Meet The New Guy: Josh Samanski

In a healthy NHL organization, teams should be able to pull up young players from the AHL to cover for injuries or to fill holes on the roster. Now the caveat here is that it is much easier to do so with a middling NHL team that will not compete for a championship. Why? Well more than likely the NHL player caliber is a little lower on that team. Also, the team likely has retained all of its high draft picks and has a quality of AHL player that is closer to NHL ready. For championship teams, it is much harder. Indeed, many don’t focus on it very much. Instead, they trade away picks for veteran players who bring the experience and capability to help the team contend for the Stanley Cup. However, if a championship team can fill needs through the AHL depth chart, it really becomes a bonus. The salary cap implications are the benefactor. This allows teams to either increase salaries for key players or bring in that one elite player through trade or signing that might otherwise cost to much. For the Oilers, the ability to bring in AHL players to support the needs of the team has been limited in the past few years. However, this year the Oilers have played Ike Howard, Quinn Hutson and Connor Clattenburg with each has performing well enough to be excited for the future. This week a new prospect joined the Oilers: Josh Samanski. Samanski is a surprise for me because his skating and his offence have really jumped off the tape. I knew he could play defensively, but I worried about his pace and whether he could chip in on the scoresheet. Both questions have been answered. Samanski has 23 even-strength points in his 39 games. That was good for top 10 in the AHL. So when Adam Henrique went down and Jack Roslovic struggled in the 3C role, Samanski got the call. How was his first game? What can Oiler fans expect going forward? Let’s go to the tape.

---

Josh Samanski

Samanski played less than 8 minutes in his NHL debut. Perhaps not the norm for a 3C, but maybe understandable given it was a critical game and the coach did not know the player well. What the coach and all of us could have bet on was Samanski’s defensive play. Watch this clip. It starts with a face-off win (he was 3/4 on the night). Somehow Jake Walman let’s his guy go and the Ducks get possession. Now watch Samanski. He understands how to support the play from the middle of the ice. When there is a rotation, he seamlessly covers his new responsibility with confidence.

Here is another example on a rush attack against. This starts off a failed pinch by Spenser Stastny. Samanski gets on his horse to eliminate a 2v1. This despite being quite behind on the play. His work allows him to influence the play in two ways. First, the puck carrier hesitates on moving the puck across the ice because Samanski is covering the middle. Secondly, it allows Mattias Ekholm to attack the puck carrier. This leads to a 2v1 for the Oilers that Ekholm finishes.

This is a subtle play, but without a doubt it helped created the situation for Ekholm to score.

The part of Samanski’s game that I believe will really help his cause is his 200 foot game in transition. Samanski’s smart play plus skating has created a number of goals in the AHL for himself and his teammates. That was on full display in his first NHL game. Watch this clip which is indicative how Samanski supports transition plays normally. It’s very Ryan McLeod like. Once he helps with the exit, he gets in on the forecheck twice. The play gets muted, but continued play like this will lead to turnovers and offensive zone possession.

Of course, the shift everyone talked about was the near miss. While that was the highlight of the shift, watch Samanski’s 200 foot game here. Look how easy he flows up and down the ice. Watch his positioning off the puck and how it influences the play in positive ways for the Oilers. When he gets the puck, the transition is quick. Oh and the near miss!

I would be very surprised if Samanski does not play more minutes tonight. Samanski is a very reliable player for a coach. He does all of the positioning things very well. He is not a risk taker. Indeed, he makes sure he supports the play off the puck and ensures his linemates are supported. Coaches like young players to be predictable in good ways. Josh Samanski is all of that.

News and Notes

Tommy Lafreniere has slowed a little bit in his offensive output. Once in the top 10 in the WHL, he is down to 14th with 56 points in 45 games. However, he is undeniably a better offensive forward than I expected. Look at this goal and assist from the same game as an example.

I think it is safe to say that Tommy Lafreniere has exceeded expectations for a 3rd round pick. His next step is to finish the season strong and help his team make a deep playoff run.

William Nicholl is a favorite of mine. This young man needs to be signed by the Oilers and developed properly. There is a bottom six, pain in the ass to play against, speedster here. Watch this clip from a game this week. What is not to love?

Damien Carfagna is almost the last man standing in Bakersfield. The team is without Cam Dineen, Atro Leppanen and Beau Akey at the moment. It leaves Carfagna as really the only true offensive defenceman for the Condors. Carfagna has played well in his rookie season. He currently sits 9th in rookie defence scoring with 11 points in 35 games. He is a fearless blueline defender and for the most part it works for him. He disrupts plays most often and his skating allows him to recover when the play breaks down. Here is an example that leads to a goal for him. Notice the work in tight quarters at the blueline.

One final note on the Condors backline group. The Condors have been without Atro Leppanen and Cam Dineen since January 10th which spans eight games. In those eight games, the Condors have been outshot in each of them and the total delta in shots is -88. Yes, they have been outshot by 88 shots in eight games. Light a candle for Dineen and Leppanen. They are needed.

---

That’s it for this week’s look at Oilers prospects. Thanks for reading and have a great week.