Can you believe that we are only a measly day til McDavid Day!? In about 24 hours or so Peter Chiarelli will announce that the second coming of hockey Jesus is coming home (The original hockey Jesus is Gretzky, so Edmonton is technically home). Ahhhhh yes, Connor McDavid fever is as strong as it’s ever been in the Edmonton Oiler community and it has definitely been the main topic of discussion among Edmonton fans, that and the possibilities that the #16 pick could potentially hold. Add this along with what has been a month and a half of non-stop Oilers news, and you’ll surely miss some other interesting tidbits that affects the club. The one tidbit that I find particularly intriguing is the first pick that the Oilers possess outside of the first round, the #33 pick. The Edmonton Oilers have built up an infamous identity when it comes to the annual entry draft. The first and most glaring trait of that identity is their tendency to be the early ones up on stage but, the second trait requires a closer look. The Oilers are not good at 2nd rounds. A look back at the Oilers draft history will show a slew of incompetent prospects, spare Lander and maybe Pitlick, being picked in round 2. With that being said, things are poised to change with a new man in charge and an incredibly deep draft class. To understand the sheer quality of players available in this draft let me put into perspective in saying picks 30-40 in this years draft are just as good as picks 20-30 in any other draft. Can Edmonton right the ship and snag an impact player at #33? Yes. Who will that impact player be? Well, similar to my my previous article outlining potential prospects available at #16, I have gathered some info on some quality players that the Oilers could look to take when they make their 2nd round selection at the 2015 NHL entry draft. Lets get this started why don’t we.
Brandon Carlo
Position: Right-Handed Defenceman
Height: 6 foot 5 inches
Weight: 185lbs
Latest Season (with Tri-City, WHL): 64GP 4G 21A 25P
Who is this guy?
Brandon Carlo is a large and imitating defenceman that uses his height to his advantage. He was most recently brought into the attention of scouts while playing for Team USA in the most recent installment of the World Junior Hockey Championships, displaying smooth skating and was exceptional at containing attacking forwards. His frame, although tall, needs to be filled in with more muscle as he stands at a somewhat scrawny 185lbs. Despite the underwhelming weight, he does play a very physical game and has the ability to b
e very effective in a shutdown role. The Colorado Springs native can easily become an appealing option on the penalty kill as he can use that lengthy frame of his to box out forwards from in front of the net as well as being a outstanding shot blocker. His far reach can lead to great defensive plays, such as poke-checking, board play and taking away passing lanes. His flaws stem more from his ability to handle the puck and gaining more muscle, not to mention his offensive production. With the puck, Carlo isn’t exactly an elite level stickhandler and, because of this, his passing skills are not necessarily a strong aspect of his game. The aforementioned 185lbs that Carlo possess is another knack on the righty, as he has potential to be that much more difficult to play against. On the offensive side of things, Carlo, has shown that he does have a rather deafening shot from the point, which more often than not creates secondary scoring chances rather than straight out goals. In other words, the majority of points that he picks up will be from creating these rebounds and secondary chances, which is by no means a bad thing. Carlo’s defensive play is definitely his calling card to any prospective NHL clubs. His NHL comparison comes from Canada’s capital in Ottawa as Jared Cowen.
Why would the Oilers draft this guy?
Carlo presents a peek at what Edmonton currently lacks in their prospect pipeline, that is an up and coming shutdown d-man. You could argue for Nurse, but I see him as a stud at both end of the ice. Brandon Carlo would slot in nicely to a Oilers defensive group that should have their top 3 in stone by the time he makes the jump. Those 3 are projected to be: Justin Schultz (the offensive guy), Oscar Klefbom (the finesse guy), and Darnell Nurse (the polished two-way guy). Adding a guy of Carlo’s type would bring much-needed defensive responsibility and speciality. His positioning and ability to stop oncoming attackers will be invaluable to the team in the near future. He adds depth and more options for the Oilers defensively, offering the more high-end players, such as Nurse, a break in high pressure situations like penalty kills. All in all, there isn’t much more to be said about Carlo than that his size and defensive ability will definitely entice Peter Chiarelli, if he’s available at #33.
