I like making lists like this once in a while. Why? Because it's fun to consider what's coming in the Oilers future.
Just to clear up any confusion as to what I consider a prospect, and what I don't...Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are not considered by me to be prospects, because they have full-time jobs with the Oilers. Players like Teemu Hartikainen and Magnus Pajaarvi, even though they've played some games in Edmonton, are considered by me to be prospects, because they have yet to nail down a permanent job. So keeping this in mind...
The Top 20 Oilers Prospects, November Edition
1. Nail Yakupov - Out of the Oilers four superkid forwards (#64, #4, #14 and #93), Yakupov might be the best pure-scorer of the group. Great speed and shot. A nose for the net. Tenacity. Huge talent level and desire to win. Absolutely lighting the KHL on fire while waiting for the NHL season to start. Potential - Franchise Sniper
2. Oscar Klefbom - It might surprise some that I rate Klefbom ahead of Schultz, but there's a reason for it. Schultz is an offensive specialist, and is a player who will need to get by on his hockey IQ. Klefbom, on the other hand, is a physical specimen of the Scott Stevens variety. He's also more of a "typical" defenseman than Schultz in the sense that if he has an all-star career, what makes him great will be how sound he plays defensively. A big player who can play mean, he's also known for his ability to make extremely smart decisions with the puck at all times. In the SEL, he's been playing this season like the league MVP, the leader of his team, and a veteran with 10 years pro experience. He's the total package, and everything you'd want in a defenseman. Potential - Franchise defenseman
3. Justin Schultz - The next Brian Leetch. Smooth skating, brilliant vision, high hockey IQ. Better defensively than people realize, although he still has plenty to do in that area. Physically, it would help if he added around 20lbs of muscle. Offensively, he already plays an elite game. Was the AHL Player of the Month in October Potential - Elite puck-moving defenseman
4. Teemu Hartikainen - One of the missing pieces on the Oilers roster is a skilled player in the Top 6 who possesses "functional toughness". Hartikainen is good enough to play in the NHL, and might have enough skill + toughness to fit into the Oilers Top 6. He's good for a 200 hit season over an 82 game NHL schedule, and has enough size to create significant chaos of the opposition. Potential - 2nd line LW
5. Martin Marincin - Marincin so far is one of the success stories of the Oilers non-season. He's a big defensiveman with significant skill...Excellent skater and puck-mover. The rub going back to last season is that Marincin lacked upper body strength and conditioning. He's been working on it, and the results are showing. As a first-year pro, Marincin has passed several players up the depth chart. He's currently playing on the top pairing in OKC with Justin Schultz, and the two have chemistry together. Could be paired up again two or three seasons from now in the NHL. Potential - Top 4 defenseman
6. Magnus Paajarvi - I read comments all the time suggesting Paajarvi is a failed prospect. In truth, he isn't...he's just not going to turn into the player everyone hoped he could. He has a future with the Oilers, but it won't be in the Top 6. In truth, Paajarvi will be the 3rd line left winger, and fit well into the role. He does possess some offensive skill, but his best attribute is his ability to play sound two-way hockey. He'll have a tough time making the jump to the NHL until Ryan Smyth retires (because Smyth is occupying his roster spot). Potential - 3rd line LW
7. Tyler Bunz - Goaltenders are so impossible to predict. Bunz has size and skill, and a certain amount of pedigree. All signs point to Bunz turning into a quality puck-stopper over the next three or four seasons, but he has a long way to go still. He's currently playing pro hockey for the first time, and has a 2.12 GAA with a .917 SP in seven games played for the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. Second best goalie in the league so far this season Potential - NHL goalie? Hard to say yet.
8. Tyler Pitlick - If Magnus Paajarvi is the Oilers future 3rd line LW, make Pitlick the future 3rd line RW. He has size, can skate, can hit and can score sometimes. He seems a little streaky to me, but that's not uncommon for someone his age. His best assests are his size and willingness to engage in gritty play. Pitlick still needs plenty of time to develop, but there's no reason to rush him. Potential - 3rd line LW.
9. David Musil - Consider Musil Ladislav Smid 2.0. His development has stumbled a bit over the last 18 months, but he'll pick things up now that he's been dealt to the Edmonton Oil Kings. Musil is big, mean, tough...foot speed is an issue, and he'll never put up 20pts+ seasons. All things considered, he's got the good to turn into a competent, but non-flashy NHL defenseman. Potential - 5/6 pairing defenseman.
