When was the last time the Edmonton Oilers successfully drafted an NHLer out of the seventh round…
The answer to the above question is pretty simple, because they haven’t. Outside of the first round, the list of regular NHLers drafted by the Oilers are few and far between. In fact, the only notable player I can think of lately is Brandon Davidson, who was taken in the 6th round by Edmonton in 2010. Other than Davidson…I can say with confidence that the Oilers have been woefully inadequate in the later rounds for the better part of a decade. Coming into the 2015 Draft, the team had just cleansed house with their scouting staff, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the newly installed upper management was clearly trying to improve the teams track record after the first 30 picks.
Enter Ziyat Paigin….
The 2015 draft consisted of one thing for most fans, myself included, and that was McDavid, McDavid, and more McDavid. The buzz was rightfully on the kid from Richmond Hill, but that was by no means the only thing that Edmonton intended on doing. The Oilers made a few trades and drafted notable guys like Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear in the 5th and 6th rounds respectively. It’s not always a bad bet to say guys like Jones and Bear could somehow make their way onto the roster in years to come; they both hold a respectable amount of potential and have played in quality North American leagues. Then came the seventh round, where Edmonton chose Ziyat Paigin, a 6’6″ defenseman who was playing in the KHL for AK-Bars at the time. He had a fairly unremarkable season in the “K”, only putting up 2pts in 33 games played, and many didn’t bat an eye when Edmonton picked him. He was just another 7th rounder for the Edmonton Oilers, and history wasn’t on his side.
Things Did Start Slow….
Ziyat started off his 2015/16 campaign with AK-Bars once again. A KHL team highly regarded for its strong defensive brand of hockey, and being coached by legendary Soviet defenseman Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, Ak-Bars proved to be a difficult landing spot for Paigin to hold onto a roster spot with. After only registering one assist in 8 games with the KHL club, Ziyat was effectively sent down to AK’s VHL (similar to the AHL) affiliate, Bars Kazan. AK-Bars was far from ideal for Ziyat, as mentioned before, the team had a heavy focus on their defensive play and the competition was quite stiff for a 21 year old. Even so, things weren’t looking quite good for Ziyat early on, and going into Bars Kazan meant that he would have to prove himself worthy of a job in the KHL down the road.
Paigin played a total of 10 games in with Bars Kazan in the VHL, and while he did see an improvement in production with 5pts during that stretch, AK Bars were once again moving him. It seemed as though AK had lost interest in having Ziyat in their organization, so they had traded him off to, fellow KHL team, Sochi HC. This may have been Ziyat’s saving grace, as it was another opportunity to prove himself at the professional level…and would he ever
Heating Up…
Coming into Sochi, Ziyat had a lot to prove. He was a young defenseman, newly drafted, and was trying to carve a path of his own in the KHL. He got bounced out of a defensively strong team in AK-Bars, and now he had a fresh start with Sochi HC. The first few games were underwhelming for the Russian, playing only a few minutes and not being trusted in pressure situations, but things quickly changed when Sochi unexpectedly turned him loose and started giving Paigin some bigger minutes. In a span of a few games, Pagan’s ice time doubled and nearly tripled, going from roughly 7:55 minutes per game with AK-Bars to averaging out at about 17:42 minutes with Sochi. With the extended ice time came production, putting up 8pts in his first 10 games with Sochi. As impressive as his fresh start was, this proved to be only the start of the KHL cinderella story known as Ziyat Paigin.
Recognition…
The sudden and surprising performance of Ziyat Paigin didn’t go unnoticed in Russian hockey, and the rewards started to come. Ziyat was recognized for his performance and was effectively named to the 2016 KHL All-Star Game, where he would play for the “West Team”. This was quite the feat for a 21-year-old defender who was playing in the minors just a few months prior. Ziyat had made a case to play with the best in the KHL, a league rivaled by only the NHL in terms of talent. Considering that Paigin only managed to put up 2pts in 33 games last year, the transition to a KHL all-star is very impressive. It’s also worth noting that he has recently been called up to Russia’s National Team to take in some exhibition games this week, which would be huge if he could crack that roster.
What Can He Bring?
It’s nice to see that a late Oilers pick is having success in a league like the KHL, but what kind of player is he? What does Ziyat Paigin bring to the table?
Fear not, for I believe that I have the answers to those questions. First off, it’d be foolish not to mention the sheer size of the kid. Standing at 6’6″, it would be hard not to notice a guy like Paigin on the blue-line. He offers great mobility and is a fairly good skater who likes to join in on rushes and pinch quite a bit. Considering his size, being a mobile player is huge for a guy like him. As you would expect, he has a helluva shot from the point that he needs to start to utilize more, while his wrist shot has a rather slow release. He would definitely succeed offensive situations such as Power Plays and last-minute drives, however I am not too sure about his defensive game. Looking at the minutes he’s logged in Sochi, I would assume that he is more than a reliable guy in his own end. Obviously, with the defensive issues that the Edmonton Oilers have, Ziyat Paigin would be more than welcome in this organization, and I could definitely see him coming over in the near future!
I hope you found this piece as interesting as I did! I want to throw out a special thanks @ChunkletsHockey on Twitter, who helped me with the finer points of the KHL and provided some great info that can be found in the article! I highly suggest giving him a follow!
Follow Me on Twitter @CrazyOilersFan
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