplay sequence and watch him operate.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Akey PP Work and A 01 31 25" width="1333" height="1000" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OU7l-W0bE2I?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Akey&#8217;s understanding of how to create lanes using his feet is sublime. You can even see his teammate on the goal recognize the seam he created for him. He follows this up with being an excellent passer of the puck. Again, in this play he makes two ridiculous passes to create options for his linemates.</p>
<p>Here is another example from a game this week on the 4v4. Watch Akey in this clip read the forechecker net front.</p>
<p>The second that forechecker goes, Akey immediately steps out and attacks up the ice. As soon as the heels of the defender go, he follows him right up the ice. The defender knows he&#8217;s instantly in trouble because watch him scramble to recover defensive position. By then it is too late. Akey has created chaos by moving quickly up the middle of the ice. He gives himself multiple options and makes a great pass to set up a goal.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Akey 4v4A 01 30 25" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wBueIcwSwZY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>In this case, Akey used his smarts, skating ability and passing all in the same 5 seconds to create a goal. This doesn&#8217;t happen enough especially when it could.</p>
<p>In terms of defending, Akey will need to put on weight. He&#8217;s fairly tall, but also sleight at 185 pounds. He will need to put on some muscle to net front defend and to work on the walls. However, he also has some sublime fundamentals that help him. His four-way skating ability makes it very hard for attackers to beat him with speed and/or lateral attack moves. He also has an excellent stick and uses it to turn pucks over and defend passes against. Here is a great example of how Akey defends. It isn&#8217;t earth shaking, but it is very effective. Notice him play the entry like a 2v1. Once the puck is rotated outside watch his ability to turn while keeping pace and closing distance. This is high skill skating. He forces the play back up the wall faster than the opponents wanted and it results in a turnover and a goal for Barrie.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Akey Bl Defending 01 30 25" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m-Mdj32bW74?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>This type of defending is likely to be underappreciated by some, but it is highly effective and it will translate to professional hockey.</p>
<p>For the rest of the season, I just want to see more from Akey. I want him to be more assertive. Attack more and create more because he has the tools. It&#8217;s really a question of confidence and will to do so. If he can add that to the portfolio, Akey&#8217;s game should take off.</p>
<h2>Shane Lachance</h2>
<p>Lachance had one game this week and it was a strong one. He had a goal and an assist along with eight shots on net. It was against a lower-quality team, but still impressive. I only have one highlight of Lachance this week, but it is an important one. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/mid-season-oilers-prospect-report-looking-at-players-ranked-no-20-to-no-11">The reason Lachance was a low draft pick was his skating.</a> To say it was poor would be truthful and maybe even understated. However, he&#8217;s clearly worked very hard on this part of his game. Let&#8217;s watch this clip in detail.</p>
<p>Lachance is on the forecheck here. He attacks the puck carrier until he sees full control and the puck starts to head back across the zone. Watch his first two strides to get back into a high offensive zone position. This is really solid work. His body is in a great position. Chest up for the most part. The lower body is in a great position with hips, knees and toes all in good position to provide great balance.</p>
<p>Once the puck goes back down, watch him hunt the puck with speed. Again, this man is 6&#8217;5&#8243; so it will never look smooth, but it does look powerful. Really good skating mechanics here.</p>
<p>The final part is a slow-motion view of his turn. This is the part that still needs work. Here Lachance could have helped his teammate by pivoting instead of using a slalom turn. The pivot would have opened his chest to his teammate and the pass would have come quicker. Instead, he has to wait a bit while Lachance completes the turn.</p>
<p>It works out in the end because Lachance has a ridiculous wrist-shot release.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Lachance G and Skating 01 31 25" width="1333" height="1000" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jVRyVC8-wQQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>This is a very encouraging development. Lachance already had size and great hands. If his skating can come even remotely close to NHL average, he becomes a top-flight Oilers prospect.</p>
<h2>Matthew Savoie</h2>
<p>Another three games, another three points. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/mid-season-oilers-prospect-report-looking-at-players-ranked-no-10-to-no-1">Matthew Savoie is off to the AHL All-Star game</a> as the much deserved selection for the Bakersfield Condors. This week he showcased his excellent one timer on the powerplay.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Savoie PPG 01 29 25" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5IV-xDTJwyE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>He also demonstrated his underrated defensive game that turns into offense. Watch his work providing pressure in his zone until the opponent turns over the puck. Savoie tried very hard to make the pass here, but ultimately had to shoot. The shoot was good enough to create a rebound and Cagguila finished it off.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Savoie A 01 29 25" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/phCFnGiI2bk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Savoie&#8217;s game might not be seen by Oiler fans until next season. However, he continues to make it harder and harder on Oiler management to ignore what he could be when he pulls on the Oiler jersey.</p>
<h2>News and Notes</h2>
<p>William Nicholl seems to be turning the corner with three points in his last three games. He remains a little hesitant in his physical play and I wonder if he is still a little banged up.</p>
<p>Samuel Jonsson, the Oilers goalie prospect taken in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, is lighting up the Alsvenskan. Jonsson has a .921 save percentage and a 1.90 goals against average in Sweden&#8217;s second-best league. Jonsson is only just 21, so has lots of runway in front of him.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s it for this week&#8217;s Oilers Prospect Report. Stay warm everyone and see you around the rink.</p>
<h2><strong>ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365</strong></h2>
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When the Oilers <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2023/06/29/with-their-first-pick-in-the-2023-nhl-draft-the-oilers-select-defenceman-beau-akey/">drafted Beau Akey</a> in the second round of the 2023 draft it was notable for two reasons. The first was that it was one of the rare forays for the Holland regime into the OHL. The second was Akey is a right shot defenceman and the team was relatively thin at the position.



