With the 2019 NHL draft taking place in Vancouver on June 21st – 22nd, it’s a great time to take a look at a team’s history in the NHL draft. Since 2006, the Edmonton Oilers have been near or at the bottom of the league and has only made the playoffs once since their stanley cup final run in 2006. It isn’t unreasonable to suggest the Edmonton Oilers have been nothing short of abysmal for the past 13 years. While there are many factors that can go into a team’s success and failure… No team can function without being able to fill the roster with your own prospects. The Edmonton Oilers have been horrible at the drafting game and it is one of the key reasons why the Oilers had a decade to forget.

Key Picks will be players who have played 100 games in the NHL or players who were late picks in the draft but played a notable amount of games in the NHL.

Other Picks are players who have played less than 20 games in the NHL.

2007

Key Picks:

Sam Gagner (6th overall)

Riley Nash (21st overall)

Linus Omark (97th overall)

Other picks:

Alex Plante (15th overall)

Milan Kytnar (127th overall)

William Quist (157th overall)

The Edmonton Oilers did very well in 2007, with two of their first round picks becoming NHL players with had long careers. However, It was a shame that one of them never played a game for the Oilers. After three years of playing for Cornell University, Riley Nash’s rights were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2nd round pick in the 2010 NHL draft. Sam Gagner was a good player but never had more than 50 points in a season before he was sent to Tampa Bay for Ted Purcell in 2014. He later returned to the Oilers near the trade deadline. Linus Omark played in 79 NHL games but most of his career was spent in the KHL. Despite having a great season in 2010/2011 where he earned his spot on the roster and put together 27 points in 51 games, Omark was never able to keep up that pace. After being traded to Buffalo in late 2013, he only played 13 games and scored two points and left the NHL in 2014 to play overseas. The Edmonton Oilers had three first round picks in the 2007 NHL entry draft and only one of the players selected actually played a game for the Oilers.

Fun fact: After Sam Gagner and Riley Nash, the next picks in the draft were Jakub Voracek and Max Pacioretty. Jamie Benn was taken after Linus Omark as well.

2008

Key Picks:

Jordan Eberle (22nd overall)

Other Picks:

Johan Motin (103rd overall)

Philippe Cornet (133rd overall)

Teemu Hartikainen (163rd overall)

Jordan Bendfeld (193rd overall)

With what Edmonton had pick wise, 2008 was a pretty solid year. Eberle was one of the best players in the draft and the late picks were a “no harm no foul” situation. While the other deals limited Edmonton’s chances for success in this draft, this was one of the better drafts that Edmonton has had. They took a reliable top six winger at 22nd who consistently gave the fans something to cheer for. It is just a shame the multitude of one-for-one deals led for their return to be Sam Gagner.

Fun Fact: Jordan Eberle has the 3rd most points out of this draft class. The two players above him are Steven Stamkos and Erik Karlsson.

2009

Key Picks:

Magnus Paajarvi (10th overall)

Anton Lander (40th overall)

Other Picks:

Troy Hesketh (71st overall)

Cameron Abney (82nd overall)

Kyle Bigos (99th overall)

Toni Rajala (101st overall)

Olivier Roy (133rd overall)

This draft kicked off the beginning of the end for the Oilers. Only two players from this crop to play an NHL game were Magnus Paajarvi and Anton Lander. Magnus Paajarvi’s rookie season was a great starting point. With a 15 goal and 34 point campaign in 80 games during the 2010/2011 season. Sadly, he was unable to keep up and has not been able to hit the 20 point plateau for the rest of his career. After bouncing between the AHL and the NHL Paajarvi saw his time in Edmonton end after a trade to St. Louis in 2013. Anton Lander regularly bounced between Oklahoma and Edmonton with not much to show. Lander had plenty of opportunities but was never able to crack the squad. He ended up only being able to muster up 35 points in 215 NHL games. This draft didn’t give the Oilers anything of use in the long run.

Fun Fact: Magnus Paajarvi has been with the Oilers for their three worst seasons in the past decade. He now plays for the Ottawa Senators.

