Prospect Info: 2022-23 Oilers Prospects Thread

jackallentheking

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Apr 4, 2024
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If we don’t sign him and he decides to do his last year of college, do we not still have his rights? Can’t we just sign him this time next year if that’s the case?
 

CycloneSweep

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Sep 27, 2017
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Shouldn’t this thread be for our 23-24 Prospects or are ours so bad we are just ignoring them now?
Akey is good but had a season ending injury 14 games in, Copponi got talked about a ton but his season is done… Nathaniel Day is not good.
 

McDNicks17

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Jul 1, 2010
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Stonehouse and the 67s are up 3-1 on Brantford in the 1st round. Game 5 is this afternoon. If they win, they'll play Oshawa in Round 2.

Day and Firebirds got swept by London.
 
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BarDownBobo

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Oct 19, 2012
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I suppose they could run a Lachance - Eiserman - Copponi line

Now I fear your right about him going to market in a year.
There’s always a risk taking American college players that they’ll go the free agent route after graduating. It is a positive that he paid his way to come to Edmonton for the summer development camp last year, I’ll be interested to see if he does the same this year.
 
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jackallentheking

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Apr 4, 2024
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1B17E82A-F4AC-4F80-A4DA-64615C6AFD42.jpeg

I’m new and didn’t read anything prior but has anyone mentioned that those 2 prospects, Lachance and Copponi, played on the same team and quite possibly the same line back in U16? I wonder if that has any influence on what he does but it definitely doesn’t hurt.
 

Behind Enemy Lines

Registered User
Feb 19, 2003
15,071
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Vancouver
Not surprising. Shitty drafting, development and trading picks in deals wide.
It's been a decade+ challenge. But in fairness, flipping picks for proven NHL talent is okay when considering critical depth need at defense added Kulak and Keith, and the bigger haul of two first equivalencies transformed it entirely with Ekholm. They used low level picks to move up to grab their starting goalie Skinner and a prospective future back-up Rodrigue. Grubbe for a 5th round pick is a decent bet.

It's natural in mature phase aka "the window" for teams chasing a Cup to flip lottery tickets for short-term NHL help. Unfortunately the Oilers systemic fail for so long with poor drafting, development and key losses like Klefbom and Larsson made the roster holes deeper and harder to fill. Oilers had to crackfill NHL quality support in all areas, forward, defense, and goaltending. When you can't draft and develop it, this becomes an expensive proposition through free agency or trade. The latter cuts further into the lottery tickets needed to sustain organizational depth.

The Oilers didn't help their cause either by missing on top 5 bluechip prospects Yakupov and Puljujarvi. Squandered high quality picks, a 1st and high 2nd on the Griffin Reinhart experiment. Poor development and slower growth of Broberg and Holloway (who I believe will both make it). Bourgault who is struggling with the jump to pro.

Looking back further in rebuild phase flipping proven NHL talent Petry, Cogliano, Schultz for low likely lottery tickets hurt.

Oilers have been a case study for how not to rebuild. At its heart is the high cost of poor draft and development.
 

K1984

Registered User
Feb 7, 2008
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It's been a decade+ challenge. But in fairness, flipping picks for proven NHL talent is okay when considering critical depth need at defense added Kulak and Keith, and the bigger haul of two first equivalencies transformed it entirely with Ekholm. They used low level picks to move up to grab their starting goalie Skinner and a prospective future back-up Rodrigue. Grubbe for a 5th round pick is a decent bet.

It's natural in mature phase aka "the window" for teams chasing a Cup to flip lottery tickets for short-term NHL help. Unfortunately the Oilers systemic fail for so long with poor drafting, development and key losses like Klefbom and Larsson made the roster holes deeper and harder to fill. Oilers had to crackfill NHL quality support in all areas, forward, defense, and goaltending. When you can't draft and develop it, this becomes an expensive proposition through free agency or trade. The latter cuts further into the lottery tickets needed to sustain organizational depth.

The Oilers didn't help their cause either by missing on top 5 bluechip prospects Yakupov and Puljujarvi. Squandered high quality picks, a 1st and high 2nd on the Griffin Reinhart experiment. Poor development and slower growth of Broberg and Holloway (who I believe will both make it). Bourgault who is struggling with the jump to pro.

