Every week, I will look at a select few of the Edmonton Oilers prospects, and i’ll make my own personal rankings. The way I see it, there are four kinds of prospects: You have the future stars or what I have dubbed the upper echelon. You have NHL hopefuls, which I will dub the inbetweeners. You have the AHL lifers, which I will call the one-percenters. And finally, you have fillers and busts. That name speaks for itself.
I consider a prospect any player currently in the AHL with less than 50 NHL games under his belt. This excludes Martin Marincin (69 NHL games) and Oscar Klefbom (61 NHL games), but does not exclude Leon Draisaitl (37 NHL games).
Without further ado, let’s look at the Edmonton Oilers upper echelon of NHL prospects.
THE UPPER ECHELON
#1 C Leon Drasaitl, 2014 Draft 3rd overall
Kelowna Rockets (WHL) 26GP 16-27-43 +12
Edmonton Oilers (NHL) 37GP 2-7-9 -17
Leon Draisaitl is the bonafide stud of the forward group, and Edmonton fans got a chance to watch the teenager up close and personal for 37 games this NHL season. While many were hoping for the best, it was painfully obvious to everybody but Craig MacTavish that this guy was not ready for the rigours of the NHL. Draisaitl may have burned up a year of his entry level contract this season, but upon returning to the WHL, Draisaitl has regained his confidence and is still developing well.
The German centre has a big body, and if he is developed properly, he will become a star power forward for many years to come. With the Oilers looking into the possibility of re-signing Derek Roy and the emergence of Anton Lander, it may be possible to let Draisaitl develop in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors next season.
UPSIDE: Bonafide NHL star centre
WORST-CASE: Second tier 2nd line centre
#2 D Darnell Nurse, 2013 7th overall
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) 33GP 9-22-31 +12
Edmonton Oilers (NHL) 2GP 0-0-0 -2
Better times are coming for the Oilers blueline that already includes a relatively young Justin Schultz and Oscar Klefbom and Martin Marincin. Darnell Nurse may be the best one yet, but there once again is no need to rush the player. Nurse made the Oilers out of camp before being sent down where he captains the Greyhounds and starred for Canada at the 2015 World Juniors.
Nurse has a mean streak, he plays physical, and he can wheel. He’s everything you could ever want in a defenseman and the Oilers will give him every opportunity to be “the guy” on the blueline. He’s another player that would benefit from starting the season in the AHL. I imagine he won’t stay there for very long, but 40-45 games in the minors would only do good for the player.
UPSIDE: Bonafide stud #1 D-man
WORST-CASE: Top 4 NHL defenseman
#3 G Laurent Brossoit, Trade w/CGY
Oklahoma City Barons (AHL) 36GP 19-13-2 2.56 .917
It was met with great criticism when Craig MacTavish dealt fan-favourite Ladislav Smid and prospect goalie Olivier Roy to the rival Calgary Flames, but today it’s starting to look like more of a steal. The Oilers were high on Laurent Brossoit due to his days minding the net for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, and when they had the chance to bring him in, they went for it. Brossoit put up incredible numbers at the ECHL level, but nobody was really excited until he did the same in the AHL with the Barons.
Brossoit will be given every chance to become the Oilers goalie-of-the-future and it’s been a very long time since the Oilers have had that. Brossoit may get a chance to start a game or two in the NHL down the stretch, but the Oilers may actually be smart enough to let the youngster grow in the AHL for at least another season. Goaltenders are hard to predict and Brossoit was a 6th round selection before blossoming into a legitimate NHL prospect.
UPSIDE: Starting goaltender
WORST-CASE: Backup goaltender
#4 C Bogdan Yakimov, 2013 83rd overall
Oklahoma City Barons (AHL) 53GP 10-13-24 +6
Edmonton Oilers (NHL) 1GP 0-0-0 -1
The Oilers spent a 3rd round pick on the big (6’5, 232 lbs) Russian centre hoping he would have a shot at an NHL career. The early returns are all looking good. Yakimov came over to North America and impressed in training camp enough to warrant the first call-up of the season. While his NHL taste only lasted one game, it’s his work in the minors that is of interest.
Yakimov has put up decent numbers for an AHL rookie and has only gotten better as the season has worn on. With the Oilers surprising projected centre depth next season, it’s likely Yakimov will have a chance to centre one of the top two scoring lines in Bakersfield where he should be able to take a huge step offensively. Many love his two-way game and he already has NHL size. Yakimov is likely to have a very long successful NHL career. All that’s left to determine is if he’ll be a top-six forward, or a third-line checking centre.
UPSIDE: Start centre
WORST-CASE: 3rd line centre
#5 C Kyle Platzer, 2013 96th overall
Owen Sound Attack (OHL) 62GP 29-43-72 +10
Another 2013 draft pick, Platzer has come out of nowhere this season after being a marginal scorer in the OHL, Platzer has become an offensive juggernaut with the Attack. He made headlines with a 337-yard drive, but his golfing is of little concern to the club that drafted him.
It’s been said that a player who regresses after his draft year shouldn’t be signed no matter how little the regression is. However, if the player continues to improve with every season, you sign him to a deal. I’d expect the Oilers to be making that ELC offer to Platzer very soon. He may a little on the smaller size, but Platzer is a legitimate NHL centre prospect and the Oilers need as many of those as they can find.
UPSIDE: Top 6 centre
WORST-CASE: Mark Arcobello
NEXT: The InBetweeners
See you next week.
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