Monday, September 5, 2011

"For the LOVE of Teubert"




Stealing the famous words "to be, or not to be"  that is the question.  As you may notice in the above picture, there are player's jersey's that no longer hang in the Oilers dressing room. Gone are the likes of Vishnosky, MacIntyre, Stortini, Reddox, Moreau, and the list goes on. Players come and players go but the real question is....Who is going to stay? For the LOVE of Teubert, I truly hope Colten is the player many are worried he MAY NOT be.


Since the trade that sent Penner to the LA Kings and Colten to the Edmonton Oilers organization, Teubert has been scrutinized by some for being a failed prospect and will at best be a 5th-6th defenceman. Others hold out hope that Teubert will find his game soon enough and become that big tough rugged defenceman who will punish any and everyone who enters the Oilers zone. And then there are those who wait and watch patiently as he continues to hone his game in the AHL.

As mentioned many times by sports media, bloggers and scouting, defenceman are a different breed of player then forwards. Their development most often takes more years to come to fruition. It's not uncommon to see a defenceman develop his game in the minors and turn into one heck of a player in the future. Teubert is one of those players who many are trying to decide where he fits onto this Oilers team. Of course we all hope he turns into that #1 defensive stud that man's our blue line for the next 12 years. But since this is not a blog about fantasy, let's just focus on some of the circumstances he faces and the skill set he has. From that, we can all determine were we personally believe he will eventually end up.


Circumstances:

Like any other prospect, Colten faces the difficult task of cracking a blue line on the NHL club. With players who are quite young in place already and some with good experience behind them, cracking any NHL club's line up on opening night is tough. As tough as it may be to find a spot for Colten Teubert on the Oilers roster come opening night, it's not unimaginable. There are many question marks on our blue line. Teubert's toughest competition for that spot is actually two players, "Taylor Chorney and Jeff Petry". Fortunately for Colten, his game is very different from both these guys. Colten is more a defensive defenceman, so that would mean his toughest competition would be the likes of Sutton, Theo Peckham, Smid and as mentioned by Lowetide , Corey Potter. Sutton? Unless he gets traded or sent to the minors I highly doubt it will be in his place. Smid? Not likely with his experience. Peckham? The way his game developed last year, I find it hard to see him being passed by on the depth chart. Potter? I know Lowetide believes in this guy, but personally, I just can't see it happening. For me , he is a depth position guy on the blue line who is going to help in OKC and a emergency call up should one of the younger prospects (ie: Teubert) not move forward in the development of their game, enough to warrant a opportunity with the big club.


Skills:

Colten is a beast on the ice when he is on his game. This guy can hit and put some fear into the forwards coming down the wing. He is great at covering a good portion of the ice and can follow the play quite well. Colten's foot speed has been said to have improved this last year (this was a concern by some coach's early on for Teubert). Seeing him at 2011 development camp, Colten looked poised in the plays, executed well and seemed to have that extra first step. Coach Nelson likes what he See's in Colten's game and appears to be excited about this coming season and what it holds in store for him


Forecast:

Teubert has a tough road against him in regards to playing for the Oilers this year, but I would think he will get a look see for a few games at some point this season through injuries or trades. In order for that to happen, I personally believe he will need to stay injury free and spot into the OKC line up on a nightly basis. He will need to be their go to defenceman with the tough minutes. Should he keep tracking good progress, he will get his chance. Unlikely he can crack that opening night roster though. For all the Teubert supporters out there, be patient, his day is not to far away. Love him, or hate him, Teubert is coming soon to a rink near you!

you can follow me on twitter @revingev

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