Looking back further in rebuild phase flipping proven NHL talent Petry, Cogliano, Schultz for low likely lottery tickets hurt.

Oilers have been a case study for how not to rebuild. At its heart is the high cost of poor draft and development.

The sad thing is before Wright and Holland got here we actually had the best run of drafting since the 80's arguably. in 2015-18 we picked up the following players after the first round of varying real NHL potential/quality. For clarity, I'm including everyone that is in the NHL, or at least has a reasonable shot at still making the NHL:

2015:

Caleb Jones
Ethan Bear
John Marino

2016:

Niemelainen
Desharnais

2017:

Skinner
Samorukov
Kemp
Brind'Amour

2018:

McLeod
Rodrigue
Kesselring

2019:

Lavoie
Blumel

That is a pretty decent haul, and in a lot of ways still paying dividends. Out of that list I count one legit Top 4 D man, Three bottom pair D men, one D man with top 4 potential, 3 d men that have an outside shot, a #1 goalie, a #3 C, then a handful of guys that still have work to do, but could make it.

Problem is since Wright got here (first round f*** ups aside), I'm only seeing the following players with legit shots at the NHL, none of them of the impact quality in all likelihood:

Akey
Petrov
Wanner
Lachance
Savoie
Tullio
Berezkin

Other than maybe Akey and Berezkin I don't see any of these guys as having likely impact player potential. We went from picking up 2+ guys with at least NHL pedigree every year and even almost one impact player every year, to nothing. From a drafting perspective, we couldn't have possibly made that change at a worst time.
 
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Behind Enemy Lines

Registered User
Feb 19, 2003
15,071
15,912
Vancouver
The sad thing is before Wright and Holland got here we actually had the best run of drafting since the 80's arguably. in 2015-18 we picked up the following players after the first round of varying real NHL potential/quality. For clarity, I'm including everyone that is in the NHL, or at least has a reasonable shot at still making the NHL:

2015:

Caleb Jones
Ethan Bear
John Marino

2016:

Niemelainen
Desharnais

2017:

Skinner
Samorukov
Kemp
Brind'Amour

2018:

McLeod
Rodrigue
Kesselring

2019:

Lavoie
Blumel

That is a pretty decent haul, and in a lot of ways still paying dividends. Out of that list I count one legit Top 4 D man, Three bottom pair D men, one D man with top 4 potential, 3 d men that have an outside shot, a #1 goalie, a #3 C, then a handful of guys that still have work to do, but could make it.

Problem is since Wright got here (first round f*** ups aside), I'm only seeing the following players with legit shots at the NHL, none of them of the impact quality in all likelihood:

Akey
Petrov
Wanner
Lachance
Savoie
Tullio
Berezkin

Other than maybe Akey and Berezkin I don't see any of these guys as having likely impact player potential. We went from picking up 2+ guys with at least NHL pedigree every year and even almost one impact player every year, to nothing. From a drafting perspective, we couldn't have possibly made that change at a worst time.
Yup, that's fair. I thought it was strange to move Keith Gretzky out of running amateur scouting. Not sure if promoting him to assistant GM was necessary to keeping him after the Holland hire. The biggest miss to me was the overhyped "Magnificent Bastard" Stu MacGregor era and early rebuild phase which squandered high pedigree draft positions and volume of picks.
 

belair

Jay Woodcroft Unemployment Stance
Apr 9, 2010
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Not surprising. Shitty drafting, development and trading picks in deals wide.
I'd take that ranking with a grain of salt seeing Toronto as high as they are. Two of their G prospects mentioned and not a whisper for Rodrigue.

The Oilers are at the bottom of the standings in part because they've moved their last three 1st rounders. It's going to get worse as we continue buying year over year.

The team needs to find a way to add prospects at a higher volume accumulating later picks and signing more amateur UD players.
 

CycloneSweep

Registered User
Sep 27, 2017
48,235
40,036
I'd take that ranking with a grain of salt seeing Toronto as high as they are. Two of their G prospects mentioned and not a whisper for Rodrigue.

