Remembering the 2012-13 Oil Kings

This was supposed to be the year that the Oil Kings would repeat as Ed Chynoweth champions and make a return trip to the Memorial Cup.  After all, they dominated the Eastern Conference again on their way to the top seed, and cut through Kootenay and Medicine Hat before winning a hard-fought series against hated rival Calgary.  Alas, it was not meant to be, as they ran into a Portland team that not only took home the Scotty Munro Trophy (a trophy the Oil Kings won the year before), but also a Portland team that was seeking to take home the Ed Chynoweth for the first time in three tries and in the process, avenge last year's defeat at the hands of the very same Oil Kings.

Yes, the Oil Kings had the suffocating defense, thanks to the goaltending of Laurent Brossoit and the blue line that featured the likes of Griffin Reinhart and Keegan Lowe, but they also had some offense, thanks to players such as Michael St. Croix, Travis Ewanyk, and Trevor Cheek.  A mid-season trade for David Musil bolstered an already potent defense in their hopes for a repeat.  Along the way however, the Oil Kings lost Cheek and Reinhart to injury, and with a Winterhawks team that remained largely healthy (they lost Preston Kopeck in game 4 of the Oil Kings' series), the Oil Kings just didn't have enough to overcome the waves of talent the Winterhawks had.

As for who the Oil Kings will be able to count on for next season, Tristan Jarry will be the goaltender, and in limited action, he played very well.  Curtis Lazar is eligible for the NHL Draft this year, and barring an NHL team's desperation, is almost certain to return.  Odds are also in favor of Mitchell Moroz, Dysin Mayo, Ashton Sautner, and Stephane Legault returning.  No word on who the overagers will be next season, but they will have fairly big skates to fill, as Cheek, TJ Foster, and Dylan Wruck were pretty good players as the oldest players on the squad.

As the Oil Kings' season came to an end last night, one has to be reminded just how well the Oil Kings have done in recent seasons, both on and off the ice.  It wasn't long ago that the Oil Kings were an expansion franchise, but thanks to the play of the likes of Lazar, Henrik Samuelsson, Reinhart, Brossoit, and Mark Pysyk, the Oil Kings have not only turned into a team to watch in the Central Division, but they also started a new chapter with a rivalry against the Calgary Hitmen and have also done quite well in the NHL Draft, with Pysyk, Samuelsson, and Reinhart all being first round picks, and there's a possibility that Lazar could join them this year.