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Edmonton Oilers draft Darnell Nurse seventh overall

Jonathan Willis
10 years ago
The Edmonton Oilers have chosen to hold on to their seventh overall draft pick, and have selected Darnell Nurse.
Here’s Red Line Report on Nurse:
Has huge upside. Big and strong with great upper body strength despite still being a beanpole. Wait until he adds a few pounds to that hulking 6’5" frame. He’s just miserable to play against now: throws opponents around with authority and plays a mean, nasty game. Throws big hits both along the boards and in open ice. Has a very long stride and reach with good lateral movement. Plays a positionally steady game in own end. Strong penalty killer who uses his body/stick to eliminate shooting and passing lanes. Cleans men out in front of net. Clears rebounds and ties up his check preventing second chances. Can be a dominant force and top pairing shutdown defender. Offensive game emerged in 2nd half. Started moving up into the rush decisively, showing good timing and instincts. Makes a good first pass and skates with his head up, looking to make plays. Also shows recovery speed.
Red Line had him eighth overall on their list, but projects him as a top-pairing defenceman at the NHL level.
Jason Gregor had a great interview with Nurse earlier this month.
Also of interest: Darnell Nurse faced among the toughest competition of any defenceman in major junior in this year’s draft.

Analysis

This is something of a surprise, as the expectation was that Edmonton would select Valeri Nichushkin, the 6’4" winger who was projected by some as a top-five pick. Instead, they choose a player who is a good fit for long-term need – a big, strong shutdown defenceman with puck-moving ability. While Nurse is a strong fit for need, it would be a major shock if he played in Edmonton this season; like most defencemen picked at this stage of the draft additional seasoning in junior is almost certainly the prudent course of action. 
This is a big add for the Oilers organization. It’s just going to take a few years to pay off.

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