DEV CAMP: Team Messier take Billy Moores Cup

EDMONTON, AB - The kids are alright.
Kailer Yamamoto notched three points, Evan Bouchard flashed his heavy one-timer and Ryan McLeod displayed his speed at the 2018 Billy Moores Cup, as Team Messier defeated Team Gretzky 4-2 at Downtown Community Rink Thursday night.
"It was a lot of fun," said McLeod post-game. "When you play with two guys as good as them (Bouchard and Yamamoto) it's easy to read off them and they're good at getting pucks back and finding you."

billy moores cup

VIDEOS
OILERS TODAY | Billy Moores Cup
HIGHLIGHTS | Billy Moores Cup 2018
CAMP RAW | Howson
CAMP RAW | Yamamoto
CAMP RAW | Bouchard
BLOGS
DEV CAMP: McLeod's speed on display
DEV CAMP: Dudek's athleticism
DEV CAMP: Maksimov impresses
PHOTO GALLERY
Billy Moores Cup
Kirill Maksimov scored both goals for Team Gretzky, who won last year's battle 9-5 in Jasper, AB.
"I thought the pace stayed up," said Oilers Vice President of Player Development Scott Howson of the game. "We had some different situations, in terms of more or less players on the ice."
Team Messier featured Yamamoto, Bouchard, McLeod as well as J.D. Dudek, Cooper Marody, Dmitri Samorukov, Ostap Safin, Vincent Desharnais, Michael Kesselring, Shane Starrett, Olivier Rodrigue and Graham McPhee.
The Oilers 22nd-overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft, none other than Yamamoto, opened the scoring by tucking home a tap-in after some masterful puck movement.
Yamamoto entered the offensive zone, sent the puck to Bouchard, then got it right back heading to the net. Yamamoto then kicked the puck to McLeod at the goal-line, who waited for Yamamoto to get into position at the side of the cage. Yamamoto finished it for the 1-0 lead.
"You get an idea of what their game is like," said McLeod. "On the bench, you mention stuff to them and tell them plays you like to do. Me and Kailer were talking out there because we were playing 4-on-4 together."

Then, Bouchard gave the fans what they wanted.
The Oilers 2018 10th-overall selection showed his highly-touted slapper, crushing the puck top shelf with a one-timer after Yamamoto teed him up, making it 2-0 Team Messier.
"There was some chemistry there," said Howson. "Some of the cream rose to the top. You saw Kailer get a couple goals and Bouchard made some plays."
The club continued their offensive assault when McPhee extended the lead to 3-0, nipping twine with a nifty backhander. Bouchard received another helper on the play.
The two first-rounders, Bouchard and Yamamoto, displayed chemistry again late in the 1st. Yamamoto feathered the puck across to Bouchard on a 2-on-1 but the defenceman was stopped by Wells' stretched left pad.
Stuart Skinner maintained the goose egg for Team Messier. The Ed Chynoweth Cup champion lost his mask stopping a net drive by Cameron Hebig, ending the period with 11 saves.

Maksimov started the offence for Team Gretzky in the second, netting consecutive markers to make it 3-2.
On his first, He shared a give-and-go with Tyler Benson, capping the play with a backdoor gimme on Olivier Rodrigue.
The Russian whipped a wrister high glove to get Team Gretzky within one on his second.
"The second goal where he's going the other way, falling the other way and shoots it back across the grain," lauded Howson. "You can't teach that."
But Team Messier responded before Team Gretzky could notch the equalizer. Yamamoto tallied his second of the game off a nice move in-tight on Shane Starrett.
McPhee slipped the puck to Yamamoto through a defender as he was skating to the net. Yamamoto shifted to his backhand and slid the puck far side on the Thunder netminder, recording his third point of the scrimmage.
Team Gretzky pulled Starrett late in search of a miracle but Team Messier held them off to secure the victory.