Brandon Carlo has been moving around in the rankings more quite some time now. He has been ranked as high as 20th overall all the way to 35th overall so, I think it’s a safe bet that he gets selected in the mid 20s to early 30s. Carlo may very well be off the board by the time Edmonton is up at #33 but, the fact that he has potential to slide into the second round was good enough for him to warrant a mentioning as a possible selection.
ETA: One thing you do not have to worry about Carlo is that he has NHL-ready size. So, because of that one fact, we might see him in the big leagues sooner than later. I would still give him one more season in junior and maybe one more in the AHL but, barring any drastic regression, I expect Carlo to make his debut in the 2017/18 season.
Nicolas Meloche
Position: Right-Handed Defenceman
Height: 6 foot 3 inches
Weight: 205lbs
Latest Season (with Baie Comeau, QMJHL): 44GP 10G 24A 34P
Who Is this guy?
Nicholas Meloche spent last season in the QMJHL playing a heavy game with Baie Comeau. Meloche likes to play with a physical edge and is not intimidated to go into the corners and get a little dirty, as his body structure permits him to be a force. His attitude is really team oriented as he won’t hesitate to stick up for a teammate by getting underneath the skin of the opposing team or dropping the gloves. In that particular way, Meloche holds potential to be an assistant captain in the future. Another thing that works in the favour of the La Salle, Quebec native is the fact that he very versatile and can be used in a lot of different situations, whether it be on the PP or helping out on the PK. Similar to Carlo, Meloche can move players from out in front of his goalie in an effective matter and has good point shot. The things that hinder Meloche in being an all around player is his feet. His footwork is a little behind what it should be, displaying what some scouts would say as “clumsy” or “off-balance”. His game does have two fuller dimensions than the other two prospects on this page, however. His defensive game does have some voids but is predominantly pretty developed, with good gap control and positioning. His offensive instincts are not to shabby either, netting 34 points in 44 games played this season. His playing style would be defined as a two-way defender with a hell of a shot and a defensive style with plenty of room to improve. His NHL comparable is that of, Canadian Olympian, Dan Hamhuis.
Why would the Oilers draft him?
Two words come to mind when I think of Nicholas Meloche. True Grit. Meloche is the kind of player that a young team like Edmonton shouldn’t hesitate to add into their system. The Oilers are often criticized in their rather shrug-off mentality when it comes to defending fellow teammates after a cheap-shot or questionable hit. I can remember multiple times throughout the past season where an opposing player would get off without as much as a slap on the wrist from the Oilers and, because of this, the team came off as an easier group to push around. Meloche is not the type of player that will follow that attitude. As mentioned in the paragraph above, Meloche is a very team oriented guy will not shy away from dropping the mitts in a teammates defence. Meloche isn’t restricted in the roles that he can be given either, as he is very versatile and can play in a variety of different situations for the Oilers. The leadership qualities alone should be enough for the Oilers to at least consider making Nicolas Meloche their 2nd round pick.
Meloche has had a very consistent ranking throughout the season, consistently being either a late 1st round pick or sliding into the early stages of the 2nd round. His consensus position seems to hover around the 29-30 area so, with that in mind, there is good reason to believe that could be on the board come pick #33 as the past has shown that these type of players often slide.
ETA: I believe that Meloche has NHL-ready size and the mentality to start right away but, he still needs to work on his skating and some of the defensive aspects of his game. So with that being said, I think the Oilers should take their time Nicolas. A reasonable time for me would be 4 years, which would make his time of arrival at the beginning of the 2018/19 season.
Paul Bittner
Position: Left Wing
Height: 6 foot 4 inches
Weight: 203lbs
Latest Season (with Portland, WHL) 66GP 34G 37A 71P
Who is this guy?
