Okotoks, AB (September 27, 2025) – The Okotoks Oilers are set to face the Spruce Kings in Prince George for their lone game of the weekend.
The Oilers and Spruce Kings met only once last season, marking the first time both franchises had ever met in a regular-season game. The Green and Gold came out on top with a 6-3 final. Joey Meredith (Toledo, OH) would score the game-winning goal for his first as an Okotoks Oiler during the 2024-2025 season.
Tonight will mark the only time the Oilers and Prince George will meet this season. The Oilers are looking for their first win of the season, while the Spruce Kings are coming off a 7-2 win against the Surrey Eagles. While the Oilers haven’t been able to pick up a win to start the season, they have led in both games they have played.
“I think it was a good building block. One thing that we are doing way more of this year is the point side. We’re scoring a lot. So you reflect on these games, we’re fine with what we’re putting up, but we have to do a way better job on the defensive side and keep their score down,” Oilers Assistant coach Reid Hnatowich said.
“So, that’s on the aggressiveness in our D zone, that’s going into situations where we’re managing it more, good sticks, preventing plays, more awareness, more communication for our guys. We’re doing some positive things with the sense of what we’re putting up. Right now, it’s how do we get the shots against down, which is a big thing, and then how do we ultimately get their goals down.”
Oilers assistant captain, Ryder de Nys (Canmore, AB), agreed that the team has shown their scoring touch, but wants the team to play a bit tighter defensively.
“I think that’s what we have really been focusing on in practice. We know teams are going to push back hard, and when they do that, we need to make sure that we’re more detailed in our defensive game and our puck management in order to counteract that pushback from them,” de Nys said about the Oilers holding onto a lead. “I guess overall, just play a smarter game in order to eliminate those chances.”
One thing that has clicked with the team is their special teams, as they are tied for second place in the BCHL with a 33.3 power play percentage.
“I think one positive has been the power play for sure. Obviously, it was nice to get that in that first game, and then apart from that, our five-on-five game. Our speed has been there, we’ve dominated periods, we’ve won periods, but now it’s just being able to string together a full 60 and really focus on those details that we need to clean up in order to get the win there,” de Nys added.
One of the Oilers’ rocks in the first two games has been goaltender Ben Vatis (Vancouver, BC), who faced a total of 92 shots combined to start the season.
“He’s been huge in those first couple of games. He made a ton of stops when we needed him. It’s a little freeing when you have a guy that’s strong back there, and it helps you play free up front. But, having said that, we definitely need to make his job easier going forward, for whoever is in net, we need to limit the shots against and like I said, doing those things and cleaning up those things,” de Nys said about Vatis.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Hnatowich added about Vatis. “He was part of this program last year, right? I think with a D-core that is very much fresh, with the exception of three guys, he’s been like a building block, not only in what you see, like in the games, but his communication and practice, how he dictates what he does and how assertive he is. He’s been a huge part; he’s playing unbelievably well, and we need to make his job easier.”
Vatis joked by saying, “Well, it’s always nice to have some action” after being asked how he deals with 92 shots in two games.
“I enjoy games where I get 50 shots rather than games where I get 20, 25 shots,” Vatis said. He would also add that when you get less shots, more are likely to be quality chances, whereas when you get peppered with shots, there will be shots that come from non-dangerous portions of the ice, and it helps him get in the rhythm.
“Honestly, I do feel like I get more energetic, just because we face a lot of shots in practice, so I feel like I’m already pretty well conditioned and facing all those shots in practice is really good prep for games,” Vatis said about not getting gassed after facing a ton of shots.
Vatis mentioned that there will be some growing pains with some of the younger guys adjusting from youth to junior hockey, but he has seen the advancements of his teammates already.
“We’re getting better every game. We have younger guys, and we have guys making the adjustment from youth hockey to junior. I’ve done the same thing, but every single game, we’re getting better, we’re emphasizing things, and we’re fixing little things that we can work on because we are not playing bad, but just little mistakes, and we’ll continue to get better at that throughout the season,” Vatis added.
de Nys is excited to see this group grow together and thinks the leadership will help lead this team to success.
“I think one thing I have noticed earlier on here is with an older group, just a lot of leadership from around the room. A lot of guys that have a lot of experience from different leagues. We have a lot of captains from old teams when I was back in minor hockey, high school, you know, we have a lot of good characters in the room. I think that will be a big thing once we get into those tighter games and those games down the stretch. I think that’s going to be big for us,” de Nys added.
“I think it’s a very focused group. We got a lot of hockey nerds so to speak with them wanting to be here and wanting to get better. There’s a lot of pace in which they can play at, we’ve seen it in the scores and the playmaking, and then with the power play being a big component, they can bring an element of speed, but they also have awareness to make plays, right? So it’s not just being super quick, but how do you play with a pace and then how do you put yourself in situations where you can set guys up, make passes and make plays,” Hnatowich said.
“Love the group, love the guys. We need to make sure that we’re managing to keep their score down.”
Puck drop for tonights game in Prince George is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MST.
The Okotoks Oilers are a not-for-profit, community-run junior hockey franchise competing in the BCHL and operating out of Viking Rentals Centre. For more information, visit okotoksoilers.com or follow the Oilers on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
