After career-ending circumstances, Oilers' forward returns as top 3 in prospect pool
According to a recent report, Cult of Hockey analyst ranks Roby Jarventie number-3 in Edmonton's draft-pool, just behind stand-outs Ike Howard and Matt Savoie, and reports that it only took 2 games to convince him Oilers had a very good prospect.
However, since arriving in Edmonton, Roby's rise up the Oilers' draft-chart has all the makings of real life imitating fiction.
Oilers' prospect follows dramatic circumstances to prepare for Edmonton's next training camp
Roby was traded to Edmonton in July, 2024 from Ottawa, following a solid AHL career with the Belleville Senators, producing at close to a point-per-game in his last year with the team, 2023-24.
It turns out, however, that the reason Ottawa even considered trading away Jarventie was because of his history of knee injuries, which limited him to only half the 2022-23 season, and only 22 games in 2023-24.
So, when Roby arrived in Edmonton, he wasn't fully recovered and wasn't able to participate in Oilers' rookie camp, training camp, or the AHL training camp, and missed the first month with Bakersfield in 2024-25.
When he finally did recover, Jarventie showed why Ottawa was reluctant to trade him, and why Edmonton took a chance on him, despite his knee injuries. In his two games with Bakersfield, he was by far the best player on the ice.
He is a high end passer," an Oilers' top-prospect analyst said. "It is clear that he is a sizeable man and is strong - he uses his frame in puck protection and battles in the hard areas of the offensive zone. Jarventie is a smart and polished offensive player, very good with the puck on his stick."
It turns out, though, that he had played hurt in the two games with the Condors, and aggravated his knee injury, such that he needed surgery, ending his season abruptly.
Jarventie thought his NHL career was over, and returned to Finland, where reports indicated Roby had agreed to sign with his hometown team, assuming the Oilers were no longer interested him.
That was not the case, however. During Edmonton's second playoff-run in the Stanley Cup Finals last year, Stan Bowman signed the restricted free agent to a 1-year, 2-way contract at a cap hit of $775K, and is now ready to continue his development with the Oilers.
David Staples' expectation for Jarventie is, presuming fully healthy and recovered from in-season knee surgery with the ability to hockey train this off-season, Jarventie is a point per game player in the AHL and is the first forward call-up from the Oilers.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 29 | 230 ANSWERS After career-ending circumstances, Oilers' forward returns as top 3 in prospect pool Should Roby Jarventie continue his development in the AHL? | ||
| yes | 175 | 76.1 % |
| no | 55 | 23.9 % |
| List of polls | ||