Oilers select goaltender Eemil Vinni 64th overall at the NHL Draft

With the 64th overall pick, the Edmonton Oilers used their second selection at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft to grab goaltender Eemil Vinni from JoKP of the Mestis league.

After coming into the 2024 draft with little idea of who the Edmonton Oilers would target with the 64th overall pick, we got our answer when the team selected goaltender Eemil Vinni, who played for JoKP of the Mestis league in his native Finland. Based on what I could find on the Internet, Vinni is described as a well-rounded goaltender who is unafraid to attack shooters and force them to make plays. This assertive approach is said to cause mistakes by skaters ill-prepared to be challenged by the 6-foot-2 netminder who boasts excellent edgework while in the butterfly. Despite being unique in his willingness to attack shooters, Vinni is said to pick his spots well so as to stay in position.

According to the draft guide at Elite Prospects, “Vinni is possibly the goaltender with the highest ceiling of this year’s draft class. He combines his excellent skill set with a unique playing style that catches a lot of shooters by surprise. Cleaning up the finer details of his game and becoming stronger should go a long way to boost his chances of becoming a starting goalie in the NHL.” Further scouting reports suggest that Vinni is a fearless goaltender who is incredibly assertive in his crease and does a fantastic job of blocking the bottom portion of the net. Instead of panicking and abandoning technique as many young goaltenders tend to do, Vinni is known to drop into the full splits during scrambly moments to block out the lower half of the net completely.

In 37 games played with JoKP, Eemil Vinni finished with a 17-19-10 record with a 2.72 GAA, .892 save%, and two shutouts. In seven playoff games, Vinni finished the post-season with a 3-4-0 record, 3.13 GAA, and a .867 save%.

Now that we know Eemil Vinni is the newest Oiler, I spent some time the Google machine to search for information on what kind of player we have here and how he may help our hockey team down the line. Let the Internet be our guide, friends.

“Vinni’s stats might not be special, but it’s difficult being a starter in a pro league at 18. Vinni didn’t get a start at the World Juniors, but he’s arguably been Finland’s best goaltender in the U-20 national team competition this year. At 6-foot-2, he has decent size and, fortunately, he isn’t overcommitting on shots as much as he was a year ago. Vinni will need a lot of seasoning before becoming an NHLer, but I see potential there in how he commands himself in the crease. I think he’s one of those guys we’re going to see have a breakout season in Liiga before heading to the AHL and becoming an NHL backup.” -Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff

“Eemil Vinni is a well-rounded goaltender who has an exciting approach to the game which plays into his strengths. The 6-foot-2 netminder is not afraid to attack shooters and force their hand – leading to a lot of mistakes by opponents. Very active and assertive in the crease, but not overly aggressive. He controls pucks with his hands extremely well, and his elite edgework completes the package.” -Elite Prospects

“Vinni has good size, great feet, moves very well laterally and controls his rebounds. He’s also not shy about jumping out of his crease to play the puck and outlet up ice. He didn’t have the net to start the tournament but established himself as the No. 1 for Finland as the week rolled along.” -Jason Bukala, Sportsnet