As expected, it sounds like Curtis Hamilton won't be back with the Saskatoon Blades.
The Edmonton Oilers second round draft pick of 2010 finished up his career with the Blades in a sad fashion, a 2nd round sweep at the hands of the Kootenay Ice earlier this month.
He has since moved on in his hockey life and is currently taking in some AHL playoff hockey with the Oklahoma City Barons as they take on the Hamilton Bulldogs. He joined the team late last week and so far hasn't played in a playoff game, and likely doesn't expect to.
But what about his future? As in next year?
Well, that might have been cleared up last night during the Barons radio broadcast. Oilers president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe apparently appeared as a guest during one of the intermissions and had a few things to say about Hamilton.
That included saying that the big winger will not be returning to junior for next season, instead he will stay in the AHL to round out his skills. It's not exactly shocking news, in fact it's what I expected.
Hamilton would still be eligible for one more year of WHL hockey, but because of his birthdate, he is eligible to turn pro earlier than some other players drafted in 2010.
For next year I would expect to see him playing a 3rd or 4th line role with the Barons in the AHL after showing what he can do at Oilers rookie camp in the coming months. It's a tough blow to the Saskatoon Blades, but these are the things that happen with talented junior players.
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The news on this blog has been a little slower over the last few days since the Blades season ended. I have been taking a bit of a break after the tough result I had to watch in round 2. I will do my best to keep you up to date with certain things happening around the league and with certain NHL draft prospects. That includes some mocks as the 2011 NHL draft approaches in June.
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