The Oilers have made a pair of roster moves today in advance of their game tonight against Colorado. The team announced (Twitter link) that forward James Hamblin has been assigned to Bakersfield of the AHL. So too has Justin Bailey after he cleared waivers earlier today following having his AHL deal converted to an NHL one on Friday.
The 23-year-old has been a nice success story for Edmonton this season. After playing well with the Condors last season, the team gave the undrafted free agent a two-year, entry-level contract back in March with the hopes he’d eventually play his way into an NHL opportunity. He had a strong stretch in training camp before being one of their final cuts.
Hamblin got off to another good start in the minors with nine points in 15 games, earning himself a recall in late November. He had been up with Edmonton since then, seeing action in ten games. While he didn’t record a point, he won over 64% of his faceoffs while logging just shy of nine minutes a night. However, Hamblin has played just once in the last two and a half weeks which isn’t ideal for a prospect so he’ll head back to the Condors where he’ll see more regular ice time. As a result of his demotion, the Oilers now have an open spot on their active roster.