New Oilers third line centre excels in first game after call up to NHL

The Oilers have been in search for a third line combination all season as Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic haven't met expectations. Before wading into the trade market, the Oilers are giving a look to their next best internal option with Samanski - and last night was a great first step.

The 23-year old Germany rookie was given the third line centre assignment, but didn't get a ton of ice time against Anaheim. However, he was still effective in his 7 minutes of ice time.

Samanski was a +2, handedly won his faceoffs, and showed the raw talents necessary to be an NHLer. He also just missed a prime scoring chance directly in the slot. With his size and speed, some more development time could lead to him becoming a full time NHL player.

Analytically, Samanski's numbers showed that he was a positive contributor in their two-way play.

His countryman Leon Draisaitl was also impressed with Samanski's play, adding that he believes he can be a full-time NHLer with some extra work. Surely, Draisaitl will be taking the young German under his wing.

With just a few weeks to go until the Olympic break, it's likely that Samanski will stay with the Oilers until before traveling to Milan to represent Germany.

For a young European free agent signing just this offseason, Samanski has shown a great ability to adapt to North American hockey, and shows real promise to be a part of the Oilers future.

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