Oil Rush: TSN.ca's Leon Draisaitl Watch - Oct. 5

Leon Draisaitl stands in a unique position.

Draisaitl, the Edmonton Oilers' No. 3 overall selection who doesn't turn 19 until Oct. 27, is tentatively slotted in the No. 2 position at centre, with only Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ahead of him. Fellow 2014 Canadian team picks Nikolaj Ehlers (Winnipeg) and William Nylander (Toronto) will be watched carefully this fall, but none begins so potentially high in the lineup.

TSN.ca is monitoring Draisaitl's training camp performance closely, with Edmonton bureau chief Ryan Rishaug filing regular reports.

Sunday, Oct. 5 - Making the Grade: The coaching staff made its final round of cuts first thing Sunday morning, and Leon Draisaitl made the grade.  Anton Lander, and Jujar Khaira were sent to Oklahoma City, leaving five centres with the team - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl, Marc Arcobello, Boyd Gordon and in a surprise move,  Will Acton.  Draisaitl skated on a line at practice with Benoit Pouliot and Nail Yakapov and looks to be in the lineup for Wednesday's opener against the Flames.  He also centered the team's second power play unit. 

Assessment - There was little doubt that Draisaitl would make the final roster, however, the pace is about to quicken considerably.  His biggest challenge comes this week, as he eyes his first regular season game and the ten-game mark ahead signifying he'll stay for the entire season. 

Saturday, Oct. 4 - Edmonton vs Vancouver: Leon Draisaitl's final preseason game got off to an ugly start Saturday night. Draisaitl was minus two in less than 1:10 of ice time, the Canucks scoring goals on his first two shifts. Neither were directly his fault, but it was a tough start for he and line mates Anton Lander and Nail Yakapov.  In the second period Draisaitl got caught on the ice for over two minutes and was forced to make a bad change due to fatigue, resulting in an odd man rush and a goal for Vancouver. 

He did display his customary creativity, setting up Nail Yakupov several times for great scoring chances, including a beautiful breakaway pass in the middle frame. He also had several chances to score himself, one off a difficult tip in front of the net. Draisaitl played 16:00 minutes, had a minus one rating and was 3/6 in the faceoff circle. 

Assessment - A middle of the way performance from Draisaitl in his third game in four nights. His endurance and pacing is clearly being tested by Dallas Eakins, but he continues to generate scoring chances. However some sloppiness has crept into his game perhaps due to fatigue. Draisaitl is still the second best centre in the organization by quite a margin.  

Friday, Oct. 3 - Day of Rest: Complete day off for the entire team and back on the ice Saturday to face the Canucks.   

Thursday, Oct. 2 - Edmonton vs. Vancouver:  Like a lot of his teammates, Leon Draisaitl looked fatigued playing his second game in as many nights on Thursday. That translated into some sloppy defensive play, and at least one eyebrow raising turnover in his own end.

He continues to work hard, and isn't taking shifts off, but his effectiveness came and went all game. He made several nice plays setting up teammates for scoring chances, picked up a second assist, and nearly scored in the third, but had a tough night in the faceoff circle going 3 for 10. He didn't have as much skill on his line to work with (playing with Joensuu and Purcell) and the Canucks had their entire NHL defence dressed. Draisaitl handled himself well against the higher quality competition.

Assessment - Didn't stand out as much as in the previous game, but even on an off-night didn't hurt his cause.

Wednesday, Oct. 1 - Standout Performance:  Despite going pointless, and minus- 2, this was Leon Draisaitl's best performance as an Oiler. Skating on a line with Jordan Eberle and David Perron, the trio generated a number of scoring chances and looked dangerous most of the night. He and Eberle playing together for the first time and had immediate chemistry. Early in the second, Draisaitl wowed the crowd toe-dragging a pass around a defender and snapping a quick shot off the cross bar from the high slot. He maintained a good pace to his game, playing a healthy 17:20 minutes -- more than any other forward in the game -- and went 5-6 in the face-off circle. He did give a puck away in his own end that eventually led to a goal against but otherwise was decent defensively.

Assessment - Excellent performance, albeit against a watered-down Coyotes lineup. Showed he can generate lots of offence when skating with top players and made a conscious effort to be a shooting threat, not just a passer.  Quickly establishing himself as the Oilers' second-best centre.

Tuesday, Sept. 30 - New Line: Draisaitl found himself with a new look line at practice Tuesday skating alongside David Perron and Jordan Eberle.  The trio will play together Wednesday night against the Arizona Coyotes.  Draisaitl was decent in his last two games, but feels he has yet to hit full stride. " I know that I have to find another level," Draisaitl said after practice Tuesday, "but at the same time, I know that I'm capable of stepping my game up a little more." Head Coach Dallas Eakins says he's happy with Draisaitl so far, but admits from an evaluation standpoint, the real test is about to come. "We all know what's coming next, right? More guys are going to go out the door, and the speed is going to quicken, and there's going to be more (NHL) guys on every team so the next five days for him will be very important."  

Assessment - Continues to get excellent opportunities to show he can keep up with with elite level skill around him. Wednesday will be his most important test to date.

