2015: An Edmonton Oilers Draft Odyssey

As it stands the Oilers are holding two picks in the first round and an early second rounder in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

No.2
No.22
No.32

Basically three first round picks.

It’s imperative that with all the troubles Edmonton has had in the 2nd round, and beyond, that they hit home runs with this pick and the late 1st rounder from the pens either through selection or trade. I’d like to look at a few candidates for selection today.

I would love nothing more than the Edmonton Oilers to select in the top 2. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel bring a breed of talent to the table that hasn’t been seen at that age in at least a decade. If Edmonton were to slip out of the top 2 and were sitting at 3rd to 5th that’s where there’ll be massive debate as to who they select.

But before we get into the names, let’s look at what the Edmonton Oilers’ system is lacking:

• Character/Leadership/Grit: Greg Chase, Travis Ewanyk, and Kale Kessy are the names that come to mind here but none of them are looking like they’ll make the NHL anytime soon. Darnell Nurse does personify those three characteristics in spades though.
• Top 6 Power Forwards: I’m talking about a Wayne Simmonds, a Milan Lucic, an Andrew Ladd, or a Troy Brouwer. Players that can pound the body, put the puck in the net and police the ice if need be. Will Mitch Moroz fit that bill? Tough to say. I think he deserves a couple of seasons in the AHL before we can make that distinction. But what about Curtis Hamilton? Tyler Pitlick was on his way before Lance Bouma destroyed his spleen.
• High End Skill: Yes, the Oilers have Hall and Nuge and Eberle and Yak. They’ve also got Leon Draisaitl, Anton Slepyshev, and Marco Roy coming up in their respective leagues. But I’m talking about the farm. Who’s playing in OKC developing at a North American pro level at the moment? I’d say Iiro Pakarinen is the only one with Josh Winquist being a distant second. Neither an Edmonton Oiler draft pick.Most teams have someone in the minors that is expected to be a scoring whiz at the NHL level. Take Detroit for example. Tomas Jurco, Tomas Tatar, and Teemu Pulkinnen? Are you kidding me?! Jordan Weal (LA), Ty Rattie (STL), Charles Hudon (MTL), Connor Brown (TOR), and Brendan Leipsic (NSH) are all players that are considered to have NHL skill and are lighting up the AHL.
• Number One Goalies: I’m thankful that Edmonton acquired Laurent Brossoit from the Flames because he looks to be the only goalie in the system that could one day make himself known in the NHL. Tyler Bunz and Frans Tuohimma look to be fails. They’re barely scrapping by in the ECHL.

I think the Oilers have a lot of nice young defenders in their possession. Jordan Oesterle is looking like he is separating himself from the rest of the pack in OKC but there’s also David Musil, Martin Marincin, Martin Gernat, Brandon Davidson, and Dillon Simpson. The Oilers are more or less set on defence for the foreseeable future. In my opinion they could use the picks in the latter rounds on defencemen and so I won’t go over any dmen in this post.

The center position, dare I say, looks fine for the foreseeable future. Bogdan Yakimov, to me, looks like he’s got a bit of the Hanzal in him. Jujhar Khaira is very green but when I watched him in pre-season he didn’t look out of place. And as I previously mentioned, Leon Draisaitl’s on the way and he’s got the goods.

Let’s get to it then! On to the draft prospects!

There’s the ongoing debate as to who a team should select, the best player available or the guy that fills a need. I am not fully behind either one. If a team is in a position to select a player that can come in right away and make an immediate impact, draft him regardless of position. If the team is at that point where they can wait a couple of years before introducing said player to the big leagues, then draft for need.

I’m using the ranking lists over at mynhldraft.com to give you a reference point.

At the 2nd pick overall it’s a no-brainer, Edmonton should select Jack Eichel. Even though he didn’t put up a lot of points at the World Juniors I was happy with his play away from the puck. He was the captain of Team USA and those leadership skills were on full display. We have heard what kind of player he is and the comparisons range from Ryan Getzlaf to Jaromir Jagr. All I know is he has got something the Oilers don’t have, a player that can take over a game, slow it down.. Make it his.

