Podkolzin had a heavyweight fight with Oilers prospect last season
The Edmonton Oilers made a trade with the Vancouver Canucks over the weekend to bring forward Vasily Podkolzin to the Alberta capitalāand it turns out the Russian has already become familiar with at least one player in the Oilers system.
It’s been tough sledding for the 23-year-old Podkolzin, who hasn’t been able to live up to his high draft billing since being selected 10th overall by the Canucks in 2019. He’s been up and down in the AHL and NHL for the last couple of years and has not been able to take that next step.
One of the selling points about his game is his toughness. Podkolzin stands at 6’1″ and 190 lbs and is not afraid to drop the gloves if the situation demands that.
The Oilers should know that as he got into a heavyweight tussle with Edmonton prospect Raphael Lavoie last season in an AHL game between the Bakersfield Condors and Abbotsford Canucks.
It was quite a good fight to watch.
Ice rink or boxing ring? The Condors are bringing the heat, and this is only the start.
Lavoie with the 2nd fight of the night š„#CondorsTown pic.twitter.com/ipwrFs5TLJ
— Bakersfield Condors (@Condors) January 28, 2024
It was a brave fight for Podkolzin to engage in as Lavoie, who isn’t typically a fighter, was much taller than him at 6’4″ and 216 lbs. Even so, the former first-round pick held his own and was able to land a few good punches in what amounted to a draw.
Podkolzin and Lavoie will be skating alongside each other when Oilers training camp opens up in September, but just because the two will be on the same team doesn’t mean the competition will stop.
Both players will enter camp fighting for an NHL job, and given that both Lavoie and Podkolzin are wingers, they will be in direct competition with each other to land the limited amount of spots available on the NHL roster.
The ex-Canuck has the edge when it comes to NHL experience, having appeared in 137 games as compared to Lavoie’s seven. What Lavoie does have is a much more consistent track record of production, having 25 or more goals in each of his last two AHL seasons. Podkolzin, on the other hand, only had 28 total points in the AHL last year.
They say it’s better to be at least a little familiar than not at all when it comes to going to a new team. Though it may not have been on the friendliest of terms, Podkolzin knows a little bit about the Oilers.