The 2025 National Hockey League Draft has come and gone. How did the Edmonton Oilers do?
After not picking on Friday, the Oilers had four picks entering Saturday’s portion of the draft, featuring rounds two through seven. They made an additional trade, moving their 2026 fifth-round pick to the Nashville Predators for the 131st overall pick. Their other three picks were the 83rd overall, 117th overall, 191st overall, and 223rd overall.
In order, the Oilers selected Tommy Lafrenière, David Lewandowski, Asher Barnett, Daniel Salonen, and Aiden Park. That said, how did the Oilers do when it comes to grading?
Well, Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis gave the Oilers the third-worst grade for any of the 32 teams, a C+. He named Lafrenière, Lewandowski, and Barnett as the Oilers’ top picks, and had this to say about how they did:
“I’m not convinced any of their top three picks will become NHLers. Lafrenière is an intriguing player that felt like he flew under the radar. Lewandowski is good away from the puck, making him useful when he isn’t scoring. Barnett had a great end to the season with the USNTDP and I’m excited to see how college treats him.”
TheScore was even harsher on the Oilers, giving them a D for their efforts on Saturday. Written by Kyle Cushman, he said this about the Oilers’ five prospects:
“Lafrenière is a competitor who scored a fair amount with Kamloops, and Lewandowski has some intriguing potential as he fills out his frame. It was great to see Park selected with the penultimate pick after he went to L.A. for the draft. He had a productive year in the USHL. But overall, it’s a small draft class with minimal upside.”
The Athletic’s Corey Pronman gave the Oilers a C, right in the middle of Daily Faceoff and TheScore’s grades. Here’s what he said:
“Edmonton didn’t have a selection until the 83rd spot, so it’s understandable this isn’t an overly impressive draft class. The Oilers’ picks of Tommy Lafrenière, David Lewandowski and Asher Barnett are all fine prospects. I don’t think any of them are realistic NHL players, though, even if I do have some time for where they got Lewandowski.”
Going more in-depth, Pronman believes Lafrenière is a good skater with skill, but is undersized (5’11”, 170 lbs), which can hinder his chances of playing in the NHL since he doesn’t have a special attribute.
Lewandowski has speed and skill, but his effort can be lacking at times. Of the five prospects the Oilers drafted, Lewandowski is the only one that Pronman believes has a chance to make the NHL in the future, albeit with an outside shot.
The one defenceman the Oilers drafted is Barnett, who played for the U.S. National U18 Team last season. He’s a smooth skater who plays well in his zone, but isn’t described as a puck mover. Barnett is committed to the University of Michigan and will begin to play there in 2026-27.
Prospects, especially prospects picked this late in the draft, are magic beans. Although none of these players have a good shot to become NHL players, development is non-linear, and there have been plenty of late-round picks who’ve gone on to have productive NHL careers.
Time will tell how the Oilers did at the 2025 draft, but the early consensus is that they didn’t do very well.

READ MORE ON THE OILERS’ 2025 DRAFT PICKS…

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.