2010

Key Picks:

Taylor Hall (1st overall)

Tyler Pitlick (31st overall)

Martin Marincin (46th overall)

Brandon Davidson (162nd overall)

Other Picks:

Curtis Hamilton (48th overall)

Ryan Martindale (61st overall)

Jeremie Blain (91st overall)

Tyler Bunz (121st overall)

Drew Czerwonka (166th overall)

Kristians Pelss (181st overall)

Kellen Jones (202nd overall)

After a disastrous 62 point season, Oilers fans were filled with optimism after welcoming a generational talent in Taylor Hall to the team. Despite eventual trade to the New Jersey Devils, Taylor Hall gave the Edmonton Oilers what they needed and was recognized league wide as an elite player. Hall won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2018 a year after his trade to the Devils. Tyler Pitlick was stuck in the minors for a majority of his career as an Oiler and in 2017 went to free agency where his career was revived by the Dallas Stars. Martin Marincin also spent most of his time for the Oilers AHL affiliate until he was shipped off to Toronto. Brandon Davidson played 91 games for the Oilers but was sent to Montreal early in 2017. That December, Davidson was claimed off waivers but was traded again to the New York Islanders for a third round pick. The 2010 draft was important for the Oilers but it never really helped them in the long run as all the players that the Edmonton Oilers selected were gone by the end of the 2017/2018 season.

Fun Fact: The Oilers had 11 picks in the 2010 draft. The most that they have had since 2003.

2011

Key Picks:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1st overall)

Oscar Klefbom (19th overall)

Tobias Rieder (144th overall)

Other Picks:

David Musil (31st overall)

Samu Perhonen (62nd overall)

Travis Ewanyk (74th overall)

Dillon Simpson (92nd overall)

Martin Gernat (122nd overall)

Frans Tuohimaa (182nd overall)

The Edmonton Oilers had the first overall pick in back to back years. While Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was a great addition, he did not turn out to be the superstar that Edmonton needed to carry their franchise out of the seemingly bottomless pit that they were in. Oscar Klefbom was exactly what the Oilers needed down the road. While he struggled early on and spent a lot of time in the minors, Oscar Klefbom was possibly the best defensemen the Edmonton Oilers have drafted in recent years. If Klefbom’s injury trouble is behind him, the Oilers have a young solid defenseman for years to come. Tobias Rieder was drafted by Edmonton but never played for them after being traded to Arizona in 2013. While he later signed as a free agent, most of his time was spent with the Arizona Coyotes. The 2011 NHL draft gave the Edmonton Oilers two players that will be key contributors for their organization in the long run.

Fun Fact: If Toby Rieder scored 10-12 goals the Edmonton Oilers would be in the playoffs.

2012

Key Picks:

Nail Yakupov (1st overall)

Jujhar Khaira (63rd overall)

Erik Gustafsson (93rd overall)

Other Picks:

Mitch Moroz (32nd overall)

Daniil Zharkov (91st overall)

Joey Laleggia (123rd overall)

John McCarron (153rd overall)

Nail Yakupov gave Oilers fans one of the most memorable goals to start his career after a lengthy lockout. Yakupov had a very respectable rookie season with 31 points in 48 games, but his career never went anywhere and is criticized as the biggest bust in the past decade after never earning more than 25 points in a season. Yakupov left to play in the KHL where his career has started to pick up. Jujhar Khaira finally earned his spot on the Edmonton Oilers in the last year and will be looking to get more ice time. Erik Gustafsson was another player who stayed in Europe until his contract with the Oilers expired. He then signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and had a breakout year last season with 60 points in 79 games. The 2012 NHL draft was a complete disaster for the Edmonton Oilers especially when the first two picks were busts.  

Fun Fact: Only a single forward who was drafted first overall currently has less career NHL points than Nail Yakupov. His name is Nico Hischier and he has only played half of Yakupovs games and is very likely to pass that next season.

