Just Who Is Graham McPhee?

Under Peter Chiarelli, the Edmonton Oilers have been looking for a specific type of hockey player. While size is certainly welcomed, Chiarelli has been looking for players who can play a physical style and play a versatile role in the lineup. NHL pickups Patrick Maroon, Milan Lucic and Zack Kassian fit this mold perfectly, but what about in the system?

Through college free agents and through the draft, Edmonton has begun to address their lack of skilled and physical forwards. This past June, the club spent the 149th overall pick on Graham McPhee, a player who fits the Chiarelli mold.

So…..Just Who Is Graham McPhee?:

After two USHL seasons with as many teams (graduated from the US National Team Development Program U-17’s to U-18’s), McPhee will head to college this fall and player for Boston College. The Eagles are a premiere NCAA program, one that has graduated all kinds of players who filled different roles over the years.

Offensively, McPhee was lacking in the USHL. In 31 total games in 2014-15, he registered 2-10-12, then followed that up with 5-0-5 in 20 games this past season. Certainly not the kind of numbers you are looking for from someone whom you drafted and believe can make the NHL at some point.

A deeper look at McPhee shows us a player that didn’t get a ton of ice time and that wasn’t playing a massive role on his team. That certainly impacted his offensive numbers.

Scouts laud McPhee’s ability to protect the puck and be physical, which is a good sign. His skating seems to be up to par as well, while every publication I can find on him raves on about his competitiveness and drive.

Here is a quick excerpt from a piece over at The Hockey Writers:

He plays a decent two-way game and backchecks a lot, never quits on plays when hustling back. His play away from the puck in the offensive zone is outstanding as he is constantly in motion, which makes it hard for opposing defenders to track him down. McPhee plays a strong game away from the puck offensively as he is excellent in opening ice for his linemates with his movement around the net.

What Can We Expect:

McPhee is a classic case of draft-and-follow. He has four years of eligibility at Boston College and I’d wager that he will use at least three of said years. He’s still quite raw as a prospect and needs time to grow and mature his game.

I think we should expect McPhee to establish himself as a regular in the lineup for the Eagles this season and for him to contribute a little more offensively than the five points of a year ago.

Progress in his draft +1 season and first campaign in the NCAA would be a nice start for this player.

Will He Be a Long Term Oiler?:

Very, very tough to say. I like all the intangibles that McPhee has and he seems like a really good fit for what Chiarelli and Todd McLellan are looking for. If he can produce more offense with a larger role in the NCAA, then I’d be inclined to call him a prospect of interest and a potential Oiler down the line.

For right now, I’ll call him a long term prospect. He’ll be in the system for at least the three next years, if not longer. A long term Oiler? Far too early to say.