It’s over. After months of anticipation, debate, and going over multiple scenarios, the 2014 NHL entry draft came to a close on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. For the Edmonton Oilers, it was a strange draft that landed the team a top-prospect, a decent prospect, and a number of long-shot bets.
Remember, the Oilers were without a second round pick (Perron deal) and a third round pick (Scrivens deal), and didn’t have their own fifth rounder (Fasth deal). They had Buffalo’s fourth compliments the Wild (Bryzgalov) and the Senators’ fifth rounder as well (Hemsky). Here’s how things shaped up for Edmonton on Friday night and Saturday morning:
Round One (3): Leon Draisaitl – C, WHL, Prince Albert: The Oilers didn’t surprise anyone with this pick. Once Ekblad went off the board first, it was the Dangler who the Oilers set their sights on. Once Buffalo selected Sam Reinhart second, it was all but sealed. I mentioned when it happened that I was not a fan of the pick, and that is true, I’ll explain that, but there are some positives here.
No matter which of the centers were taken in this spot, Edmonton was getting a good player. I believe that applies to Leon as well, who has the potential to be exactly what the doctor ordered in Edmonton’s top-six. He’s got huge size, great offensive ability, is a strong possession player, and pushes the river at the WHL level. Many will say he carried PA to the playoffs this past year. The comparisons are quite nice too, as TSN compared him to Joe Thornton and many have used Anze Kopitar as well.
If he turns into one of those players this will be a homerun selection for Edmonton. There are questions however, like is he ready? Many believe he is, but I’m of the belief that the Oilers can’t be rushing kids, and unless he dominates in camp he should be sent back to the WHL. Leon is no sure thing to make the Oilers this season, so this is still an open-ended question. This isn’t like taking Taylor Hall or RNH or Nail Yakupov, who were all clearly ready.
The other question here comes down to what was left on the table, which is why I am not sold on the pick. Personally, and I know many of you disagree, I think Sam Bennett will have a better career and prove to be the best of the three centers at the top. The Oilers had a chance to draft him and left him on the board, allowing the Flames to take him.
There are no guarantees, but the comparisons to guys like Toews and the dominating numbers from the OHL suggest he will be a star. That’s not saying Leon won’t be, but I would have taken Bennett here. Of course, I hope I am wrong and I’ll be rooting for the big German to prove me wrong.
Round Four (91): William Lagesson – D, Swedish Juniors, Frolunda Jr.: The Oilers elected to go defense after sitting around for two rounds waiting, and they got a decent prospect. Lagesson is a big boy, standing in at 6’2” and 194 pounds at the young age of 18. He’s a left-handed shot and has some decent puck moving ability.
He posted 20 points in 44 games this past season, and had a decent showing at the Ivan Hlinka tournament in 2013. He’s a guy that was in the top-20 European skaters coming into this draft, so there is some potential here in the eyes of scouts. He’ll likely develop in Sweden for a few more seasons, so I wouldn’t expect to see him in North America for at least two years. Defenders take time, so there is nothing wrong with that.
Round Four (111): Zach Nagelvoort – G, NCAA, Michigan: The Oilers were going to take at least one goalie in this draft, we kind of knew that coming in. Nagelvoort is an interesting pick, mainly because he is already 20 years old and was passed over in previous drafts.
That being said, he had a stellar season out of no where in the NCAA this season, posting 2.20 GAA and .929 SV % in what was his freshman season. He’s 6’2” and has three more season of eligibility before the Oilers will have to make a call on him. Likely a long-shot, but if his freshman year is an indication he has some potential.
Round 5 (130): Liam Coughlin – C/LW, BCHL, Vernon: The Oilers went off the board here with the big BCHL player from South Boston. Coughlin has good size, standing in at 6’3” and 185 pounds, and is going to Boston University next season to play in the NCAA.
He had 45 points in 53 games this past season, which isn’t the best when considering the offensive potential of this player moving forward. He wasn’t ranked either, and it’s safe to say this was a bit of a reach pick. Labeling Coughlin as a long-shot is a fair assessment, although I’ll be rooting for the boy from Boston.
Round 6 (130): Tyler Vesel – C, USHL, Omaha: The Oilers dipped into the USHL, a budding league when it comes to drafting, to snag an undersized but skilled center. Vesel was ranked 188th for North American skaters by Central Scouting, and has some real scoring ability.
He posted 71 points in 49 games this past season, a very good number for an offensive player in that league. That was good for third best in the whole league as well, which is saying something considering some of the talent in that league. His one biggest knock is size, and he’ll need to overcome that to have a shot. He’s a project and already 20, so there are questions here.
Round 7 (183): Keven Bouchard – G, QMJHL, Val d’Or: The Oilers took their second goalie with their final pick, selecting Bouchard. He wasn’t the go to guy this past season, but he was solid when he saw action in the net. He posted a 17-6-1 record, with a 2.95 GAA and a .887 SV %.
Bouchard is no doubt a long shot, but this is a small sample size and we can’t really make an assumption on the kind of goalie he will be. That said, he needs to improve his SV% to have a chance as a pro. Personally, I think he’s the second best goalie drafted by Edmonton, but he’ll be interesting to watch mainly because he’s an unknown in a better league.
Final Thoughts:
Nothing special here. The Oilers snagged what should be a very good player in Draisaitl at the three spot, and a lot of maybes and long-shots later on. It’s far from a picture perfect draft, but if Leon pans out like many expect and one of these late round picks pushes through eventually, then this draft can be a success for the Oilers.
The focus now shifts to the trade market and to free agency. It’ll be an interesting next couple of days in Edmonton.
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