Edmonton Oilers knock it out of the park with late round defensive draft picks
Throughout the past decade, the Edmonton Oilers have found massive success in the NHL entry draft.
When analyzing the Oilers historic success through the NHL drafts, some of the most noteworthy selections have been late round defensive picks. Bruce McCurdy from the Cult Of Hockey wrote an interesting piece for the Edmonton Journal, breaking down some of the best late round defensive pick for the Oilers.
John MarinoJohn Marino was uncovered in the sixth round in 2015. He never did sign in Edmonton, but after his rights were traded to Pittsburgh he was able to make the jump directly from NCAA to the NHL where he has already logged 328 games.
Vincent DesharnaisA seventh-round prayer in 2016 who signed two AHL contracts with the organization while gradually working his way up the depth chart. He finally made it all the way to the bigs in his Draft +7 season, playing 114 games as an Oiler before signing as a free agent in Vancouver this past off-season.
Philip Kempanother seventh-round selection in 2017. Now in his eighth year on the Cult of Hockey‘s prospect rankings, he currently stands as Edmonton's most-seasoned prospect. He did manage to make his NHL debut in 2023-24, and remains a serious candidate to work his way into the mix.
Michael Kesselringwas the Oilers sixth-rounder in 2018. An up-and-comer in Bakersfield, he was eventually dealt to Arizona at the deadline in his Draft +5 season and soon thereafter made the jump to the NHL where he has now played 74 games.
Max Wanner seemed like an afterthought, a raw-boned 18-year-old who had mustered just 22 games of WHL experience over a pair of pandemic-shortened seasons, placing him far below the radar.
Source: Edmonton JournalDiamond in the rough -- have Edmonton Oilers mined another late-round gem on the blueline?
| POLL | ||
7 SEPTEMBRE | 91 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers knock it out of the park with late round defensive draft picks Does Edmonton draft well in the late rounds? | ||
| Yes | 59 | 64.8 % |
| No | 32 | 35.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
