LEON DRAISAITL, NO. 3 OVERALL 2014

• On draft day 2014, the top selections (ahead of Edmonton) were Aaron Ekblad and Sam Reinhart. Edmonton’s Craig MacTavish grabbed Leon Draisaitl at No. 3 overall, the Oilers finally getting that big center so badly needed.
• In draft+1, Draisaitl played half a season in the NHL before going back to the WHL and dominating junior hockey.
• In draft+2, he emerged as a bona fide NHL player. His foot speed, once a concern, seemed to improve and his 51 points in season two gave us a strong indication about his NHL abilities.
• The season, Draisaitl blossomed into a star, scoring 77 points and finishing Top 10 in points. His playoff run has been spectacular and it’s safe to say Draisaitl is reaching the point where he is being recognized as one of the league’s emerging talents.
• Summary: The only downside to all this good news? Leon’s contract is up this season and it’s going to be a major item. He can play with Connor McDavid on the top line or is showing signs he can be an effective center on a line of his own. A very valuable young player and you can make a case for Leon Draisaitl being the best player chosen in the 2014 draft.

WILLIAM LAGESSON, NO. 91 OVERALL 2014

• William Lagesson first received notice at the U18’s in 2014, playing well for Swedish coach Andres Eriksen. Lagesson is a throwback defenseman, playing a rugged, shutdown style and delivering most of his value in the defensive zone.
• Lagesson played in the USHL (Dubuque, Iowa, population 58,000) in his draft year, and spent two statistically identical seasons in the NCAA (UMass-Amherst, Amherst has a population of 38,000). He also performed well for Sweden at the World Juniors, and that in and of itself is a good sign. Why? Sweden has a stunning array of defensemen available for any national team at any level.
• Summary: Lagesson signed his entry-level deal with the Oilers in April and was loaned to Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League for the 2017-18 season. That it somewhat unusual, but may indicate the Oilers have found a way to stagger their prospects heading into the AHL pipeline this fall. Among the players already ticketed for Bakersfield are Caleb Jones, Ryan Mantha and Ethan Bear. We may see Lagesson fall 2018, and I don’t think his being loaned to Swedish team Djurgårdens IF should be viewed as a major negative. These kids need at-bats and you can’t play 7 rookie pro’s in one season.

ZACH NAGELVOORT, NO. 111 OVERALL 2014

• Zach Nagelvoort was 20 on his draft day. He was coming off a fine season for Michigan Wolverines of the NCAA, boasting a .929 save percentage. That’s a fantastic number.
• What’s more, Nagelvoort’s resume going way back looked strong, with save percentages in the .920’s all the way back to his junior hockey in the NAHL.
• After he was drafted, Nagelvoort posted save percentages of .906, .893 and .921 (in just 14 games).
• Summary: The Oilers didn’t sign Nagelvoort after his college career, deciding instead to proceed with college free-agent goalie Shane Starrett from Air Force Academy. The Nagelvoort file is closed in regard to the Edmonton Oilers.

LIAM COUGHLIN, NO. 130 OVERALL 2014

• Liam Coughlin was 19 on his draft day. The young man from South Boston had just posted a fine season in the BCHL with the Vernon Vipers.
• He was on his way to Boston University in fall 2015, but that didn’t work out. Coughlin spent another season in British Columbua and then headed to the University of Vermont.
• Coughlin has posted two season in  the NCAA, scoring 23 points in 66 Hockey-East games.
• Summary: Edmonton traded Coughlin to the Chicago Blackhawks organization for Anders Nilsson in the summer of 2015. The Blackhawks are astute judges of hockey talent, so there may be something in Coughlin’s play the boxcars don’t indicate.

TYLER VESEL, NO. 153 OVERALL 2014

• Tyler Vesel was 20 on his draft day, a trend for the 2014 draft. He had just posted a strong season with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, a level he flourished in(and should have considering age).
• Vesel has played three seasons for Nebraska-Omaha, finishing just shy of a point per game in his breakout season of 2016-17.
• Summary: He is 23 now, and a righty center and there is offense here. Vesel has one more season of NCAA eligibility and maybe Edmonton signs him. The general manager on the day he was drafted (Craig MacTavish) is still in the organization and the Oilers need forwards. We wait.

KEVEN BOUCHARD, NO. 183 OVERALL

• Oilers scouting director Stu MacGregor had tracked him in the previous season (2012-13) and then saw him for a period at the Memorial Cup in the weeks leading up to the entry draft.
• Bouchard’s QMJHL career included some amazing performances, but he did not finish any season over .900 save percentage.
• Summary: The only players who still have ties to the organization are Draisaitl, Lagesson and Vesel, who remains unsigned.

• DRAFT PLUS ONE
• DRAFT PLUS TWO