Cast a wide net and you never know what you might catch.
The Okotoks Oilers’ search for recruits landed them a pair of promising American forwards in Colin O’Neill and Tanner Schachle who’ve travelled in opposite directions to land in the same spot wearing Oilers colours in 2015-16.
“We still like Alberta kids and want to have as many Alberta kids as we can, but if you can find some quality players that check out as good kids you can definitely move forward,” Oilers head coach James Poole said. “Sometimes kids that are from farther away from here, they settle a little bit better because they’re away from other distractions.
“Whereas sometimes the Calgary kids that are here are so close to family and friends that it’s tough to separate yourself and focus on hockey.”
Proximity to home won’t be a problem for O’Neill, the Odenton, Maryland native who has been on skates practically since he started walking.
“My dad was a big fan. When I was about two or three he put me on skates,” said O’Neill, who grew up idolizing the nearest NHL team – the Washington Capitals and their superstars Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin. “I played about 20 minutes from my hometown. We had a pretty good youth team actually.”
“Maryland is not seen as a hockey hotbed, but there is actually a good amount of Division I players currently playing. We all skate together in the summer so there is a pretty good group of guys.”
Recruited out of high school by NCAA Division I powerhouse UMass-Lowell, where former Oiler John Edwardh is in his sophomore year, O’Neill spent two seasons of junior in the North American Hockey League with South Dakota’s Aberdeen Wings.
“I was looking for a different place to play this season and the Lowell coaches consider this a really good place to play,” O’Neill said.
“I did a little research and saw this was a really good town and the (Oilers) have always done really well, are always a top team. I thought it would be a great fit.”
So far, so good.
O’Neill has found a home on Okotoks’ top-line with Matt McNair and Trey Degraaf. All three skaters are in the top-10 in league scoring with O’Neill sitting first in assists, 12, and tied for fourth in points, 14.
First impressions for the 20-year-old upon arrival have been nothing but positive.
“I think it’s a really good league, it’s fast. We have a young team this year, but we’re definitely really skilled and are going to compete every night,” O’Neill added. “Okotoks, it’s probably the nicest junior town I’ve been to. I’m really happy I chose to come here.”
The relative veteran on the squad, O’Neill is one of just three 1995-born skaters on the roster alongside McNair and blueliner Connor Chambers.
“It’s definitely a bit of a gamble – you don’t know a ton about the kid, but the UMass-Lowell coaching staff had good things to say about him,” Poole added.
“We felt pretty confident with us not having too many 20-year-olds that we could get a guy that might be able to reach his potential here and provide a good example for the younger players.”
On a team bereft of size in the forward ranks, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Schachle was what the doctor ordered for the Oilers brass.
“We saw we needed some depth and some size up-front so it was kind of the perfect fit for us,” Poole said. “He’s still a little bit raw in his game, but he has a lot of potential as a player.”
A product of Alaska’s third largest city, Wasilla, Schachle rose through the AA/AAA ranks as a high-school hockey player before setting off for Kenai River, some 200 miles away, last season.
“That’s our sport, in high school it’s hockey,” he said.
“It’s the same hockey season as here, summer would consist of going on a travel team.”
The 18-year-old sought a change of scenery in the off-season after skating with the NAHL’s Kenai River Brown Bears in 2014-15.
“I was the youngest guy on my team, it was fun, but a tough year for me and the team. We didn’t do very well. I was just looking for something new,” Schachle said.
“(Okotoks) sent me some pamphlets to show the rink, the lockers and stuff like that, but other than that I was kind of shooting in the dark because we as Americans don’t know much about this league.
“I was nervous at first, but it’s definitely awesome now that I’m here.”