The Oilers had sent <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/analyzing-the-edmonton-oilers-and-arizona-coyotes-swap-of-ahl-players-michael-kesselring-and-cam-dineen">Michael Kesselring to Arizona</a> by this time leaving only Max Wanner and Phil Kemp as legitimate NHL prospects on the right side. The journey for Akey since his draft year has been a wild one. After 14 games in his draft plus one year, he was shut down for shoulder surgery to deal with nagging issues that he dealt with for some time. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/12/12/beau-akey-talks-world-juniors-getting-back-into-game-shape-and-watching-oilers-stanley-cup-run/">Akey returned at the start of this season</a> and was off to a tentative start. Not surprising given the length of time away and the injuries involved.

Nevertheless, his play was good enough to warrant an invite to the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/12/13/oilers-prospect-beau-akey-named-to-canadian-world-junior-team/">World Juniors</a> and a spot as a seventh defenceman on the team. Although he played sporadically, he played well. The stint with the National team seemed to provide some confidence to Akey because he has returned to Barrie with some added spark to his play. This is timely since Akey will have the option to turn professional this coming season. How he fares the remainder of the season will be key in determining just what happens. More on the Akey emergence, a power forward in waiting and all the week's news and notes right here in the Oilers Prospect Report.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2107" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="325"></div>
<h1>Who Caught My Eye?</h1>
<h2>Beau Akey</h2>
Now it may seem strange, but I am going to start with a criticism. There is too much offensive potential in Beau Akey's game to score at the rates he does. He has 25 points in 37 games this season in Barrie. It isn't enough for someone with his skill set. It gets worse when you realize that his .68 points per game is lower than the .71 points per game in his draft year. If the numbers don't convince you, watch Akey in this powerplay sequence and watch him operate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU7l-W0bE2I

Akey's understanding of how to create lanes using his feet is sublime. You can even see his teammate on the goal recognize the seam he created for him. He follows this up with being an excellent passer of the puck. Again, in this play he makes two ridiculous passes to create options for his linemates.

Here is another example from a game this week on the 4v4. Watch Akey in this clip read the forechecker net front.

The second that forechecker goes, Akey immediately steps out and attacks up the ice. As soon as the heels of the defender go, he follows him right up the ice. The defender knows he's instantly in trouble because watch him scramble to recover defensive position. By then it is too late. Akey has created chaos by moving quickly up the middle of the ice. He gives himself multiple options and makes a great pass to set up a goal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBueIcwSwZY

In this case, Akey used his smarts, skating ability and passing all in the same 5 seconds to create a goal. This doesn't happen enough especially when it could.

