Oilers Third Round Selections

The Edmonton Oilers made two picks in the third round of this morning’s entry draft after not having a pick in the second round.

First off, the Oilers traded picks 82 and 126 to Arizona in exchange for pick 78 overall.

Coyotes trade pick No. 78 to Edmonton for Nos. 82 and 126.

— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) June 24, 2017

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With the 78th overall pick, the Oilers selected goalie Stuart Skinner of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Last season for the Hurricanes, Stuart went 34-18-2 with a 3.26 GAA and .905 SV% in 60 regular season games. In the playoffs, Skinner went 10-7-0 with a 3.09 GAA and .916 SV%.

The Scouting Report:

Via The Draft Analyst: Goalies rarely hurt their reputations from a TPG since the event is normally low scoring. Skinner, who had a tough start to his season, entered the TPG with a chance to confirm how solid his play of late has been (he’s faced 30 or more shots in 29 of 44 appearances, including 13 with over 39 shots against). What stood out most was Skinner’s rebound control in a game featuring great scoring chances with traffic milling around the low slot. His ability to track shots from the release point helped, but his quickness and butterfly timing allowed him to absorb several high quality chances.

Last Word on Sports: When Skinner joined the Hurricanes, they were a rebuilding franchise, and at the bottom of the WHL standings. He has been the backbone of their rise back up the standings and into real contenders the last two years. Skinner will need time to develop, but he has the pedigree to be a number one goalie in the NHL. His style is reminiscent of Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is not a talent comparison though.

Pick 84:

With the 84th overall pick, the Oilers selected defender Dmitri Samorukov from Guelph of the OHL. The hard hitting Russian registered 4-16-20 in 67 games this past season, playing a very physical game and having a very strong second half for the struggling club.

Samorukov is a left-shot defender, which is already an area of strength for the organization, making this pick slightly surprising.

The Scouting Report:

Jeff Marek of Sportsnet: “Has a bomb from the point and good size to go with offensive instincts. Loves the big hit in the middle of the ice and is business like in his approach to development. Major upside potential here.”

Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet: “Great things were expected of Samorukov when he was picked second overall in the 2016 CHL Import Draft. Playing on a rebuilding Guelph team, Samorukov was thrown into the fire, competing nightly in the toughest division in all the CHL. He showed durability, missing just one regular season game, and that’s important to note as he brings a physical element. Not afraid to support the rush or shoot the puck, there is some offensive upside to his game. He’s much more fluid skating backward than forward, but that is a skill he will continue to develop. Having participated for Russia on several occasions, his best international performance was his latest one, winning bronze for Russia at the world U-18s.”

The Oilers will next pick at 115th overall.