Corey Pronman details what to expect from the Edmonton Oilers’ new prospects and how they fit into the farm system.
2024 Draft Grade: C
Edmonton made an aggressive play to come up to get Sam O’Reilly. I didn’t have him rated as high as the Oilers did, but if, like a lot of London players before him, he continues to develop well, I could see myself revising that stance a year from now if he has a big offensive season in the OHL. Eemil Vinni is the most athletic goaltender in the draft and has a real chance to play games for an organization that desperately needs goaltender talent in the system.
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Draft Class
32. Sam O’Reilly, C, London Knights (OHL)
March 30, 2006 | 6′ 1″ | 183 pounds
Tier: Projected to play NHL games
Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Analysis: O’Reilly was very good for a rookie in the OHL. He’s played a major role for a top London team, playing in all situations. He’s a two-way center. He competes hard and has physicality. I’ve seen quicker skaters, but he can escape pressure and has good enough quickness for the NHL level. O’Reilly has quality skill and vision and can create chances. He has a decent shot but I like him more when he’s making plays. He has the potential to be a bottom-six center in the league.
Thoughts on the pick: O’Reilly is a well-rounded center prospect whom plenty of scouts liked by the end of the season. He’s a hard worker, a good skater, and has legit skill as well. He projects as a bottom-six center, and if he were to add a bit more consistent scoring, I could see him as a middle-six pivot in the NHL.
64. Eemil Vinni, G, JoKP (Mestis)
December 18, 2005 | 6′ 2″ | 185 pounds
Tier: Projected to play NHL games
Skating: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Below NHL average
Analysis: Vinni has been a player on the NHL prospect radar for a few years even though his stock hasn’t taken off as expected this season. He has been so highly thought of because of his natural athleticism. He has the quick twitch of an NHL goalie in his lower half. He makes a lot of difficult saves moving across the crease and when he challenges shooters he can explode out of the net. Vinni’s game can be quite busy in net, though, with a lot of extra movement and he doesn’t always track the puck well. He has an NHL toolkit and could be a backup goalie, but as for whether he could be a long-term player, he’s too inconsistent at this point to say.
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160. Connor Clattenburg, LW, Flint (OHL)
May 2, 2005 | 6’2″ | 198 pounds
183. Albin Sundin, RHD, Frölunda HC (SWEDEN)
August 13, 2004 | 6’2″ | 198 pounds
192. Dalyn Wakely, C, North Bay Battalion (OHL)
March 5, 2004 | 6′ 0″ | 190 pounds
Analysis: Wakely was one of the best players in the OHL this season. He’s been undrafted before due to his skating, but he’s smart, can finish plays and competes well.
196. William Nicholl, C, London Knights (OHL)
May 24, 2006 | 6′ 0″ | 170 pounds
218. Bauer Berry, LHD, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
October 31, 2005 | 6′ 4″ | 196 pounds
Analysis: Berry is a big defenseman who has shown some progress of late. His skating is decent for his size, but he struggles with the puck on his stick.
Beat writer’s analysis
The first pick the Oilers made was their most surprising, and perhaps also their most perplexing. Without a first-round selection — it was dealt to Anaheim to acquire forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick before the trade deadline — they acquired the 32nd choice on Friday, moving a 2025 top-12 protected pick to Philadelphia. That pick is exactly the type of high-end asset a team in win-now mode could have used in the months ahead to augment their roster for another shot at a Stanley Cup. The Oilers nabbed Sam O’Reilly with the pick. O’Reilly, a centre from the OHL champion London Knights, profiles as a likely bottom-six player in the NHL.
The Oilers had holes to address at pretty much all positions thanks to one of the worst prospect pipelines in the league. O’Reilly should help up front. Goaltending was another need. They used their second-round pick, 64th, to select netminder Eemil Vinni. Vinni backstopped Finland to a bronze medal at the 2023 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup last summer. The Oilers didn’t pick again until the fifth round where OHL Flint left winger Connor Clattenburg was their first of five more selections. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman
(Photo of Sam O’Reilly: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
