Oilers trade 2019 fifth-round pick to Montreal for goalie prospect

After this year’s NHL draft concluded, Peter Chiarelli flipped a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for the rights to Hayden Hawkey, a goaltender prospect currently playing in the NCAA.

Can we mention the fact that his last name is Hawkey? Like, it’s literally pronounced ‘hockey.’ That’s amazing. Okay, moving along.

Hawkey was originally drafted by the Canadiens with a sixth-round pick in the 2014 draft. Since being drafted, Hawkey has played one season in the USHL and two seasons with Providence College. Last year, he posted a .919 save percentage, good for 17th in the NCAA.

This is a similar situation to that of Cooper Marody who the Oilers acquired earlier this year from the Philadelphia Flyers. Marody, a college player, wasn’t under an NHL contract, but they got him inked to an entry-level deal soon after acquiring him. I imagine Chiarelli is confident the Oilers can get Hawkey signed otherwise I can’t imagine this trade being made. Edmonton has until next August to get him signed.

This deal gives Edmonton yet another goalie in their system. With Laurent Brossoit leaving in free agency and Nick Ellis retiring, Edmonton’s goalie depth will look something like this… Cam Talbot and Mikko Koskinen in the NHL, Al Montoya in the AHL, Dylan Wells or Shane Starrett in the AHL with another in the ECHL, Stuart Skinner in the WHL, Hawkey in the NCAA, and recently-drafted Olivier Rodrigue in the QMJHL.