The upcoming NHL entry draft has a pretty well defined upper echelon of players who will be available for the Oilers at 3rd Overall. The club has essentially said its pick has been available for the right price for a few years but even when they dropped down to 7th nobody gave them what they needed to pass on the 18 year old kid who was available at that spot, so forgive me if I no longer believe the boy who cried Trade.
Having had the opportunity to hear Oilers GM Craig MacTavish speak at a private engagement not that long ago I was able to listen to his assessment of a few of the draft eligible players. During that assessment there were several names that came up but based on the GM's own description of these young men I came away with the distinct impression of who the Oilers covet and the order that they hold them in.
Now, things change and there is a lot of work for the scouts to still do so this is by no means going to be the final list. Additionally, I want to be clear. The GM did not list out his order, he simply described these kids and I am using my own judgement to deduce their top 4 based on that description. All of these names have been bandied about by media types like Jim Matheson, Jones, and Stauffer and each would fill a need for the Oilers.
So based on what was said I believe the Edmonton Oilers' top 4 in this draft are:
1) Ekblad - D
2) Draisaitl - C
3) Bennett - C
4) Reinhart - C
1) Aaron Ekblad - D - 6'4" 217lbs. The Barrie Defenseman is labelled as NHL ready based on his size and experience in the OHL. He was the first ever Defenseman granted exceptional status by the OHL and just finished his 3rd year in the league. He is currently the Captain of the Barrie Colts and is ranked 2nd by both the NHL's Central Scouting and the International Scouting Service.
Ekblad is a right shooting Defenseman which the Oilers are short on in their system. They have Schultz, Petry, and Klefbom already on the right side but none of those players have the perceived upside of Ekblad who has all the tools to be a force on the backend. The Oilers are looking for high end defensemen and they have a chance to get one without giving up an asset.
The Colt Captain went 58GP, 23-30-53 with 91 PIM on his season but picked up a lot of offense on the PP. Now most young defensemen coming into the NHL lose their PP time right away, but this is a guy who might still get that time. He is a shooting Defender who is proving he can be a trigger man on the point. Does the fact that 16 of his 23 goals come on the PP alarm me? A little. But the scouts are still bullish on the kid.
Yes, the Oilers of today need the Ekblad of 3 years from now, but they dont get him until they invest in the Ekblad of today.
2) Leon Draisaitl - C - 6'1" 209lbs. This is a player who gets a lot more verbal from Western Conference teams than those out on the East Coast, but the Oilers love this kid. He isnt huge at just over 6 feet tall but his frame is large and he can bulk up relatively easily. The German born Draisaitl captained his country at the most recent WJHC and leads the PA Raiders offensively.
Draisaitl is 30+ points clear of the next closest Raider in scoring and finished 4th in the entire WHL. He went 64GP, 38-67-105 with 24 PIM. He's obviously offensively gifted but his place in the Draft swings wildly depending on who you ask. NHL Central Scouting has the German listed at 4th (and listed as a LW but the Raiders list him at C) and the ISS lists him at 6th.
He is most definitely less heralded outside of this market than here, so why do I believe that the Oilers have LD rated this high? It's all about comparisons. MacT compared Draisaitl to Anze Kopitar 3 times when talking about the young man. It was something that he kept coming back to, and if you have a chance to draft Kopitar then you do it.
3) Sam Bennett - C - 6' 181lbs. This is the final player the GM spoke about more than in passing and he is coveted around NHL scouting circles because of the tough nosed game he plays. The Kingston Frontenac has the reputation of playing an angry game and he brings the offense too. He isnt big by any stretch of the imagination but he brings it on every shift.
Bennett's standard stats are 57GP, 36-55-91 with 118 PIM. His offensive numbers suggest nice hands and solid playmaking vision but his PIMs also suggest those soft hands can get a little dirty sometimes (a lot). There's no doubt that the Oil want players like this in the mix. These are the guys who play on an edge and can contribute in the top 6. If you're part of the group that wants to change the makeup of the top 6 in terms of their style of play then this is your guy.
In terms of a comparison to other NHL players, the GM chose to compare Bennett to Doug Gilmour. So in the eyes of the Edmonton Oilers they see this as a guy who plays much larger than his size would suggest and brings along an excellent offensive ability. The Oil have their 1C in RNH, whoever they grab next is destined for 2C. I think the Oilers would love run two lines who can kill you in your own zone 2 different ways.
4) Sam Reinhart - C - 6'1" 183lbs. This is a player who was mentioned just briefly by the GM but his performance in the WHL Playoffs should have people on notice, if they werent paying attention. He leads the Kootenay Ice in scoring and finished behind Draisaitl only because of Goals as the tiebreaker. He finished with 60GP, 36-69-105 with 11 PIM.
The NHL Central Scouting report has Reinhart at 3rd in the Draft, but the ISS has him at 1st Overall. So why is this player rated 4th in this list? I think the biggest knock against Reinhart is that he is a bit of an RNH clone. He's a slight player with excellent vision. That wouldnt ever be an issue with a player of his ability except here in Edmonton where they want their next Center to bring an element that RNH doesnt.
That's not to say Edmonton would be disappointed to draft him, but if need plays a tie-breaking factor at all then Reinhart will lose on that alone. Something to keep in mind with this kid are his Playoff numbers. He's 12GP, 6-17-23 in the WHL playoffs. Something else that might work against Reinhart is that he isnt head and shoulders ahead of his next closest teammate. Jaedon Descheneau has been with him every step of the way in the regular season and playoffs.
FINAL COMMENTS
I didnt get a sneak peak at Stu MacGregor's draft board. This list is what I believe based on the comments of the Oilers GM and that info is now a couple of weeks old. Things change, needs change. That said, I stand by my belief that this is their order of preference at the Draft.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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