Bittner is perhaps the most curious player of the 3 profiled in this article. Bittner is often mentioned as a power forward in most accounts but, I feel there is more than meets the eye with this particular player. He definitely has the size to fit the description of a power forward however, the way he plays tells me his brings more skill than power. Before I get into the skill part of his game, his 6’4″ frame does come in handy for sure. He is a very heavy guy at 203lbs which enables him to be very hard to get separated from the puck and potentially get hit. His size also compliments his skating, which is carried by a powerful stride . The problem with this is that he hasn’t been able to use his size to his advantage in a night by night basis. Bittner is exceptionally well at working the dirty areas of the ice as well coming out on the winning end of puck battles. Apart from his “power-forward” qualities, Bittner has an impressive skill set otherwise. The Minnesota native has soft hands and an impressive shot that makes him into a legitimate scoring threat on the ice. His biggest downfalls is his tendency to be inconsistent with his size and the fact that his skating seems incomplete or even choppy at times. He is most comparable to, former Flyer fan-favourite, Scott Hartnell.
Why would the Oilers draft him?
If the Oilers decide the forward root with the #33 pick, look no further than Paul Bittner. Bittner is a big man who can bring size into an otherwise small forward group. That power-forward style of game could slot in nicely when Benoit Pouliot is no longer in Edmonton. If you read into his scouting report, and you have seen the Oilers play this year, you will see that Bittner is very comparable to Benoit. Bittner has a fantastic shot that makes him a force to be reckoned with and he is exceptionally good at going into the dirty areas, a quality that lacks in the current forward group. However, I think the Oilers only take Bittner if they do not pick Svechnikov at pick #16. The reason being is that Svechnikov is basically an improved version of Bittner and with him, it seems impractical to draft two players of the same skill set. With that aside, Peter Chiarilli is a GM who loves having a heavy and hard team to play against and Bittner adds to that philosophy, which is why I believe he ranks high on the Oilers draft list.
Bittner is perhaps the highest ranked player of the 3 profiled. He has been as high up as #14 and as low as 26th in the rankings that I have seen. This obviously makes him a little bit of a longshot to reach the Oilers #33 pick but, I am an optimist, and I think that is a player that could slide into the early goings of round 2. If so, Chiarelli and co. won’t hesitate in taking him (As long as they haven’t previously drafted Svechnikov!).
ETA: I am going to keep this one quite simple. As Svechnikov is, in my eyes, an improved version of Bittner than I am going to tack on one more year of development for Bittner. This would make his arrival land on the 2017/18 season.
So in conclusion:
The Oilers face another compelling decision at #33. The one thing that all 3 of these players have in common is the fact that they double as monsters on skates. The smallest of the 3 is Meloche at 6’3″. Each player mentioned here brings a different playing style that would fill a need on the Edmonton Oilers in the long run. Brandon Carlo is a defensive specialist that could anchor a PK and bail out his teammates. Nicolas Meloche is a determined leader that has some good offensive instincts and a developing defensive awareness. Paul Bittner brings power, a good shot and a variety of other tools that makes him a prospective member of a future top-6 group in Edmonton.
Once again this is a hard group to rank and each one of them would be a thrill to have apart of the Oilers organization. Life isn’t fair so, if I was in charge of ranking the three, it would look like this:
1) Brandon Carlo (Oilers desperately need a good shutdown guy)
2) Nicholas Meloche (Brings much-needed leadership, and potential to be good two-way guy)
3) Paul Bittner (Wildcard guy, could easily rank #1 on this list)
Once again, this article was meant to spark discussion among the Oilers community. This has been an exciting time to be a Oilers fan and you can never run out of conversation topics in the offseason. Please comment your two cents about who you believe the Oilers should select with their second round draft choice! As always, you can follow me on Twitter @CrazyOilersFan!
McDavid Day is upon us.
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