After nine games with Edmonton, the Oilers have sent rookie forward Kailer Yamamoto back to junior, assigning the 19-year-old to the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs.
Yamamoto appeared in nine games with the Oilers, posting three assists, two penalty minutes, 21 shots, but was still searching for his first goal of the season.
Despite his mixed performance with the Oilers, Yamamoto was the Oilers’ 22nd overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft in June, and came with a lot of hype.
The 5’8″, 154-pound right winger appeared in 65 games with the Chiefs in 2016-17, leading the team in goals and assists, notching 99 points (42G, 57A), 46 penalty minutes and a plus 14 rating.
He was also named to the 2016-17 WHL Western Conference Second All-Star Team.
If Yamamoto had played 10 games, he would have burned a year of his entry-level contract.
The #Oilers have assigned forward Kailer Yamamoto to the @SpokaneChiefs of @TheWHL. Yamamoto recorded three assists in nine games. pic.twitter.com/RAWkT65Wqe
The Oilers have also recalled Brad Malone from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Bakersfield Condors, after three games with the Oilers this season.
Malone, 28, has posted three points and nine penalty minutes in eight games with Bakersfield this season.
The 6’1″, 210-pound forward has appeared in 179 career NHL games, recording 30 points and 190 penalty minutes.