BLOG: Oilers separate forwards and defence for skills day

EDMONTON, AB – The Oilers split up practice on Tuesday as they look to win their seventh straight game tomorrow when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The forwards and goaltenders went to work on the main ice at Rogers Place while the defence occupied the Downtown Community Arena. Head Coach Jay Woodcroft has experimented with this type of practice in the past, but with the Oilers lighter schedule this week, it gave the staff the ability to not only focus on the team game, but the individual game as well.

“I think a day like today, which we would call almost ‘position-specific’, allows you to work at different parts of your individual game relative to your position,” Woodcroft said. “We started doing this in the American Hockey League. We would have development weeks. The schedule is a little bit different down there, but the way we would phrase it to some of the young fellas down there was that it was their turn to invest in their own personal corporation, work at their own game. 

“It wasn’t about team structure or team tactics, it was about feeling good with different areas of their own personal game,” he added.

Video: RAW | Jay Woodcroft 01.24.23

The Oilers structure has been excellent for almost all the month of January. Edmonton has allowed three or fewer goals in every game they have deployed 11 forwards and seven defencemen this month and eight-of-10 games overall. The commitment and buy-in to the team game opens up practices like Tuesday to play a little more with the puck.  

“I think it’s good once in a while. You’re touching the puck a lot, feeling good with it, shooting it a lot and making little plays whereas a full-team practice is a lot of systems and stuff, and you’re not touching the puck as much,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said about the session. “It’s a little more like what you do in summer where you’re working on your skills and doing your individual stuff. I think as players, we want to do that once in a while and feel good about our game.”

After a very busy month of December where the Oilers suited up for 15 games in 31 and then 10 games in the first 21 days of January, the team will only play two games between Jan. 22 and Feb. 6.

Video: RAW | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 01.24.23

Typically, the chance to rest and reset the body over the All-Star Break is a major positive for teams, however this year’s break may come at a poor time for the Oilers. Edmonton has been humming along prior to the recess, winning their last six contests. Regardless of the schedule, the Oilers head coach keeps the focus on ‘the day’s business’ and preparing for Wednesday night’s competitor.

“We take the schedule as it comes. There’s an old saying in hockey, sometimes you get the schedule and sometimes schedule gets you,” Woodcroft said. “For me, the way this week presented itself offered a unique opportunity to work at different areas of our game. I thought we’ve had a productive couple of days, but in the end, it’s about preparing to play against a very competitive Columbus Blue Jackets team that is going to play us hard tomorrow night.”