In terms of defending, Akey will need to put on weight. He's fairly tall, but also sleight at 185 pounds. He will need to put on some muscle to net front defend and to work on the walls. However, he also has some sublime fundamentals that help him. His four-way skating ability makes it very hard for attackers to beat him with speed and/or lateral attack moves. He also has an excellent stick and uses it to turn pucks over and defend passes against. Here is a great example of how Akey defends. It isn't earth shaking, but it is very effective. Notice him play the entry like a 2v1. Once the puck is rotated outside watch his ability to turn while keeping pace and closing distance. This is high skill skating. He forces the play back up the wall faster than the opponents wanted and it results in a turnover and a goal for Barrie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-Mdj32bW74

This type of defending is likely to be underappreciated by some, but it is highly effective and it will translate to professional hockey.

For the rest of the season, I just want to see more from Akey. I want him to be more assertive. Attack more and create more because he has the tools. It's really a question of confidence and will to do so. If he can add that to the portfolio, Akey's game should take off.
<h2>Shane Lachance</h2>
Lachance had one game this week and it was a strong one. He had a goal and an assist along with eight shots on net. It was against a lower-quality team, but still impressive. I only have one highlight of Lachance this week, but it is an important one. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/mid-season-oilers-prospect-report-looking-at-players-ranked-no-20-to-no-11">The reason Lachance was a low draft pick was his skating.</a> To say it was poor would be truthful and maybe even understated. However, he's clearly worked very hard on this part of his game. Let's watch this clip in detail.

Lachance is on the forecheck here. He attacks the puck carrier until he sees full control and the puck starts to head back across the zone. Watch his first two strides to get back into a high offensive zone position. This is really solid work. His body is in a great position. Chest up for the most part. The lower body is in a great position with hips, knees and toes all in good position to provide great balance.

Once the puck goes back down, watch him hunt the puck with speed. Again, this man is 6'5" so it will never look smooth, but it does look powerful. Really good skating mechanics here.

The final part is a slow-motion view of his turn. This is the part that still needs work. Here Lachance could have helped his teammate by pivoting instead of using a slalom turn. The pivot would have opened his chest to his teammate and the pass would have come quicker. Instead, he has to wait a bit while Lachance completes the turn.

It works out in the end because Lachance has a ridiculous wrist-shot release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVRyVC8-wQQ

This is a very encouraging development. Lachance already had size and great hands. If his skating can come even remotely close to NHL average, he becomes a top-flight Oilers prospect.
<h2>Matthew Savoie</h2>
Another three games, another three points. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/mid-season-oilers-prospect-report-looking-at-players-ranked-no-10-to-no-1">Matthew Savoie is off to the AHL All-Star game</a> as the much deserved selection for the Bakersfield Condors. This week he showcased his excellent one timer on the powerplay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IV-xDTJwyE

He also demonstrated his underrated defensive game that turns into offense. Watch his work providing pressure in his zone until the opponent turns over the puck. Savoie tried very hard to make the pass here, but ultimately had to shoot. The shoot was good enough to create a rebound and Cagguila finished it off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phCFnGiI2bk

Savoie's game might not be seen by Oiler fans until next season. However, he continues to make it harder and harder on Oiler management to ignore what he could be when he pulls on the Oiler jersey.
<h2>News and Notes</h2>
William Nicholl seems to be turning the corner with three points in his last three games. He remains a little hesitant in his physical play and I wonder if he is still a little banged up.

Samuel Jonsson, the Oilers goalie prospect taken in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, is lighting up the Alsvenskan. Jonsson has a .921 save percentage and a 1.90 goals against average in Sweden's second-best league. Jonsson is only just 21, so has lots of runway in front of him.

That's it for this week's Oilers Prospect Report. Stay warm everyone and see you around the rink.
<h2><strong>ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365</strong></h2>
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