Ok my Draft for the Oilers is done, so here are my thoughts on my draft:
So my overall goal when drafting for my beloved Oilers was to address some of my concerns with the team, the areas I addressed were centre depth, size on the wings and an overall hardworking tough to play against type player. People often think that the Oilers should be drafting D, I disagree. We need D at the NHL level, as our prospect pool on D is actually quite deep, and often overlooked by the average NHL fan, more prospects on D is not top priority. Thiss was my criteria going in, here's how I did:
1-(7)-
Bo Horvat C 6'0" 205- Hard worker, good defensive zone game, great on the dot, and underrated ofence, with the big 4 centers gone and me wanting one, Horvat is the next best thing. He wowed me at the Mem Cup and I feel like top ten is reasonable. However knowing what I now know about Nichushkins plans to come over to North America next year, I would likely switch that pick.
2-(37)-
Connor Hurley C 6'1" 175- Hard worker, good size, with high two way upside, mixed with a nice physical game, Hurley can play both centre and the wing, and as he grows he may turn out to be one of this years, diamonds in the rough.
2-(56)-
Dillon Heatherington D 6'4" 200- Hard worker, who logs a ton of minutes on the backend, in my mind an early second late first pick, but slipped to me, not initially part of my plans, but when a player of Heatheringtons calibre slides you pounce.
5-(128)-
Matt Buckles RW 6'2" 205- Incredibly hard worker, is grossly overlooked on these forums I was planning on taking him at 56 but with Heatherinton sliding he bumped Buckles to my next pick, Buckles plays with tons of heart hits everything that moves and has an emerging offensive game, this is my favourite pick of my draft.
6-(158)-
Jedd Soleway LW 6'2" 210- Hard worker, great size, Soleway crashes the nets and bangs away in the corners, maybe a bit off the board, but when you get to the later rounds you can take some gambles, his offensive game is there but his overall upside is likely as a third liner.
7-(188)-
Tyrell Goulbourne LW 5'11" 195- Hard worker, big hitter, pain in the ass to play against Goulbourne is, in my opinion a sure shot to play on a fourth line in his future, he is the type of player the Oilers have lacked in years past.
Overall I'm very happy with my draft.
Please give me your thoughts/critiques on my picks.
Thanks