As we move on to the 22nd pick this is where things start to get interesting. At this point I’d want the team to address one of three points of need I wrote about earlier, character/grit/leadership, high end skill, or top six power forward.

I’m as happy as a pig in mud if Prince George Cougars’ Jansen Harkins (6’1″ 180lbs) is available at 22. Curtis Joe from Elite Prospects describes him as a blue collar type two-way center. Out-working the opposition and being hard to play against are leadership traits that Jansen Harkens most definitely embodies. Pretty quiet at the top prospects game.

If Harkins isn’t available but say Yevgeni Svechnikov (6’2″ 185lbs) is, outstanding! Here is a left winger playing out of Cape Breton in the QMJHL that is known for his shot and elite skill. The boys at HockeyProspect.com tell us he’s very strong on his skates and his puck protection down low is of the highest caliber. At the BMO Top Prospects game the puck seemed to be on his stick every time he was on the ice. The gravitates to great players as they say.

So let’s say Harkins and Svechnikov are gone, Jordan Greenway is the man. Coming out of the US National Development Program at 6’5″ 225lbs, He’s huge! He’s mean! But he can also play the game. He has very good puck protections skills and a lethal shot. I’m curious if a good comparable would be Kyle Okposo. The big power winger is committed to Boston University for next season where he’ll play with potential 2016 first overall pick Auston Matthews and maybe even Jack Eichel. So there’s the potential there for Greenway to tear up the NCAA.

As for that all important second round pick, I’ve got a few names in mind:

• Timo Meier (Halifax Mooseheads) – RW – 6’1″ 208lbs: Had a killer top prospects game playing alongside game MVP Travis Konecny and Connor McDavid. He’s a versatile forward that is showing he can play in any situation and in any style. Meier can skill it up or he can beat you in the corners as displayed at this year’s World Juniors.
• Ryan Gropp (Seattle Thunderbirds) – LW – 6’3″ 192lbs: A budding power forward in the vein of Jarome Iginla. Work ethic, hockey IQ, and tenacity highlight a bevy of skills that Gropp displays.
• Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts) – G – 6’4″ 204lbs: Think Semyon Varlamov. Big body and quick legs. He’s known for his mental toughness as well which would be a plus if he were to be drafted by the Oilers.
• Jake DeBrusk (Swift Current Broncos) – LW – 6’1″ 171lbs: Jake DeBrusk is to his dad Louie as Max Domi is to his father, Tie. Jake is a skilled player that loves to crash the net but he isn’t completely opposite to his father, Jake’ll throw down if need be.
• Filip Chlapik (Charlottetown Islanders) – C – 6’0″ 194lbs: Highly skilled pivot playing for Charlottetown in the QMJHL. Great hockey IQ and soft hands.
• Roope Hintz (Ilves, Finland) – C/RW – 6’3″ 195lbs: A big Finn with incredible awareness on the ice. Excellent skating ability allows him to create chances for his teammates by separating himself from defenders.
• Alexander Dergachev (St.Petersburg, Russia) – RW – 6’4″ 200lbs: A Russian bull with the hands of a classical pianist. Similar to Timo Meier, he can beat you with his sick hands or a tidily placed saucer pass or he can go through you.
• Daniel Vladar (Kladno Jr, Czech Rep.) – G – 6’5″ 185lbs: Darth Vladar is having a decent season in the Czech junior leagues carrying a .929 save percentage in 14 games up to this point. This is a big guy with a sky high ceiling. Excellent on the rebounds as he has quick legs and high level of natural athleticism.
• Dennis Yan (Shawinigan Cataractes) – LW – 6’2″ 192lbs: Yan is a flashy winger with a knack for scoring goals. He’s scored 20 in 37 games so far for Shawinigan. He’s not afraid to throw the body around on the forecheck either. Owns a laser of a shot too.

So there you have it. Mid-season draft blog complete! If you got through to the end of this article Jackie Dawson will give you a cookie when you attend the second annual #OilersRigLive4MS fundraising event and live radio show on February 21, 2015 at Brewster’s (Oliver Square) in Edmonton.

You can go early and watch the Oilers slaughter the Ducks then participate in all the Oilers Rig shenanigans that’ll go on after!

It’s a great time and it’s for a great cause.