Learning to Fly

Normal people think bungee jumping is crazy, bungee jumpers think skydivers are nuts, skydivers look funny at base jumpers, and then... there are the wingsuit wingnuts.

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reeled
A fatal attraction holding me fast, how
Can I escape this irresistible grasp?

LT's post today, possibly the 10th this year in which he mentions how much he enjoys watching this year's Oilers, inspired me to comment and I'll echo these comments here:

Much as we try, I don't think it's possible to appreciate this year's team enough.  They're kids, and like children, they grow up too fast.  Young and hopeful, full of potential and not burdened in the least by expectations or a ticking clock, this may be the most enjoyable Oilers team I've ever watched.  They're not a winning team and quite unlikely to make the playoffs, but that just means there's nothing to stress and worry about.  For the next couple of years, but this year in particular, there's no anxiety about where they're going, what they'll do when they get there, and if they have the talent, the pieces, the chemistry, and above all the will to seize glory.

It has been 30 years since the 1980-81 season, when we first had the majority of the pieces.  Look at that season.  Dominated by red losses early on, slowly turning more and more green before a dominant finish.  The Oilers had done that the year before in '79-80, but the momentum didn't carry over.  After '80-81, however, things would be different for the next decade.

This could be the closest thing we have to the 1980-81 season in our lifetimes.  With more teams, a hard salary cap, and early unrestricted free agency, it won't be the same but it is sure coming close.  It's a magical season because unlike even next year, there are no expectations on this team.  We're Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams and we're just watching greats play the game.  There are no contract anxieties, no worries about the playoffs, no concerns if we have the right supporting cast.

Like real children, as they start coming into their own, we're in a special and rare moment where dreams and reality are interwoven.  The potential is there and right now it's undefinable, nobody knows how good Hall, Eberle, Pajaarvi, Omark, and even Gagner and Peckham can be.  We're free to let our imaginations run wild and dream.  And we can dream because there's enough reality, enough of a solid grounding for this team that we know for sure that something special is here.  These aren't flights of fancy about Jason Bonsignore, Steve Kelly, Boyd Devereaux and Michel Riesen.  These kids are here, in the NHL.  They're producing.  They're clicking.  They're having fun and clearly loving every moment of it.  Above all, anyone who sees them can sense that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Which is exactly where the Oilers as an organization are.  I truly urge you to read LT's blog and catch up on the top 20 prospects this year because we are sitting on an embarrassment of riches:

Martin Marincin - 1st in WHL defencemen scoring, 2nd in WHL rookie scoring, 2nd in team scoring (after the very potent Brett Connolly).  Boldly moved from Europe to the WHL and adjusted immediately to the game, showing far more puck ability than expected, as he was projected to be a stay-at-home defenceman.  Key component of Slovakia's World Juniors team.

Anton Lander - Captain of the 2011 Swedish Junior team, captain of Timra IK of the Elitserien, a renowned two-way player in his league and well on his way to beating his personal scoring mark from last year.

Curtis Hamilton - He's a big man (6'3, 202), can't call him kid or boy.  Has shown way more offensive flair this season than past years, currently tracking 1.4PPG with the best +/- on the team.  Recently bumped up to the top line on Canada's WHJC squad.

Tyler Pitlick - Good-sized centre who will be competing with Lander for the two-way role on the team.  Like Marincin, he moved to the WHL, though his origins were much closer in the NCAA.  After struggling somewhat early in the season, has picked up the pace.  The +/- is middle of the pack for the team, which is something to note.  A surprising omission from the US WJHC training camp, but given the heavy veteran presence on that squad, not a huge concern.

And that's just the kids exceeding expectations this year.  Lowetide has a much more thorough rundown of our prospects on his site - like Ryan Martindale, Teemu Hartikainen, Toni Rajala, and more.

Martin Marincin's hot WHL Start

Martin Marincin sends Kadri flying at the 2010 Juniors

One of the picks I was most unfamiliar with at the draft was Slovakian product Martin Marincin, who came to the Oilers 46th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.  Judging by his size and the commentary at the draft, I figured he was brought aboard to plug a defensive need and provide some grit on the back end.  A vision of someone along the lines of Matt Greene came to mind.  With hockey season a quarter of the way over, a different aspect of Martin is starting to get attention.

Remember the first Oil Change, where a certain prospect was highly coveted and we hoped to trade up to get him in the first round?  Ryan Johansen has been all but confirmed as that prospect, and he sits in a 4-way tie for 29th in WHL scoring - with Oilers prospect defenceman Marincin being one of the other three players there. Among defencemen, Marincin is second overall in league scoring, and is also second overall in scoring among rookies.

The jump from junior to the NHL may not be a chasm like the Grand Canyon, but far more players fall into the pit than make the transition.  That said, Marincin's combination of size - he's 6'4 and almost 190lbs - and scoring (8G, 17A in 23GP) - is impressive.  He's also adapted well to the North American game, a key challenge for many European players.  Marincin's desire to come over and play our rougher style, even though it meant being out on the far end of the earth in Prince George is a statement of character.  He's ambitious, he's smart enough to understand the transition, he knows he's going to play more games in the Dub than he will at home, and he's willing to suffer that brutal travel schedule to do it.  It's 7 hours from Prince George to Kamloops, kids.  That's the shortest bus ride they get.

As for the Cougars, they are a decent team but Marincin is clearly not riding on the backs of any great talent.  The up-and-down season is a product of being stuck in the tough western conference of the WHL, where they reside in 8th place despite being over .500.  Marincin's 33 PIMs suggest that he's no shrinking violet, and his +2 is second-best among defencemen on a team that is facing the best the WHL has to offer more often than not.  He's second in scoring, behind the much-vaunted Brett Connolly, trailing him by only three points.

Here are some comparisons of final junior seasons for current top NHL defencemen of comparable size:

• Dustin Byfuglien (6'4): 64GP, 22G, 36A.
• Brent Seabrook (6'3): 63GP, 12G, 42A.
• Jay Bouwmeester (6'4): 61GP, 11G, 50A.
• Shea Weber (6'4): 55GP, 12G, 29A.
• Alexander Edler (6'3): 62GP, 13G, 40A.
• Marc Staal (6'3): 53GP, 5G, 29A. (in his draft year, Staal went 57GP, 11G, 38A)
• Dion Phaneuf (6'3): 55GP, 24G, 32A.
• Keith Yandle (6'2): 66GP, 25G, 59A.

That's some pretty impressive company, isn't it?  What does it mean?

Not much, really.  Jeff Woywitka, a 6'3 journeyman of median abilities, had 16G and 36A in 57GP for Red Deer, a year after he was drafted 27th overall by Philly in 2001.  Comparable stats can be found to show just about anything someone likes.

I am excited by Marincin, however.  I doubt he'll be an explosive offensive force in the NHL, but his maturity and attitude in coming over shows me that he's dedicated to his craft.  With his size and ability, he could make a top pairing defenceman eventually.