All things considered, it was a quiet two days at the NHL Draft for the Edmonton Oilers.

While rumours of trade requestee Darnell Nurse needing to open up his list and the Anaheim Ducks potentially being an option swirled, the Oilers got down to business selecting five players in thanks to a second-round trade down. That was a notable move for the Oilers, moving down from the 52nd overall selection to the 58th, while picking up a fifth-round pick. According to PuckPedia’s Perri Pick Value Calculator, they lost 0.11 draft pick value points in their deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Let’s dive into all of Edmonton’s picks.

The Oilers aren’t drafting for offensive upside with this selection. The strength in his game comes from his play in the defensive zone, and that’s not the worst thing in the world for this team. He’s committed to Boston College, alongside goaltender Ryan Cameron, who the Oilers took in the seventh round. Players who competed against Berzkalns called the 6-foot-4, 205-pound centre a “pain in the you-know-what” to play against, according to Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis, and the Oilers need more of that in their system.

Gästrin wasn’t in Ellis’ top 120 prospects, though he did call him a “decent, hard-working forward.” He put up nine goals and 25 points in 24 games in Sweden’s U20 league, which is a promising sign. He’s still young, turning 18 in August, so there’s lots of room for him to grow as a player.

This pick seems like a bit of a reach, but the Windsor Spitfires defenceman is considered sound defensively, without much offensive production. He put up nine goals and 24 points in 63 games this year, and the year prior, had three goals and 34 points in 53 OJHL games.

EliteProspects had Harvey ranked 124th, so the fact the Oilers were able to get him nearly sixty picks later seems like a positive. At 6-foot-1, 183-pounds, the right-shot centre is Spitfires teammates with Robinson, and he put up 11 goals and 34 points in 68 games in his first year of Major Junior hockey. He’s committed to Penn State University for the 2027-28 season.

Cameron is interesting, as he lit up the NAHL in 2024-25 where he was named the league’s goaltender of the year. He stepped up into the USHL last season, playing in 40 of 63 games. Cameron impressed Ellis at the USA Hockey All-American Game in January, citing his impressive athleticism.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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