The Edmonton Oilers made their third pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at 85th overall. The club selected goaltender Ilya Konovalov with their 3rd round selection. The pick follows a trend for the organization, who drafted Oliver Rodrigue a season ago and Stuart Skinner in 2017. Dylan Wells was selected by the Oilers in 2016.
Goalies are like voodoo, they are almost impossible to predict. It stands to reason that selecting one every season and throwing darts at the board is the right call. Edmonton has now done that in four consecutive drafts.
Konovalov played in the KHL in 2018-19, his second season with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. He appeared in 45 games and posted a record of 25-15-1 with a .930 save percentage and a 1.89 GAA.
As you might recall, former Oilers executive Craig MacTavish is the new coach of Lokomotiv.
Konovalov is an older player, already 20, and will not be a factor for the next two seasons. He has two years left on his KHL contract with Lokomotiv. He won the KHL’s Rookie of the Year award this past season.
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