{"id":921519,"date":"2026-10-05T13:10:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/921519\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T13:10:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:10:10","slug":"edmonton-oilers-have-found-hidden-gem-in-owen-michaels-the-hockey-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/921519\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmonton Oilers Have Found Hidden Gem in Owen Michaels – The Hockey Writers –"},"content":{"rendered":"

Owen Michaels<\/a> is living proof that offensive totals don\u2019t tell the whole story when it comes to a player. Not much was made of the fact that the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> signed the undrafted college free agent last spring<\/a>. It felt like more of an organizational depth signing than anything else, as the 24-year-old had a modest 13 goals and 26 points in 39 games as a junior for Michigan State University.<\/p>\n

Those totals suggested that Michaels had a very slim chance of developing into an NHLer, let alone making the Oilers\u2019 opening night roster. That is why many fans had to quickly look him up to see where he came from after it had been confirmed he had made the team<\/a>. While there may have initially been some questions from the fan base, it\u2019s already becoming quite clear why Michaels has indeed been able to carve out a role on this Oilers squad.<\/p>\n

Michaels Excelling in All Areas<\/p>\n

As suggested by his college totals from last season, Michaels is by no means a player that\u2019s going to make a name for himself as a prolific point producer. Players in similar boats need to make sure their attention to detail is superb, and Michaels has absolutely mastered that.<\/p>\n

Through his first three NHL games, Michaels has played a depth role, averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time. When thrown on the ice, however, he has provided the Oilers with nothing but solid minutes. He\u2019s seemingly never out of position in the defensive zone, has great details, and, for good measure, has already scored two goals. Perhaps most important of all, his teammates are fully aware of what he\u2019s provided so far.<\/p>\n

Following the Oilers\u2019 first win of the season<\/a> against the Vancouver Canucks, Connor McDavid rewarded the rookie forward<\/a> with the player-of-the-game award. It was an excellent recognition of a player who is doing everything in his power to gain the trust of head coach Mike Babcock. So far, so good in that regard.<\/p>\n

\"OwenEdmonton Oilers forward Owen Michaels (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cMich\u2019s done an unbelievable job,\u201d Babcock said following Saturday\u2019s 3-1 win<\/a> over the Seattle Kraken. \u201cHe\u2019s come in here, he has confidence, he has swagger. He wasn\u2019t a big-time scorer, he was a player. He\u2019s out there winning faceoffs and cross-checking people. He\u2019s always in video in the right spots. I don\u2019t know how that happened and I don\u2019t know how we got him, but we\u2019re lucky to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is some heaping praise from a head coach in Babcock who, at least in the past, has been known to be especially hard on his younger players. While it\u2019s still early in the season and plenty can change, it\u2019s clear that Michaels has made a great impression on the veteran bench boss so far. It\u2019s also far from the only time Babcock has been complimentary<\/a> of his game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big guys played well, Michaels\u2019 line played really good, Michaels was \u2026 thank goodness for him,\u201d Babcock said after the Oilers\u2019 first win of the season against the Canucks.<\/p>\n

Stepping Up for Injury-Riddled Oilers<\/p>\n

Through the opening three games of the season, the Oilers have racked up five of a possible six points. That is a fairly impressive feat given that they are missing several pieces<\/a> from their roster including Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matt Savoie, and Jason Dickinson. With those players out of the lineup, Babcock and his staff desperately needed others to step up and fill the void, and Michaels has certainly done that.<\/p>\n

Given how inexperienced he is at the professional level, there will still be some learning curves for Michaels going forward. That said, he looks like he has true potential to be an everyday NHLer going forward. It\u2019s been a very impressive find by general manager (GM) Stan Bowman, especially given how little draft picks and prospects the Oilers organization has.<\/p>\n

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