Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto will be back with the Edmonton Oilers.
That’s the word from president of hockey operations and general manager Peter Chiarelli after he sent the two 20-year-old forwards to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors on Saturday.
“With Jesse, it’s about getting his confidence back,” Chiarelli said. “I thought he had a strong camp. It didn’t translate to start.
“You could see some of the frustration in his game.”
Puljuarvi, drafted fourth overall by the Oilers in 2016, has one goal in 11 games this season.
Yamamoto, taken 22nd overall in 2017, has a goal and an assist in 12 games.
Listen below: Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli talks about Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto.
“I thought he played pretty well as a complementary player. He was responsible. I thought he supported well,” Chiarelli said of Yamamoto. “For him, it’s about finishing. Go down there and finish your opportunities. He did have a lot of opportunities up here, and I didn’t want his confidence to struggle either.”
Chiarelli didn’t give a timeline for either player returning to the NHL. He said they both need to get more touches and ice time with the Condors than they’ve been getting with the Oilers.
Watch below: On Oct. 4, 2017, Quinn Phillips filed this report about Kailer Yamamoto, who made the Edmonton Oilers team to start the 2017-18 NHL season.
The Oilers will need Puljujarvi and Yamamoto to provide secondary scoring at some point. The team’s offence has been driven by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Only Drake Caggiula and Alex Chiasson have shown extended bursts of depth scoring.
“We’ve seen it from a couple of players. Other players are generating chances, but it’s about converting,” said Chiarelli, who feels Milan Lucic is playing better than he did last season, despite have just one goal on the year. “He’s moving a lot better. He’s making a lot more plays. He’s made more plays in this segment of games than he made all of last year. Those are defensive wall plays, cycle plays, power play plays.
“He’s snake bitten. He’s had a lot of chances.”
Lucic has only two goals in his last 62 games.
Forward Cooper Marody has been called up from Bakersfield. He has 10 points in seven AHL games. Marody, 21, played two games with the Oilers earlier this season.
The Oilers (8-7-1) will be trying to break a three-game losing streak Sunday night when they host the Colorado Avalanche. Catch the game on 630 CHED with the Faceoff Show at 6 p.m. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.