OILERS DRAFT RECAP: Seven selections have scouts ‘feeling good’

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You’ll have to forgive the Edmonton Oilers if championship pedigree was on their mind at this year’s NHL Draft, less than one week removed from suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

So, they went out and brought in forward Sam O’Reilly, of the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights, with their first pick after trading up to get themselves back into the first round with the Philadelphia Flyers’ 32nd overall selection Friday.

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And they followed up Saturday with one of his teammates, along with a top-ranked goalie out of Finland, a Swedish defenceman (because why break tradition?), another Connor (like you can ever have enough!), a top-three scorer in the OHL, as well as a bit of a long-shot who is aiming to travel the NCAA route but has NHL pedigree on his side.

Whether we end up actually seeing any of them playing meaningful games in Oilers colours at some point is anyone’s guess. But one thing was certain this weekend, they are all taking the next step toward living out their dream of becoming a full-fledged NHLer, and with an Oilers club that is approaching the pinnacle of its roster development — which is hopefully still the case if and when they come down the project pipeline.

Until then, here’s what we know about the newest members of the Edmonton Oilers family:

SAM O’REILLY (First round, 32nd overall)

POSITION: Centre

TEAM: London Knights

BORN: Toronto, Ont.

SIZE: 6-foot-1

SHOOTS: Right

RANKING: 24th-ranked North American skater

JUST THE FACTS: 20 goals, 36 assists

THE OILERS SAY: “We valued Sam extremely high and we thought there was a probability he’d be late first round,” said amateur scouting director Rick Pracey. “It was time to make a move. It was aggressive, yet we think Sam’s worth it.

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“We like his size, we like his drive, an extremely competitive kid.”

EEMIL VINNI (Second round, 64th overall)

POSITION: Goalie

TEAM: Jokipojat Joensuu (Finland-2 league)

BORN: Vantaa, Finland

SIZE: 6-foot-3

CATCHES: Left

RANKING: First among European goalies

JUST THE FACTS: Won bronze with Team Finland at the 2023 Hilnka-Gretzky Cup

THE OILERS SAY: “He was another prospect we were tracking quite heavily,” Pracey said. “We spent time in the playoffs watching him, tracked him for a couple years as the late birthdate (Dec. 18, 2005). We believe he has high-end athleticism, we like his read and react, his competitiveness and we believe he has a chance to be a national league goaltender.

“At that spot, we … that one got anxious. That was the tightest one all day, so we were quite pleased to get him.”

CONNOR CLATTENBURG (Fifth round, 160th overall)

POSITION: Left wing

TEAM: Flint Firebirds (OHL)

BORN: Arnprior, Ont.

SIZE: 6-foot-2

SHOOTS: Left

JUST THE FACTS: Thirteen goals and 16 assists to go with 79 penalty minutes in 60 OHL games

THE OILERS SAY: “That was a player who brings something different to our organization,” Pracey said. “He plays this game hard. He’s thick, he’s strong, he’s competitive. He was a development event player, he got traded to Flint and he just took off.

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“He’s an exciting player for us.”

ALBIN SUNDIN (Sixth round, 183rd overall)

POSITION: Defenceman

TEAM: Frolunda (Swedish junior league)

BORN: Kungsbacka, Sweden

SIZE: 6-foot-2

SHOOTS: Right

JUST THE FACTS: Four goals, 13 assists and 59 penalty minutes in 41 games

THE OILERS SAY: “An older player, he got a late call-up. Another developmental event,” said Pracey. “He played a significant role in the Swedish Hockey League playoffs, the highest league in Sweden. Six-foot-two, competitive.”

DALYN WAKELY (Sixth round, 192nd overall)

POSITION: Centre

TEAM: North Bay Battalion (OHL)

BORN: Port Hope, Ont.

SIZE: Six feet

SHOOTS: Right

RANKED: 116th among North American skaters

JUST THE FACTS: 39 goals, 65 assists and 71 penalty minutes in 66 games, the 2023 Canadian Hockey League Humanitarian of the Year

THE OILERS SAY: “That one scored 17 goals as a 17-year-old, he scored 30 goals as an 18-year-old and multiple playoff runs,” Pracey said. “North Bay had some quality teams and once it was his chance to be a feature player, he took the No. 1 centre role and he provided offence, 104-point level. He excelled in the playoffs and he was another pure target.”

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WILLIAM NICHOLL (Seventh round, 196th overall)

POSITION: Centre

TEAM: London Knights (OHL)

BORN: Manotick, Ont.

SIZE: Six feet

SHOOTS: Left

JUST THE FACTS: Six goals, 14 assists and 38 penalty minutes in 65 games during his first full year

THE OILERS SAY: “He’s a player that’s a little underrated,” Pracey said. “Played deeper in the lineup in London.

“We like his skating, we like his edges, we think there’s untapped offensive potential.”

BAUER BARRY (Seventh round, 218th overall)

POSITION: Defenceman

TEAM: Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)

BORN: Grand Forks, N.D.

SIZE: 6-foot-4

SHOOTS: Left

JUST THE FACTS: The son of University of North Dakota coach Brad Berry, Bauer had one goal and 13 assists and 83 penalty minutes in 59 games. Committed to the University of St. Thomas (NCAA) for 2025-26

THE OILERS SAY: “With our last pick, we’re going on niche,” Pracey said. “We went after some size, we think there’s a growth period there. We have a long runway, the play is to spend another year in the USHL and then head to college.

“Those bigger defencemen take time, and we had that luxury.”

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CLOSING REMARKS: “There’s a lot to play out, obviously, and you don’t want to set expectations too high,” Pracey said. “We had a plan and we feel good about the players we selected.”

Local flavour: Two Edmonton Oil Kings were drafted Saturday, with the St. Louis Blues taking centre Adam Jecho in the third round (95th overall), and the Vancouver Canucks selecting defenceman Parker Alcos in the sixth round (189th overall).

And just in case anyone didn’t quite get their fill at the NHL Draft, the Edmonton Elks picked up wide receiver Zach Mathis in the Canadian Football League supplemental draft Saturday.

It cost them their first-round pick in the 2025 CFL Draft, but the still-winless Elks (0-4) brought in some help in the form of the 6-foot-7, 203-pound North Dakota State product, who earned 1,392 yards and nine touchdowns on 95 catches in 53 career games over six seasons with the Bison, while winning three FCS national championships.

He attended rookie mini-camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in May.

E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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