HFNHL Oilers 2018 Draft Summary

CopperAndBlueGM

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Mar 9, 2017
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Draft day is a rare day where every team is happy with the outcome and optimism is high about the future for even seventh round selections. The Oilers really were no exception. Drafting second last of most rounds management is still reasonably pleased with the outcome although they wish a forward or two would have fallen their way.

Since most probably aren’t reading half these draft threads I’ll keep it short ;)

D Mattias Samuelsson (30th)
You know you’re getting old when you’re drafting the son of a guy that used to be a part of your franchise (Red Wings GM days)
As first rounder picks go the selection of the big mobile defensive defenseman was a boring one for the fans admittedly. In a draft filled with smaller offense first defensemen, of which the Oilers already have a few, teams will still have a need of someone who can actually defend and Matthias fills that need.

D Stanislav Demin (61st)
Demin is again a mobile defenseman that tends to play a safe game. Indeed the only consistent knock on his game was his unwillingness to date to assert himself more often. While this strengths are best in his own end he is considered a two way defenseman with his mobility and crisp passing that we will need to build on at the next level.

D Filip Johansson (85th)
While the team really could have used a forward at this point they would have been reaching and stayed with BPA. In a way the team doubled down with Johansson as his profile is very similar to Demin’s in that he’s a mobile dman that is best defensively with offensive upside. The one limiting factor called out by many is his sub-par acceleration. Skating overall was good but he’s missing that first step explosiveness.

G Joel Hofer (92nd)
Even in a weak draft crop Hofer was a relatively under the radar guy but the one GM Niece felt he had to have. Could the team not have gotten him later in the draft? Probably. What are the chances he isn’t selected in the NHL this year? Reasonably high. So why take him? The Oilers felt strongly that Hofer brought the best blend of skill and reasonable size in this year’s draft and liked his mental fortitude. Stuck behind two overage goalies (Flodell and the Skinner) he only managed to get in 19 games but matched or beat the two overagers in all statistical categories. Next year he should take over as the starter and continue to refine his game. “I feel confident you’ll see Hofer representing Canada internationally in the near future” claimed GM Niece Sr.

F Ben Jones (161st)
A draft re-entry he had been on the Oilers radar last year but they missed out so they made certain this time to prioritize him high on their day 2 list and just had to hope he would still be available in the 6th. Jones projects best as a bottom 6 speedy disruptor/pest that should be able to chip in a few points along the way as demonstrated by his 79pts this season.

G Erik Portillo (216th)
With the second last pick in the draft the Oilers selected the 6’6” net minder out of Sweden. Knowing the team wasn’t picking until late the team chose to prioritize a couple of calculated gamble picks high and the unrated Portillo was at the top of that list (6th on Day 2 list). Traditionally I’ve stayed away from large ‘project’ goaltenders that rarely pan out but in this case the limited information and YouTube clips were enough to convince me to make an exception.
 
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Ohio Jones

Game on...
Feb 28, 2002
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I like this draft - your usual bargain hunt, with a couple of high-value returns for the late draft pick you’re used to getting. I shudder to think what you’d do with a year of early picks...
 
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Hossa

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Feb 27, 2002
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Front-loading on defencemen in a d-man draft is a good strategy. It also got you a surprise first rounder in Johansson, which was the shocker of the draft for me.

Jones is also a good re-entry, and had him high up there with Maass and Hults.
 
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