Scouting is tricky, especially in the NHL. In the first couple of rounds, you have a much clearer vision of the player’s projection; however, as the draft continues, the later you get, the more you throw darts into the dark and hope you hit the bullseyes.

Contrary to popular belief, the Edmonton Oilers have done well drafting. The problem is that those players need to stick around longer for fans to see them blossom. The ones who have moved have left for a couple of reasons, either in a trade or via free agency. Many have stayed, too, and have become pivotal parts of an organization that was one win away from a Stanley Cup.

We’ll review previous drafts over the next few weeks and decide who the Oilers’ best and non-first-round picks have been.

There are a few rules.

1. They must have played at least a game in the NHL. For example, Matvey Petrov can’t make the list because he’s only played with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL. 

2. They don’t have to have played for the Oilers. For example, Matej Blumel was a draft pick but never played for Edmonton. However, he played six for the Dallas Stars. 

3. We’ll only look at draft picks from 2010 onwards. Why? Because that’s when I moved to Canada.

Draft History

Since 2010, the Oilers have selected 75 players in the NHL Draft for a combined 9322 NHL games. Based on games played, the most successful drafted class was the 2015 group, which played 1490 games together. Of course, the headliner of that draft was Connor McDavid, but Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear, and Jon Marino, who never played for the Oilers, have also made solid careers for themselves.

Edmonton has had four men in the director of scouting role since 2010. Stu MacGregor took the reigns in 2007 after serving as an amateur scout for the Oilers from 2008 until 2015 when he became the general manager of the Kamloops Blazers in the Western Hockey League. MacGregor was around the first overall pick era when the Oilers drafted Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov in three consecutive years. While those picks were layups, he did select Leon Draisaitl and Oscar Klefbom with other first-round picks while snagging players like Anton Slepyshev and Jujhar Kharia in later rounds, who played roles in Edmonton.

Once MacGregor departed, Bob Green took over and was also the director of player personnel. His first draft was the McDavid year in 2015. His first-round picks were hit-and-miss, going with Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, and Evan Bouchard. Despite the inconsistency in the first, Stuart Skinner, Ryan McLeod, and Vincent Desharnais were taken under his leadership. Green is still with the organization as the head of amateur scouting.

From Green, the Oilers brought in Tyler Wright, who was with Ken Holland at the Detroit Red Wings. The players that Wright selected have yet to have a ton of success, but Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg showed good progress in the playoffs. You could argue that Wright’s biggest contribution was selecting Reid Schafer, whom the Oilers traded to the Nashville Predators for Mattias Ekholm.

Finally, Rick Pracey is the Oilers’ newest director of amateur scouting. Pracey just wrapped up his first draft in the position, going with Sam O’Reilly from the London Knights in the first round. We have yet to find out what Pracey’s legacy in Edmonton, but we know he did a good job with the Colorado Avalanche, helping them win a Stanley Cup.

Honourable Mentions

39 of the 75 players selected by Edmonton since 2010 have played at least one game in the NHL. Of course, there’s a mixed bag of careers with that 39, with nine playing less than ten games. Before we get into the top five best and worst non-first-round picks, let’s take a quick look at some honourable mentions.

Vincent Desharnais (HM Best) – If this list is extended past five, then Desharnais will be six. After going 183rd overall in the 2016 draft, Desharnais managed to grind his way to the NHL and has now played over 100 games. He became a regular in the Oilers defensive group and scored his first NHL goal at Commonwealth Stadium in the Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames. Oilers fans loved him during his time in Edmonton, but unfortunately, his tenure came to an end a couple of weeks ago when he signed a two-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks. It was difficult not to have him in the top five with his story.

Caleb Jones (HM Best) – Caleb Jones has played 242 games in the NHL, with 73 coming in Copper and Blue. Jones was part of the 2015 draft class, going 117th overall. After a couple of solid seasons with the Portland Winterhawks, he made his way to the Condors and, during his second season as a pro, played 17 games with Edmonton. Jones was eventually traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Duncan Keith and most recently played in the NHL for the Colorado Avalanche.

Anton Slepyshev (HM Best) – Anton Slepyshev grew on the fan base before returning to Russia in 2018. There were rumours a few years ago that he could return; however, that never happened, and he has been in the KHL ever since. Slepyshev played 102 games in Edmonton, scoring 10 goals and 23 points. He was a speedy forward who looked like he could become a decent middle-six forward. Fans never got to find out what the Oilers former 88th overall pick in 2013 could become.

Tyler Bunz (HM Worst)—Tyler Bunz played in one NHL game in 2015. It was a relief appearance versus the LA Kings when he replaced Ben Scrivens after he had allowed four goals on 18 shots. Bunz finished with a 0.750 save percentage, allowing three goals, and never played in the league again.

Curtis Hamilton (HM Worst) – Curtis Hamilton was a former second-round pick in 2010 who played one game for the Oilers. He was the 48th overall pick, with current Edmonton goaltender Calvin Pickard going 49th to the Avalanche. His lone game came in 2015 against the San Jose Sharks when he played 8:01 in a 3-1 loss. Hamilton’s most significant impact was receiving a five-minute major for boarding Bryan Lerg two minutes into the game. Hamilton moved to Europe the following year and hasn’t played in North America since.