OILERS WIN!
By Lowetide
12 years ago
We know now where Edmonton will pick in the 2012 draft (barring trade). Winning the lottery creates all kinds of options. Who is the best prospect available? What’s out there? Where do Edmonton’s picks come from? Who are the important men in the amateur procurement department?
Stu MacGregor is the Oilers scouting director. His team consists of several men who contribute but rarely get a mention. Leading up to the draft last season, the Oilers published their scouts names and areas they cover. Since it doesn’t happen often, I wanted to take the time to post it so we can know the names of the men doing all this good work.
- Bill Dandy: QMJHL
- Brad Davis: OHL, tier 2 leagues in Q and O
- Kent Hawley: OHL, QMJHL, tier 2 leagues in Q and O
- Bob Brown: WHL, tier 2 leagues, USHL
- Jim Crosson: WHL, tier 2 leagues, USHL
- Scott Harlow: NCAA and American junior leagues (east coast)
- Frank Musil: Europe
- Pelle Eklund: Europe
- Robert Nordmark: Europe
- Stu MacGregor: WHL, cross checks the world
I believe the list to be correct along with their areas of coverage. We do know that the Oilers like to get their scouts in front of the top candidates and that MacGregor will have seen these players multiple times.
OILERS DRAFT TRENDS-SOME REAL LOOKERS!
Stu MacGregor–since becoming scouting director before the 2008 draft–has changed the Oilers’ draft may. He is using precious early picks on Swedes. Since taking over in 2008, two first round picks, one 2nd rder and a fourth round selection have been used on Swedish prospects. For the record, this is where Stu’s team shops at the entry draft:
- WHL: 10 (most recent: RNH, Musil, Ewanyk)
- Sweden: 4 (most recent: Klefbom)
- Finland: 4 (most recent: Perhonen and Tuohimaa)
- QMJHL: 3 (most recent Jeremie Blain)
- OHL: 3 (most recent: Tobias Rieder)
- BCJHL: 2 (most recent: Kellen Jones)
- NCAA: 2 (most recent: Dillon Simpson)
- Slovakia: 2 (most recent: Martin Gernat)
- Belarus: 1 (most recent: Kristians Pelss)
- USHS: 1 (most recent: Troy Hesketh)
WHL represents 31% and the entire CHL accounts for 50% of the selections. Sweden and Finland are CHL east and 25% of the selections come from those two countries. Three quarters of the MBS era picks come from the CHL and Swe/Fin. Add the two BCJHL selections into the group and there’s a pattern forming after 4 seasons of this drafting team.
Reading the tea leaves, there’s a good chance that the WHL, OHL, QMJHL, Sweden, Finland and tier 2 junior (BCJHL, AJHL, USHL, etc) will be hotbeds for the Oilers.
An interesting scenario exists with regard to Russians. Edmonton has steered clear since 2008 but that may change with two CHL draft eligibles from the Motherland. Nail Yakupov and Milhail Grigorenko are outstanding young talents and should go at or near the top of the draft.
After winning the lottery tonight, Edmonton’s choices are threefold: take the BPA (Yakupov), trade the pick or select someone #1 overall who is not the best player available.
Early thoughts: take the Russian, don’t look back.
Bob McKenzie’s top 10
- NAIL YAKUPOV
- MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO
- RYAN MURRAY
- FILIP FORSBERG
- MATT DUMBA
- ALEX GALCHENYUK
- JACOB TROUBA
- GRIFFIN REINHART
- MORGAN REILLY
- RADEK FAKSA
- TEUVO TERAVAINEN
Nail Yakupov lays it all out about Team Canada after Russia beats them 6-5 in the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships in Calgary
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Kid loves to win and has ridiculous skill. Hall-Eberle, Nuge-Nail? Lordy.
Next up: NHL equivalencies.
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