REGINA PATS - JORDAN EBERLE - TONIGHTS GAME COULD BE HIS LAST GAME WITH EDMONTON OILERS

By: Jim Matheson, edmonton journal.com

September 24, 2009

Last Oilers dance for Schremp and Eberle?

EDMONTON — With the numbers game in the Edmonton Oilers’ training camp, tonight’s pre-season game in Winnipeg against the Tampa Bay Lightning could be the last audition for forwards Rob Schremp and Jordan Eberle.

Schremp, who has played two exhibition games, will have to clear NHL waivers to stay with the organization, if he doesn’t make the big team. Eberle, who has had a strong pre-season, can still return to the Regina Pats’ juniors.

“I think I can compete against men in the NHL... but I can’t control what happens. It’s part of hockey if I don’t make it,” said Eberle, a 175-pound winger who hasn’t had any trouble competing for space or loose pucks in the offensive zone. “If I have to go back to Regina, I’ll have a shot at playing in the world juniors. The guys in Regina haven’t been bothering me (about returning). They know what my goals are and they’re trying to leave me alone.”

Schremp, who will play centre with Eberle and Dustin Penner in Winnipeg, has played three full years in the minors. He has continually come up short for regular NHL employment, and he has stopped worrying about the numbers’ situation. This might be his last Oilers’ game, but he’s not dwelling on it. “I haven’t thought about that. I’m just worried about tonight’s game,” said Schremp.

“Schremp is a skilled guy. We could have a team picture of guys with similar skills... and to pick one over the other right now I don’t know if we can do that,” said coach Pat Quinn. “Clearly in the past, the team has decided to go with Gagner and Cogliano and others and Schremp got left on the side. But we know he has terrific skills with the puck. It’s not going to be an easy call.”

Taken from the Edmonton Oilers Web Site: OILERS TO WATCH TONIGHT: As good as Jordan Eberle has been playing, he is yet to produce a point in his first NHL preseason career. He is running out of time so he’s going to have to push it a little harder every game if he doesn’t want to be handed a plane ticket back to junior.

At the end of the first period, it was Tampa 2-0, only to have the Oilers come back and tie the game 2-2 after two periods. Edmonton took the lead only to have Tampa Bay score late in the game to force over time. Martin St. Louis scored in the dying seconds of overtime to give the Lightning a 4-3 victory.

Eberle, who didn’t get any points against an NHL-ready Tampa Bay squad with all its big guns dressed, is in the same boat as Schremp. It may have been his last Oiler game, but only until next year. He can go back to junior, in Regina. He probably needed a resounding game, but didn’t get one. He wasn’t bad, but he continued to be snakebit in close. He’s played four pre-season games and doesn’t have a point, never a good thing for an offensive guy.