After four days of intense workouts, drills, and skating practice, the Edmonton Oilers are set to break in the ice at Rexall Place with some real game action. The Joey Moss Cup will be played tonight at 7:00p.m. between Team Blue and Team White as they battle for locker room bragging rights in support of two excellent causes. All proceeds from tonight’s game will be presented to the Winnifred Steward Association in support of Joey’s Home and to the University of Alberta in support of the Golden Bears Hockey Program.

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Taylor Hall & Martin Gerber (photo by Andy Devlin / Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

Both teams will be dressing lineups balanced with skill, speed, and energy. Shawn Horcoff, one of the most impressive Oilers through the first four days of camp, will centre the top line between Taylor Hall – who he has been playing with since the start of camp – and familiar top linemate, Ales Hemsky. While the top line shows an array of skill, the rest of the lineup should cause headaches for Team White. Speedsters such as Gilbert Brule, Liam Reddox, and Colin Fraser will bring a lot of enthusiasm to the forecheck as they will hope to win the battles in the trenches.

Chris Vande Velde and Teemu Hartikainen both made their first appearances in Oilers uniforms last week at the Young Stars Tournament. With an opportunity to make an impression in a traditional game for the organization, these two should provide some excellent energy and forechecking pressure for Team Blue.

On defence, the same theme of balance continues with puck movers and offensively talented defenders leading the charge: Ladislav Smid, Tom Gilbert, and Kurtis Foster will anchor the Oilers’ defensive pairings, while Shawn Belle, Theo Peckham and Johan Motin will provide more defensive stability on the backend.

While Nikolai Khabibulin will be getting the night off, the goaltending pair that played the bulk of last season will be sharing the duties again tonight. Devan Dubnyk will get the start with Jeff Deslauriers serving in the backup role.




Team White will counter with a slightly younger and more inexperienced lineup, but the theme of balance remains true. Again, a good mix of speed, talent, and toughness will make up the bulk of Team White’s roster, with incredible speed and ability playing on the top line. 2009-2010 leading goal-scorer Dustin Penner will lead Team White along with Sam Gagner and rookie Jordan Eberle. Chemistry between Penner and Gagner has been evident through camp so far, while Eberle is a newcomer to that line but should be a great complement to the other two.

Magnus Paajarvi and Andrew Cogliano will surely be bringing fans out of their seats with the pace that will likely be dictated on their terms. Alexandre Giroux, who will play on Cogliano’s right-wing, has proven himself to be a proficient finisher around the net in the first few days of camp. While the two speedsters will be skating up and down the ice with ease, Giroux may find himself in good scoring positions based on sound positioning and his ability to cash on his chances.

Tyler Pitlick (photo by Andy Devlin / Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

Camp standout Tyler Pitlick will be getting his opportunity to shine as he will centre energy forward Ryan Jones and the incredibly creative Linus Omark. The three have had good showings at camp and should be entertaining to watch with their varying skill-sets that will undoubtedly bring a positive factor to the Team White offence.

On defence, Ryan Whitney and Jeff Petry will play on the top pairing. The two have looked excellent together in their brief time at camp, with both possessing an incredible breakout pass and in-zone offensive flair. Petry, still recovering from a shoulder injury at Rookie Camp, hasn’t lost a step and looks right at home with the veteran Whitney on his opposite side.

Acquired in the off-season, defenceman Jim Vandermeer will provide support in the top four and guidance for the younger Team White defenders. Vandermeer will bring toughness to the lineup during the regular season, but with tonight’s game being an intrasquad format, expect him to play a simpler game in more of a stay-at-home role.

Goaltender Olivier Roy will get an opportunity to carry over his excellent performance against the Canucks at the Young Stars Tournament, as he gets the start with veteran Martin Gerber serving in the backup role.


If you’re unable to make it to the game tonight, the game will be webcast LIVE on edmontonoilers.com beginning at 7:00p.m. MT.

Author: Ryan Dittrick | edmontonoilers.com