2013

Key Picks:

Darnell Nurse (7th overall)

Other Picks

Marco Roy (56th overall)

Bogdan Yakimov (83rd overall)

Anton Slepyshev (88th overall)

Jackson Houck (94th overall)

Kyle Platzer (96th overall)

Aidan Muir (113rd overall)

Evan Campbell (128th overall)

Ben Betker (158th overall)

Greg Chase (188th overall)

While looking at all the players drafted and how they turned out, I feel like I have to do some mental gymnastics in order to make these picks look interesting or notable. In 2013 The Edmonton Oilers had 10 selections in the NHL draft. Only a single player from that draft is an active contributor to the Edmonton Oilers. Darnell Nurse is a good player but takes plenty of bad penalties, he still has his best years ahead of him. Anton Slepyshev earns an honourable mention for playing 100 games over three seasons accumulating 23 points. 2013 Would have been an unmitigated disaster if Darnell Nurse didn’t step up as much as he did this season. Any year when you have 10 selections and only two players play for your actual roster is inexcusable.

Fun Fact: Since 2000, The Edmonton Oilers have drafted only three defensemen in the first round. The names include Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard and Oscar Klefbom. All three are set to play for the Oilers next season.

2014

Key Picks:

Leon Draisaitl (3rd overall)

Other Picks:

William Lagesson (91st overall)

Zach Nagelvoort (111th overall)

Liam Coughlin (130th overall)

Tyler Vesel (153rd overall)

Kevin Bouchard (183rd overall)

The Edmonton Oilers easily got one of the best players in the draft. Leon Draisaitl is a perfect fit for the Oilers and spent one year down in the WHL which proved wonders for his career. The second and third round picks were sent off to acquire Ben Scrivens and David Perron. The other selections didn’t pan out but that is seemingly par for the course at this rate. It isn’t too bad, the Oilers got their guy.

Fun Fact: Leon Draisaitl has the most points out of all the players in his draft class.

2015

Key Picks:

Connor McDavid (1st overall)

Caleb Jones (117th overall)

Ethan Bear (124th overall)

Other Picks:

Josh Marino (154th overall)

Miroslav Svoboda (208th overall)

Ziyat Paigin (209th overall)

Connor McDavid is the best player in the NHL. This was the best pick the Edmonton Oilers have made and it was a no brainer. Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear are looking like good defensive prospects but neither have played more than 20 games in the NHL yet. They have played very well down in Bakersfield so it is likely we are going to be seeing both of them much more in 2019. Despite only having six picks one of which were in the first three rounds, this was probably the best draft that they had in terms of value. Chalk the 2015 NHL entry draft as a win.

Fun Fact: The 2015 NHL Draft had one of the strongest first rounds in recent memory. 20 out of the 30 selections played in 100 or more NHL games and 11 of those 20 currently have 100 or more points in the NHL.

2016

Key Picks

Jesse Puljujarvi (4th overall)

Tyler Benson (32nd overall)

Other Picks:

Markus Niemeläinen (63rd overall)

Matthew Cairns (84th overall)

Filip Berglund (91st overall)

Dylan Wells (123rd overall)

Graham McPhee (149th overall)

Aapeli Räsänen (153rd overall)

Vincent Desharnais (183rd overall)

The 2016 NHL Entry Draft should have given the Edmonton Oilers exactly what they needed. However, it seems that Jesse Puljujarvi is not the star winger that could be paired with Connor McDavid. Overall, he has had 37 points in 139 NHL games. There is plenty of speculation suggesting that Puljujarvi could be traded in the near future, but the return does not seem to be good enough. Tyler Benson has not seen any NHL action so far, but he has done very well in the AHL where he led the team last season in points. He will have a good shot at making the roster next season. The jury is still out while we wait and see where Puljujarvi and Benson end up.

Fun Fact: Jesse Puljujarvi is 13th in points out of the players in his draft class. Only 27 players have played 20 or more NHL games from that class.

2017 and 2018

Key Picks:

Evan Bouchard (2018 10th overall)

Kailer Yamamoto (2017 22nd overall)

Ryan McLeod (2018 40th overall)

Stuart Skinner (2017 78th overall)

There Is not much to talk about because a majority of the draftees have not had enough time to develop nor has their chance at the NHL level come. Evan Bouchard wrapped up a great year with the London Knights and will be looking to compete for a roster spot next year. Yamamoto is still developing but only put up 18 points in 27 games for Bakersfield. Ryan McLeod is showing some upside but is a few years away from the NHL level and Stuart Skinner is still developing but looks like a solid goaltender prospect so far. Both drafts look good at a glance and they are getting the time they need before the NHL spotlight shines on them.

Source: HockeyDB