The NHL released their combine invite list this week, it’s a chance to see the young players NHL teams are really curious about for 2014’s draft. The list is basically Central Scouting’s list, with a few requests thrown in here and there from the clubs themselves. It can be an informative list.
RECENT OILER COMBINE ATTENDEES
2010 Oilers draft
- Taylor Hall selected #1
- Tyler Pitlick selected #31
- Martin Marincin selected #46
- Curtis Hamilton selected #48
- Ryan Martindale selected #61
- Tyler Bunz selected #121
- Brandon Davidson selected #162
2011 Oilers draft
- Ryan Nugent Hopkins selected #1
- Oscar Klefbom selected #19
- David Musil selected #31
- Samu Perhonen selected #62
- Travis Ewanyk selected #74
- Tobias Rieder selected #114
2012 Oilers draft
- Nail Yakupov selected #1
- Mitchell Moroz selected #32
- Jujhar Khaira selected #63
- Daniil Zharkov selected #91
2013 Oilers draft
- Darnell Nurse selected #7
- Marco Roy selected #56
- Bogdan Yakimov selected #83
- Jackson Houck, selected #94
There’s a pretty strong relationship between the combine invites and the Oilers draft list. Although the team has only two picks inside the top 100 overall, chances are the players chosen will come from the invite list .
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PLAYERS INVITED OUTSIDE THE LIST
There are several invites this season who are well down the Central list, giving us an idea that a specific team may have requested their presence.
- #117 NA RW Tyler Bird. He’s a 6.02 high school winger on his way to Brown University. Looks like a scorer, but so did Eddie Caron.
- #134 NA LW Blake Clarke. Described as an emerging power forward by Elite Prospects, but he had just two goals this season. Solid a year ago, though.
- #137 NA C Reid Duke. Responsible two-way player with average size, he plays for the Lethbridge Hurricanes, possibly the most obscure location in the CHL.
- #149 NA D Ryan Mantha. USHL defender is a monster. I spoke to Kirk Luedeke about him today on the Lowdown, and he suggested the 6.05, 225 Mantha is an acquired taste.
- #172 NA D Jacob Middleton. Interesting two-way defender with size.
PLAYERS I’D LIKE TO SEE AS OILERS…
We all know the names of the men at the top, I don’t need to go over them again. Suffice to say that if Ekblad falls to #3, MacT races to the podium. If Ekblad is taken, expect a very good center prospect. The Oilers don’t have a second round selection, but let’s pretend they acquire one.
- I like Spencer Watson a ton. He’s an undersized OHL winger who is an April 1996 and scored over 30 goals this season. I know, he’s a small forward—but what a talent! 65GP, 33-35-68 with Kingston Frontenacs.
- RW Vaclav Karabacek is a scoring winger from the QMJHL, he was blazing at the U-18 WJ’s. Elite Prospects describes him as a guy who plays with grit and a traditional style. Oilers could use that. He might be the guy who ends up doing the job Edmonton needed Tyler Pitlick and Curtis Hamilton to do.
- G Alex Nedeljkovic has an impossible name (suggest we nickname him Neddie if he ends up an Oiler) but there’s a nice resume there.
FIRST ATTEMPT AT OILERS DRAFT LIST
- #3 overall C Leon Draisaitl
- #91 overall RW Hunter Smith
- #111 overall D Brandon Hickey
- #130 overall G Ilya Sorokin
- #137 overall C Antti Kalapudas
- #153 overall R Miska Siikonen
- #183 overall G Jordan Papirny
They’re all long shots, save the German.
Rating my top 3 in this years draft by character . Virtanen , Ritchie and Bennett in that order . Virtanen models his game like Nash , but claims he’ll be more physical because he likes to hit . Ritchie also good at Lacrosse and is big and competitive . If you rate by skill then Reinhart goes to forefront. The first 3 give Oilers a physical presence they sorely need in top 6 . We pretty much have the abundance of skill without that physical presence . Defence is Ekblad and Fleury . There is really not much spread in top 9 and I would draft for character before straight skill for us this year . Only one of my top 3 will likely be gone before we draft . Draisaitl is in the top 6-7 , but not enough character I feel for what we need currently .
Will Ritchie be another J.Nieuwendyk , seeing as he is so prolific at Lacrosse as well , and from such a competitive family ?
Is Virtanen going to be more productive and more physical than ex Oiler E.Tikannen ? He has dual citizenship with father being Finnish .
It would take a lot more than just being Finnish to be the next Tik.
Brock Otten of OHL prospects posted his top 10 for the 2014 draft.
http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2014/05/my-final-top-50-ohl-players-for-2014_22.html
i surmise the reason people may be apprehensive or opposed to drafting Draisitl is because, apparently, the Oilers organization thinks highly of him.
i don’t trust Oilers management, seems to be a common theme.
Like most years , I doubt that has much bearing on how others feel about who to draft . We all have our preferences and quite often same as organization . Draisaitl not a bad pick as are most of the others .
Will the Oilers try to draft Kulda or Pollock later ?
LW Edgar’s Kulda has looked good for the Oil Kings at the Memorial Cup. And he was last ranked somewhere around 145 by ISS. So he could be around by the time we make our fourth round pick.
Thanks again to Hallsy, Ebsy, and Nugeybaby for answering the call for their country.
If Ekbald is gone, you pick Draisaitl.
Points wise there is not much difference between
the top three forwards.
Oilers are not good at puck battles along the boards and in the corners. They also need presence in front of the Blue Paint.Thats why you take the big German kid.
He might be a tad slower, and not the shiny marble that Reinhardt is but he is what you need playing in the Pacific Div.
We have enough toe draggers on the team.
I would assume Oilers list looks like this
1. Ekblad
2. Bennett
3. Reinhart/ Draisaitl
I think it looks like for the Oilers
1. Ekblad- may go #1 -# 3
2. Bennett- 1-3
3. Draisaitl – 3-4
4 .Reinhart- 1-4
If Ekblad and Bennett are gone Oilers will pick Draisaitl
@Lowetide
If the Oil draft the impossibly named goalie, I suggest the nickname Needle instead. Cause scoring on him will be like threading one………….and if you don’t know, threading a needle is hard