NHL DRAFT: Edmonton Oilers grab Finnish goalie Eemil Vinni

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One day after extending the contract of backup goalie Calvin Pickard, the Edmonton Oilers kept the focus on the crease in Day 2 of the NHL Draft on Saturday.

With the 32nd pick of the second round (64th overall), they selected goaltender Eemil Vinni from the Finland-2 league (Mestis).

The six-foot-three 187-pounder was the top-ranked netminder on NHL Central Scouting, and had a 2.72 goals-against average, a .891 save percentage and two shutouts in 37 games (17-9-10) this season with club Jokipoiat Joensuu .

At the 2023 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, the 19-year-old helped Team Finland to bronze while going 3-1-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .927 save-percentage.

The scouting report on Vinni points to his above-average gloves and lateral movement who plays at his best when between the posts, with projections of him becoming a capable backup in the NHL one day.

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Vinni was the first of six draft picks by the Oilers in Rounds 2-7 on Saturday, and came on the heels of trading up for the Philadelphia Flyers’ first-round pick one night earlier.

At 32nd overall, they took forward Sam O’Reilly of the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights.

And in the fifth round (64 overall), the Oilers went back to the OHL to take Flint Firebirds winger Connor Clattenburg.

The six-foot-two, 198-pound native of Arnprior, Ont., scored 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 30 games this year, after coming over from the Soo Greyhounds, where he had 12 points (four goals, eight assists).

In 116 OHL games, Clattenburg earned 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists), 194 penalty minutes and a minus-9 rating.

The Oilers had a pair of picks in the sixth round, beginning with defenceman Albin Sundin, of the Swedish junior league (Frolunda Jr.) at 183rd overall, nine spots before selecting centre Dalyn Wakely, of North Bay of the OHL (192 overall).

At six-foot-two, 198 pounds, Sundin had 17 points (four goals, 13 assists), 59 penalty minutes and a plus-5 rating, as well as playing 17 games with Frolunda’s SHL team.

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Meanwhile, Wakely finished third in OHL scoring  last season with 104 points (39 goals, 65 assists) in 66 games, with 71 penalty minutes and a plus-54 rating.

Last year, he was named the OHL and Canadian Hockey League Humanitarian of the Year.

In 199 OHL games, the 20-year-old has 187 points (89 goals, 98 assists), 126 penalty minutes and a plus-84 rating.

The Oilers’ first pick in the seventh round saw them single out another London Knights product in centre William Nicholl.

The 18-year-old native of Manotick, Ont., scored 20 points (six goals, 14 assists), 38 penalty minutes and a minus-2 rating in 65 games.

He also added eight points (on eogal, seven assists), 14 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating in the playoffs.

And with their final selection of 2024, the Oilers drafted Bauer Berry in the seventh round (218 overall).

The six-foot-four, 198-pound defenceman comes from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League.

The 18-year-old earned 14 points (on goal, 13 assists), 83 penalty minutes and a plus-12 rating in 59 regular-season games this season.

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The son of former NHL defenceman Brad Berry, Bauer has committed to the University of St. Thomas of the NCAA for the 2025-26 season.

Also of note, a pair of Edmonton Oil Kings had their names called on Saturday, first with the St. Louis Blues taking centre Adam Jecho in the third round (95th overall), before the Vancouver Canucks took defenceman Parker Alcos in the sixth round (189th overall).

E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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