Monday, Sept. 29 - Still Around: Draisaitl survived another round of cuts made following the teams practice Monday. Five players were assigned to Oklahoma City, none of them legitimate threats to take one of the four centre jobs. However, 6 foot 5 Russian Bogdan Yakimov continues to impress and will push Draisaitl, Anton Lander and Marc Arcobello for one of the pivot positions available.

Sunday, Sept. 28 - Edmonton vs. Chicago: It was another relatively quiet night for Leon Draisaitl  in a 5-0 drubbing by the Blackhawks. Draisaitl was held off the score sheet, but did set up David Perron for what should have been a tap in that missed. He was decent in his own end, made good decisions with the puck, and had a strong night in the face off circle. Centering Perron and Nail Yakapov, Draisaitl did outplay both Anton Lander and Marc Arcobello, two older centres he's battling for a spot. Assessment: He didn't hurt his cause with any glaring errors, but on a night where few Oilers displayed any creativity, Draisaitl missed a chance to really stand out. 

Friday, Sept. 26 - Day of Rest: Complete day off for the entire team and back on the ice on Saturday.   

Thursday, Sept. 25 - Back to Practice: Draisaitl remains on a line with Benoit Pouliot and five- foot-nine, 141 pound Russian rookie Vladamir Tkachev who is turning some heads with impressive play.   

Wednesday, Sept. 24 - Edmonton vs. Winnipeg: Draisaitl took a small step backwards Wednesday night with a mediocre performance in Winnipeg. He looked sluggish right from the start (perhaps due to an endurance test Tuesday) and was lacking the creativity and poise he displayed in the game against Calgary.  Draisaitl finished with one shot on net in 15:45 of ice time and won just five of 17 face offs. He also turned the puck over a number of times including in the final minute of a one goal game. Five-on-five he generated little in the way of offence. Day 5 Assessment: Continues to work hard, but below average night at both ends of the ice,  was outplayed by fellow youngsters Bogdan Yakimov and Vladamir Tkachev. 

Tuesday, Sept. 23 - On-ice testing: It was the dreaded RHIET (repeat high intensity endurance test) at camp, but Draisaitl looked strong throughout his six sprints up and down the ice. During the practice portion of the day, he skated on a line with Benoit Pouliot and 5-foot-9, 141 pound winger Russian Vladamir Tkachev. All three are expected to play together Wednesday in Winnipeg - the first game for Draisaitl without offensive winger David Perron on his line. Day 4 Assessment: Draisaitl made it through the endurance test on two feet with all his equipment on and kept up with his group. That's a good day for any player.

Monday, Sept. 22 - Off-day

Sunday, Sept. 21 - Edmonton vs. Calgary: Draisaitl made a fantastic play on his first shift, sending a perfect cross ice pass to Marco Roy for the game's opening goal. Once again playing on a line with David Perron and Benoit Pouliot, they spent most of the night in the offensive zone, Draisaitl creating several scoring chances with his patience and poise. Draisaitl nearly set up another goal in the second period, forcing a turnover in the offensive corner and finding a defenceman in the high slot who fired wide. Draisaitl saw some time on the penalty kill and the power play, making intelligent plays with the majority of his touches. Defensively he is trying to do the right things, coming back deep into his own zone to help out, and putting himself in good spots for the breakout.  He saw time on the power play and penalty kill and made intelligent plays with the majority of his touches.  He was 8-5 (62 per cent) in the faceoff circle. Day 3 Assessment: An excellent start to his exhibition season. As the pace around him goes up, Draisaitl is having no trouble elevating his game.

Saturday, Sept. 20 - Practice: It was back to work early for Draisaitl at an 8:30am practice conducted by Dallas Eakins. The entire Oiler braintrust, from Kevin Lowe down to the scouting staff, eyeballed the proceedings from their corner perch. Draisaitl continues to look at ease skating on a line with David Perron and Benoit Pouliot. He handled the puck with confidence during line rushes and made sharp tape-to-tape passes. When  practice wrapped up, Drasaitl was directed to the faceoff circle by Eakins for faceoff pointers from AHL veteran centre Will Acton. Day 2 Assessment: Overall, a solid day at practice, though Sunday night will be the biggest test yet as he will likely skate in his first NHL exhibition game.

Friday, Sept. 19 - First Day On The Ice: Draisaitl made the most of an opportunity to play with NHLers David Perron and Benoit Pouliot in a full speed scrimmage. Draisaitl's line scored on the game's first shift, again in the second half and was by far the best trio throughout the 3-1 win against a team featuring Mark Arcobello and Anton Lander - two players Draisaitl is battling at centre. Draisaitl showed good speed on a backcheck catching winger Nail Yakupov in a foot race and forcing him wide. "He was good, he can distribute the puck, make a play on his forehand and backhand," said head coach Dallas Eakins.  "He showed some spurts that he does have some speed. There is room for improvement there, but he shows he can do it and he can certainly move the puck, distribute it and he certainly didn't look out of place on the ice." Day 1 Assessment: Overall, it was a good day in which Draisaitl stood out as the best of the centres (No. 1 centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn't play).