The Oilers are at the bottom of the standings in part because they've moved their last three 1st rounders. It's going to get worse as we continue buying year over year.

The team needs to find a way to add prospects at a higher volume accumulating later picks and signing more amateur UD players.
Toronto is only a few spots ahead of us which...makes sense, they have better prospects.
Mostly because of Cowan.
And they didn't mention Rodrigue true but they didn't go in depth about every teams prospects.
28th best prospect pool for us feels accurate.

Rodrigue might be something, but Campbell looked as good as him too (better s%) so the team might have had a lot to help with that. Broberg and Holloway don't project high anymroe and after that we have next to nothing of actual note. It makes sense.
 

belair

Jay Woodcroft Unemployment Stance
Apr 9, 2010
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Canada
Toronto is only a few spots ahead of us which...makes sense, they have better prospects.
Mostly because of Cowan.
And they didn't mention Rodrigue true but they didn't go in depth about every teams prospects.
28th best prospect pool for us feels accurate.

Rodrigue might be something, but Campbell looked as good as him too (better s%) so the team might have had a lot to help with that. Broberg and Holloway don't project high anymroe and after that we have next to nothing of actual note. It makes sense.
How do Broberg or Holloway not project highly at this point? Both are likely on the main roster next season. And both are coming off of successful extended stints in Bakersfield.

Cowan is a shiny toy, but his numbers in London are fairly pedestrian. The Athletic actually made a point in their yearly rankings to note the kind of impact Dubas made on the Leafs' farm system. It lacks depth and has few actual prospects with certain NHL upside. The Oilers have a few.
 

CycloneSweep

Registered User
Sep 27, 2017
48,235
40,036
How do Broberg or Holloway not project highly at this point? Both are likely on the main roster next season. And both are coming off of successful extended stints in Bakersfield.

Cowan is a shiny toy, but his numbers in London are fairly pedestrian. The Athletic actually made a point in their yearly rankings to note the kind of impact Dubas made on the Leafs' farm system. It lacks depth and has few actual prospects with certain NHL upside. The Oilers have a few.
Okay so move us up one point and move Toronto to where we would.
Broberg projects to be a bottom pairing defender and Holloway a 3rd liner. Thats why we are low. We don't have anyone in the system that projects to be a top pairing, top line starting goalie type of players
 

McDNicks17

Moderator
Jul 1, 2010
41,680
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Ontario
How do Broberg or Holloway not project highly at this point? Both are likely on the main roster next season. And both are coming off of successful extended stints in Bakersfield.

Cowan is a shiny toy, but his numbers in London are fairly pedestrian. The Athletic actually made a point in their yearly rankings to note the kind of impact Dubas made on the Leafs' farm system. It lacks depth and has few actual prospects with certain NHL upside. The Oilers have a few.
I can't believe I'm defending a Leafs player, but I don't see how Cowan's numbers are pedestrian. He had the second highest points-per-game in the entire OHL this year.
 

belair

Jay Woodcroft Unemployment Stance
Apr 9, 2010
38,636
21,830
Canada
Okay so move us up one point and move Toronto to where we would.
Broberg projects to be a bottom pairing defender and Holloway a 3rd liner. Thats why we are low. We don't have anyone in the system that projects to be a top pairing, top line starting goalie type of players
We're not really arguing much when it comes to where Edmonton's located on those rankings. They belong in the bottom five or six of the NHL in terms of depth. Toronto does, too.

I don't think you can definitively say either of those prospects holds 'depth player' upside when both have shown the often shown moments of high-end skill. Especially Broberg, a defenseman.

That being said, yes, Edmonton and Toronto both lack true top tier prospects in terms of projection. Primarily due to them being buyers year over year.

I can't believe I'm defending a Leafs player, but I don't see how Cowan's numbers are pedestrian. He had the second highest points-per-game in the entire OHL this year.
Romani is right there with him and he was undrafted. He'll probably go in the late 3rd/early 4th round in this draft as a re-entry.

Watching Cowan live, I don't see any 'can't miss' parts of his game. Good prospect, but not blue chip.
 

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