Ryan Cameron had a much different NHL Draft experience than most prospects. He didn’t get called on stage to try on his new team’s jersey. He didn’t get a phone call. He didn’t even get selected in his first year of eligibility.

Instead, the six-foot-two goaltender heard his name called by the Edmonton Oilers while watching the seventh round of the draft on TV.

“I found out through the ESPN broadcast that I got picked by the Oilers, and I couldn’t have been more excited,” Cameron told OilersTV’s Tony Brar during Oilers development camp. “My parents and my brother were there, so it was pretty cool being with them, and it was very surprising that it happened.”

Cameron had a long and unconventional path to the NHL Draft.

In 2024–25, he had a dominant campaign for the Lone Star Brahmas in the NAHL, posting a 21-6-1 record, with a 1.24 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage. That was good enough to earn him the NAHL’s Goaltender of the Year award, but not enough to get his name called on draft night.

Last season, he graduated to the USHL, where he went 24-11-5 with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, posting a 2.92 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage. Cameron said that the adversity he faced while adjusting to a better league was a great learning experience that he believes will help his development.

“I think my hockey IQ has gotten a lot better, and obviously, as you go up levels from the NAHL to the USHL, it’s a lot faster,” Cameron said. “I think it’s just been a slow and steady climb. Everything’s getting better a little bit at a time, and that’s what I’m going to try to keep doing until hopefully one day I’m in that locker room.”

Cameron’s growth over the past year, both in ability and stature, caught the attention of Oilers’ scouts.

The US-born netminder’s involvement in international events has grown over the past several years, as he took part in both the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and last year’s World Junior A Challenge for the United States.

The organization is in search of some late-round surprises after trading away most of its premium draft capital in recent years. Director of Amateur Scouting Rick Pracey believes that with a little patience, Cameron could become one of those surprises.

“We think there’s a little bit of growth there, in terms of size and potential, and we like him from an ability standpoint,” said Pracey in a debrief following the draft. “He moves well. He’s quick. We like his pushes, we like the structure in his game, and we believe there’s value here again.

“I like the pitch count of games played by goalies. We’re not in a hurry. We liked that he wasn’t. There’s a future growth at the NCAA level as well in terms of taking that next step. No time frame on it. But just probably the patience and efficiency that he learned, maybe from being undersized, that he’s a pretty talented kid in terms of the position and holding his ground.”

Just one week after the draft, Cameron earned a spot on USA Hockey’s list of invitees for the World Junior Summer Showcase, as the national program looks to narrow its roster for next year’s tournament. He’ll be joined by fellow Edmonton prospect Asher Barnett.

This summer may mark Cameron’s first invite to the World Junior Showcase, but it’s actually not the first time he’s attended an NHL development camp. He was invited to the Philadelphia Flyers’ development camp a year ago despite going undrafted.

It’s a different experience this time around, though, now that Cameron is officially drafted to an NHL organization. One that he is excited to be a part of.

“Grant Fuhr’s number is retired up there. He took my number 31, so I gotta try to find a different number now,” he joked. “Just the rich history here, everything that has gone through this building, all the Stanley Cups. It was kind of a surreal moment.”

Cameron will return for his second season in the USHL next year, this time for the Sioux Falls Stampede, who acquired him in a trade earlier this summer. In 2027–28, Cameron is committed to Boston College, where he is expected to play alongside fellow Oilers draft pick Rūdolfs Bērzkalns.

The road is mapped out for him over the next couple of years, but Cameron isn’t looking too far ahead. He’s focused on improving every day, in the gym and on the ice.

“One day at a time. That’s kind of my mentality now.”

Take $20 off your first Vivid Seats order of $200+ using promo code OILERSNATION (new customers only, $200 USD minimum before taxes & fees).