Virden, MB – The Virden Oil Capitals have signed eight new recruits for the 2016/2017 Season.
GM & Head Coach Troy Leslie along with Director of Player Personnel Chad Leslie have brought in a recruiting class that adds size, speed and skill to both the forward and defense positions while adding a pair of very talented goaltenders.
Moosomin, Saskatchewan
1998 – Forward
Yorkton AAA Maulers
Skulmoski jumps the border into Manitoba after a successful season in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA League and a short stint in the SJHL.
The 18 year old forward scored 23 points in 42 games for the Maulers while also appearing in one game with the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers.
The 5’11 forward played three seasons with the Maulers, totalling 45 points in 118 games.
QUOTES
“Drayson is a tenacious, pesky, hard nosed forward. He plays hard defensively, draws penalties and is always in the opponents face.”
-Head Coach Troy Leslie
“Drayson is a 200 foot, competitive player. He has a great skill set and a terrific work ethic. He is a hard guy to play against and is a team first guy.” – Asst GM Chad Leslie
Drayson Skulmoski – Elite Prospects
Beausejour, Maniotba
1998- Forward
Eastman AAA Selects
Kolten comes to the Oil Caps after a stellar season as captain of the Eastman Selects.
In 43 games, the Beausejour native scored 30 times and added 19 assists for 49 points as the Selects fell in the League Final to the Winnipeg Wild.
Kanaski stands 5’10 and weighs in at 186 pounds is also known for playing with an edge. An attribute that showed with his 78 penalty minutes last season.
Kanaski also suited up for the Oil Caps on one occasion last season, being held pointless in a shootout win over the Steinbach Pistons.
QUOTES
“When we brought Kolten up last year, he had a very good showing. He is a great leader and a guy that finds a way to contribute night in and night out.” -Head Coach Troy Leslie
“Kolten was an extremely valuable player for Eastman. He competes, plays with an edge and has an excellent skill set. He was a captain in midget and is a natural leader.” -Asst GM Chad Leslie
Kolten Kanaski – Elite Propects
Brandon, Manitoba
1998 – Goalie
Brandon AAA Wheat Kings
Petersen joins the Oil Caps after two stellar seasons with the AAA Wheaties that included a Goaltender of the Year award in 2014-2015.
The Brandon native lead his club to the MBAAA Finals that season, losing to Ben Dalke and the Pembina Valley Hawks.
QUOTES
“Petey has performed very well at the AAA Midget level. He is also familiar with our program as he practiced and travelled with the club during our playoff run” -Head Coach Troy Leslie
“A former AAA Midget goalie of the year, Josh followed that up with another great year. Josh is a character kid and had been a real good fit with our team.” -Asst GM Chad Leslie
Josh Petersen – Elite Prospects
Kenora, Ontario
1998 – Forward
Kenora AAA Thistles
Lentz adds some size to the Oil Caps forward core coming in to camp at 6’2, 186 pounds.
The 18 year old forward scored 4 goals and added 9 assists in 30 games last season for the Thistles.
Lentz, along with Hunter Buzzi (Oil Caps Prospect) lead the Thistles to the Telus Cup Western Regionals in Saskatoon where the finished with a record of 1-1-1.
QUOTES
“Skylar skates well for a big guy. He skates really well and adds even more size to our forward group. ” -Head Coach Troy Leslie
“Skylar is a big body forward who gets around the rink extremely well. His ability to get in on top of opposing d-men, combined with his size and intelligence lead to a lot of turnovers for his team. He was a big part of his teams success in the playoffs and Telus Cup Regionals.”
-Asst GM Chad Leslie
Skylar Lentz – Elite Prospects
Strasbourg, Saskatchewan
1998 – Forward
Tisdale AAA Trojans
Korytko comes to Westman from Tisdale, SK where he put up 11 goals and 22 points in 44 games while taking his team to the Saskatchewan AAA Midget Finals where they lost to Oil Caps draft pick Justin Lee and the Notre Dame Hounds in five games.
Korytko stands 6’2 and weighs in at 190 pounds.
QUOTES
“Jesse had a strong camp in Virden. He adds size and skill to our forward group.” -Head Coach Troy Leslie
“Jesse had a strong second half and an excellent playoff run with Tisdale. At 6’2, he has a great frame and excellent feet. He is hard to handle when he takes the puck to the net.” -Asst GM Chad Leslie
Jesse Korytko – Elite Prospects
Calgary, Alberta
1998 – Goalie
Swiss International Sports & Education Centre
McVeigh earned a spot on the Oil Caps 50 man list after a stellar performance at the 2016 Spring Camp.
The 18 year old goaltender spent last season with the Swiss International Sports Centre in the International Hockey Academy. The same league as Oil Caps prospect Brayden Pawluk (Pilot Mound Buffalos)
McVeigh played over 1200 minutes and had a SVP of .923.
QUOTES
“Riley came into our spring camp and performed really well. He turned a lot of heads with our goalie coach and scouts.” -Head Coach Troy Leslie
Riley McVeigh – Elite Prospects
Kenora, Ontario
1998- Defense
Kenora AAA Thistles
Connor is just the 2nd defenseman to put pen to paper this off season and comes to the Oil Caps after a solid season with the Kenora AAA Midget Thistles.
The 6’1 rearguard played in 44 games this season and scored twice, while adding 13 assists on a Thistles team that went all the way to the Telus Cup Regionals.
Keith, who showed well at the Oil Caps spring camp joins teammate Skylar Lentz as the 2nd Thistle on the Oil Caps roster.
QUOTES
“Connor is a stay at home, big strong defenseman that played a lot of minutes down the stretch for Kenora. Connor’s physicality and leadership will be a valuable addition to our club.” -Asst GM Chad Leslie
Connor Keith – Elite Prospects
Virden, Manitoba
1998 – Defenseman
Southwest AAA Cougars
Tristen joins the Oil Caps full time this season after appearing in 18 regular season games and six playoff games for Virden last season.
The 6’0, 185 pound defenseman spent last season with the Southwest Cougars, scoring two goals and adding eight assists in 19 games.
QUOTES
“Tristen stepped in during the playoffs last year and did an outstanding job. We are looking forward to him coming in and contributing right away.” -Head Coach Troy Leslie
“Last year when Tristen went back to AAA Midget he was excellent. He is a skilled, dynamic player who competes hard.” – Asst GM Chad Leslie