14.8

14.8% is the chance the Oilers have of winning the lottery tonight and being able to make the 1^st selection on the stage in Philadelphia. Finishing 28^th isn’t something to brag about but the silver lining is the fact that yet again the Oilers should manage to get a good player that hopefully will be able to step in and help them gain ground in the standings in the coming years, and eventually if all the talent acquired can work together they’ll be a team that can consistently make the playoffs and be a legitimate Cup contender.

Even if the Oilers don’t win the lottery the worst they will be picking is fourth overall and at that level its east for us to look at the possible players the team will select. My want is for the team so select defenseman Aaron Ekblad, it’s unlikely he’s available but if he falls to 3 or the Oilers win the lottery I don’t think they should pass him up.

The team could also use a big center the anchor the second line as well. The good thing about this years draft it there are a few players who could potentially fill that hole. The Central Scouting service released their final draft rankings a week ago. International Scouting Service released their April rankings yesterday. Let’s have a quick look at the most likely Oilers picks.

Aaron Ekblad – D

Ekblad stands at 6’3.5 and finished his season with the Barrie Colts with 53 points in 58 games. He also managed to add 2 goals and 4 assists in 9 playoff games before the Colts were eliminated by the North Bay Battalion.

Here’s what the fine folks at Elite Prospects had to say about him;

“Just the second player to be granted exceptional status in the OHL. Ekblad is a true “two-way” defenseman. He makes great passes, uses his size to his advantage, plays the body, quarterbacks the power play, can take over the game in any of the three zones and has great hockey sense. He is a sure fire top 3 pick in this summers NHL entry draft.“

Sam Reinhart – C

6’0.75” is what Sam is listed at on most sites, but when you see him I doubt he’s actually there, I’d be more comfortable calling Reinhart 5’11”. Reinhart who plays with the Kootenay Ice in the WHL is very talented and will make a good top two center in the NHL. It’s his size that concerns me though, the Oilers are already to small at center and even with all the talent Reinhart has they would be better served going after a larger guy to fit into the second line center role. The good thing is he like Ekblad is unlikely to be available when the Oilers make their selection.

Leon Draisaitl – C

Oft talked about by Bob Stauffer who is well connected to the Oilers you’d have to think the MacTavish and the Oilers scouting staff really likes what they see from the big physical yet equally talented German centerman. The 6’1.5” 205 pound Deutchland Dangler has done a lot with a little this year playing for the PA Raiders, he hasn’t had much of a support cast and still managed105 points in 65 games. A big center like him might be exactly what the Oilers need.

Sam Bennett – C

This Sam is much like the other Sam on this list, He’s a center, stands at 6’ tall and around 180 pounds he made quite a big jump on the CSS list throughout the year. He scored 91 points in the regular season for the Kingston Frontenacs. All of the scouts are comparing this guy to Kingston’s own general manager Doug Gilmour. That is some pretty high praise, the Oilers having a second line center that can even be mentioned in the same breath as Gilmour would be quite an amazing thing. The size is an issue for me but the comparisons to such a great player are intriguing to say the least.

There are more players on the list that the Oilers might consider, Nick Ritchie, Michael Dal Colle, Brendan Perlini, and Haydn Fleury just to name a few. As draft day approaches we’ll go a little more in depth on potential picks throughout the draft and not just the first round.

Thanks for Reading