10. Kristians Pelss - This list is all about potential. Pelss is just one of those guys everyone falls in love with. Hardest worker. Tremendous attitude. Skates like an absolute demon. He has a role with the Oilers in the future, and I'd be willing to bet $12.24 that he'll be part of the team when it starts winning championships. Winning teams need heart-and-soul players in their Bottom 6, and Pelss is a perfect example of what a 4th line winger should play like. He'll also see plenty of ice time as a penalty killer. Potential - 4th line role player.
11. Olivier Roy - There's something about Roy that screams "back-up goalie" to me. Numbers in OKC are okay considering how bad the team in front of him is playing defensively. 4gp, 2.53GAA with a .915SP. Potential - NHL Backup
12. Taylor Fedun - Here's another player I feel bad not ranking him higher. All of Oilerville is cheering for Fedun to have a great career. The hockey IQ is there with Fedun, and he's holding his own so far in the AHL. There are two issues with him as his career moves forth: First is a lack of idea size for an NHL defenseman. Fedun will never be able to hit the opposition through the boards. The other issue is his lack of burst/foot speed. This is something a player can develop and strengthen over time, so here's hoping. Potential - 5/6 NHL Defenseman
13. Ryan Martindale - His game has certainly improved this year from last. Why? He dropped 20lbs and came into camp fit and ready. Martindale could become a Top 6 forward in the NHL someday, but there are numerous elements of his game that need to be worked on. He's taken a big step forward this season by turning himself into a physical specimen and showing that he wants to play in the NHL someday. Potential - More information required.
14. Anton Lander - You have no idea how much it pains me to drop Lander so far in my rankings, as I love what this kid brings. He's hard working and dedicated. You won't find someone who hates losing more than Lander. Unfortunately, his skating just isn't at a high enough level, and it remains to be seen if he can improve it. He's struggling mightly in the AHL this season, and appears to have lost all confidence. I'm not sure where things go from here. Back to the SEL for a while? A deal to a different team? Potential - 3rd line center if he gains foot speed.
15. Tobias Rieder - Yet another winger with skill for the Oilers to consider. Rieder is off to an okay start in the OHL this season (17p in 17 games), and looked brilliant last year in the OHL playoffs. My question isn't so much if he's got potential; it's where exactly he fits in the Oilers future. With Eberle, Hemsky, Jones and Yakupov all gumming up the right side, and with Hall, Hartikainen, Smyth and Paajarvi filling up the left, there's nowhere for Rieder to go, at least in the short-term. My guess is the Oilers will eventually move this prospect. Hard to say what he'll turn into, but there could be a 2nd line scorer there. Potential - Offensive forward.
16. Dillon Simpson - Had a great season in college hockey last year. All sorts of potential here for Simpson to turn into a Top 4 puck-moving defenseman. Still a long-range project, though.
17. Antti Tyrvainen - Most annoying player ever. I think he belongs in the NHL, on the Oilers 4th line, as he's everything the team isn't. A cross between Esa Tikkanen and Raffi Torres. He'll never be more than a 4th line player, but if you need a guy to create chaos and to get under the skin of the opposition, Tryvainen can do it.
18. Brandon Davidson - It's terrible this gentleman will need to deal with cancer treatments over the next few months, as he was looking tremendous as a first-year pro for the Oilers farm team. Davidson will beat his cancer, and he'll get back to playing hockey. Big defenseman who needs to work on foot speed, but otherwise has plenty of potential.
19. Colten Teubert - Meh. The Oilers seem to always have a few guys like this. Theo Peckham, Corey Potter, Alex Plante...guys who might have, at one time, been considered a potential NHL player, but they just don't seem to improve over time. Teubert will never be more than a 7th defenseman in the NHL.
20. Mitchell Moroz - Moroz's season started as a disaster, but it appears he's turning things around. The Oil Kings are an absolutely stacked team, so Moroz should put up offensive totals just by being there. Big forward who can hit and fight. I think the Oilers drafted him too high and he'll likely never play in the NHL, but here's opening the wizard that is Stu struck gold again.
Just a Side Note: In case you wondered, I didn't forget Martin Gernat. I'm just not sure where to put him on this list. He certainly belongs on it, but his current injury makes it hard for me to evaluate where he is compared to the rest of the group.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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