WHL: Not a Rich Draft for Oil Kings

McKeen's correspondent Randy Gorman continues his WHL journey with notes on several 2008 NHL Entry Draft prospects from the expansion Edmonton Oil Kings including winger Brent Raedeke (pictured). Although there are no real standout prospects this season, the Oil Kings' well is not dry, as they have some promising prospects coming into the league in the next couple of seasons after a healthy bantam draft.

Braeden Adamyk (2008), LW, Edmonton Oil Kings

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound winger has the gift of good speed and a smooth skating stride with the knack for creating scoring opportunities .. however, he lacks focus with the defensive aspect of the game and tends to shy away from the gritty areas along the wall, as he is not a physical presence on the ice .. he makes a good first pass and uses his small frame to try to gain position on bigger players, which often leads opponents to take bad penalties against him .. he has an average shot and a good one timer but needs work on improving his shot as well .. probably not going to garner much draft attention and needs work on other areas of the game, but he has some offensive upside.

Clayton Cumiskey (2008), LW, Edmonton Oil Kings

Diminutive forward plays a gritty in-your-face-type-of game and never gives up on a play .. the 5-foot-10, 165-pound left-winger has average skating ability and somewhat deceptive speed that catches opposing players off guard when dashing for loose pucks .. has a very tough-fought eight goals and 11 assists in 67 games in his rookie season with the Oil Kings .. he is able to create open space for his linemates due to his aggressive forechecking and hard work .. he has a good wristshot with a quick release and decent velocity but he gets knocked around and needs to add a little weight to his frame.

Dalyn Flette (2008), G, Edmonton Oil Kings

As the backup on an expansion team, expectations were not high for Dalyn in his draft year, as he was playing behind veteran Alex Archibald .. he has some things to work on but he has shown some promise .. the knock on him thus far is that he tends to stay embedded in the net and must learn to challenge shooters sooner to cut down the angles of incoming shots .. his lateral movement could be improved upon and he has been working with the goalie coach on this .. his record of five wins, 15 defeats, a 3.52 gaa and a save percentage of . 889 are not indicative of his competitiveness and strong commitment to get better .. his efforts have not gone unnoticed, but whether that translates in being drafted remains to be seen.

Brent Henke (2008), RW/D, Edmonton Oil Kings

This hulking forward slash d-man has been shuttled back and forth from both positions this season and the Oil Kings haven't made up there mind where the best position is for the 6-foor-3, 195-pound prospect .. he is a very good physical presence on the ice and likes to land open-ice hits to unsuspecting players .. his skating could be better but at this level, it is not hurting him or the team .. uses his size to battle hard along the wall but as most 17-year-olds in the league, he needs work on his defensive game and has to gain more hockey sense when he is playing without the puck .. one thing he has in his arsenal is an above average shot with good velocity, but he has to work a little on the control aspect .. has contributed with one goal and seven points in 60 games this year with a minus-18 rating .. will likely not be drafted this season, as he remains a project and needs to work on his skating.

Tyler Hlookoff (2008), D, Edmonton Oil Kings

A steady stay-at-home defenseman that pays attention to his own end and makes smart plays with the puck .. there is nothing fancy about his game, as he works hard and his outlet passes are generally on the money .. an average skater with short quick strides .. has the best plus/minus on this expansion team with a minus-6 rating in 51 games to go along with his very pedestrian-like two goals and eight points .. he has logged some powerplay minutes on the second unit and does not look out of place .. contributes along the wall and in front of his own net while on the penalty kill .. the thing that may prevent him from being drafted is his size (5-11, 168), as it may sway scouts at this point.

Shayne Neigum (2008), LW, Edmonton Oil Kings

A tough player to figure out, as he has to show more competitiveness and consistency in his game .. the 6-foot-0, 180-pound winger is a good skater with a good long stride and acceleration, but needs to play harder and compete more up and down the wing .. he has a good reach and uses it to stretch and make good passes to his linemates but on turnovers, he can be lackadaisical in getting back in the play .. has a decent shot but should take it more when given the opportunity .. he is not afraid to mix it physically, as he has 83 minutes in penalties and will stick up for his teammates ..shows decent hockey sense and knows where the play is going to develop

Brent Raedeke (2008), LW, Edmonton Oil Kings

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound winger is the best prospect on this first year expansion club .. an excellent skater with offensive upside .. his stats can back it up, as he has a decent 14 goals and 28 points in 69 games .. he has the innate ability to make other players around him better and should improve on that as his junior career progresses .. he is strong on the puck and is very adapt at cycling along the boards .. finds the holes to make great passes to his linemates through traffic .. he has developed a mean streak, battles hard and will not give up on a play, which scouts like .. the only downside to his game is that he has to play better defensively but that will come with experience and coaching at this level .. he also displays leadership qualities at such a young age, as the coach's like his communication skills with his teammates and he leads by example .. could be a mid-to-late-round pick in this year's draft.

Adrian VandeMosselaer (2008), D, Edmonton Oil Kings

This big rangy d-man is having trouble adjusting to major junior hockey, in particular – the quickness of the game .. his skating and pivot turn on the back skate are a concern, as he is too slow and is caught out of position, which leads him into taking bad penalties .. he has great size at (6-2, 200) and plays physical but has a hard time stopping speedy forwards from getting by him .. he forces his outlet passes and they are often intercepted .. still needs a lot of work at this level.