Wake up and smell the pumpkin spice; Edmonton Oilers rookie camp starts this Friday, September 11th, and the main camp begins on September 15th. Which dark horses could make an impact? I’m not going to include players like Ike Howard, Ty Emberson, Josh Samanski, or Spencer Stastney. They have a decent chance to make the team or be in the press box. Let’s take a look at ten lesser-known players who could surprise:

Top Ten Dark Horses

1. Mathieu Joseph – RW/LW, 6-1, 189 lbs., 29 years old.

In my opinion, the two-time Stanley Cup champion has the best chance in this group to make the roster. Mathieu Joseph is exactly the kind of player the Oilers need. He is a speedy, defensively responsible winger. The Laval product is also a strong penalty killer, aggressive forechecker, and gets under the skin of the opposition. Joseph would work well on a shutdown line with Jason Dickinson and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. His production dropped off last year with the Blues and Kings, as he only had 2 goals and 9 assists in 51 games. However, the winger is only two years removed from one of his best seasons. Joseph put up 11 goals and 24 assists in 72 games with the Sens. His former Ottawa coach is now an associate coach with Edmonton. Possible fit: bottom-six winger

2. Eduards Tralmaks – LW/RW/C, 6-4, 225 lbs., 29 years old.

The Riga native has several assets that the Oilers could use. For a heavy player, he skates well, can protect the puck, and has a good shot. Seeing video of him in action in the AHL is impressive, and his scoring was in the 96th percentile in the Czech Extraliga. Tralmaks had 26 goals and 16 assists in 64 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins last year. His 21 five-on-five goals were........

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