I remember that 2018 draft clearly, because the Oilers were staring at a real choice when their first-round pick came up. Evan Bouchard was there, Noah Dobson was there, and Oliver Wahlstrom was still on the board too.
At the time, the feeling was that Edmonton would lean defense. Years later, it looks like the organization has every reason to be happy with how that call turned out.
Bouchard has stacked up with the best players from that draft class. Among the 2018 group, he sits No. 10 in games, No. 8 in goals, No. 3 in assists and No. 3 in points. He’s an absoute beauty.
The draft’s deeper value has shown up in other places too. Ryan McLeod worked out, and he ranks No. 9 in goals among players selected in 2018. Mike Kesselring is another strong outcome from later in the draft, checking in at No. 14 in assists among defensemen taken that year.
Those kinds of results are why a team’s draft board tells you so much about where it’s headed. Stan Bowman came in during the summer of 2024, which makes the last two drafts easy to label as Bowman drafts and (Rick) Pracey drafts. The real question is simple: what exactly are they building?
From the looks of it, the Oilers are targeting players who might eventually become NHL regulars. Asher Barnett and Rudolfs Berzkalns, for instance, have the kind of skill sets that could make them useful in goal and shot suppression. They can do a lot of things well, with offense being the one area that still lags behind.
Tommy Lafreniere appears to be the best offensive prospect in the mix. Even so, he was under a point per game in the WHL during his draft year. He did take a step last season in the WHL, and he also looked good in a five-game look with the Bakersfield Condors this spring.
Still, the Bowman-Pracey approach is going to need one of these skill players to break through. Maybe it’s Lafreniere.
Maybe it’s David Lewandowski. Maybe it’s even Malcom Gastrin.
But through two seasons with the microphone, I don’t see a clear offensive difference-maker coming out of this group yet. I like the players.
But Edmonton has a reckoning ahead.
In Other News...
Oilers May Have Finally Found A Real Answer In Net
For years, Edmonton has been searching for a steady answer in goal, cycling through Cam Talbot, Mike Smith, Devan Dubnyk, Mikko Koskinen and Stuart Skinner with mixed results. So when the organization took another swing at the position this summer, it fit the long-running pattern of the Oilers trying to solve one of the most stubborn issues on the roster.
The name attached to the latest gamble is Devon Levi, a young goalie with a strong amateur and collegiate track record who arrives with plenty of intrigue around his upside. The questions follow him, too, and most of them center on whether his game can translate cleanly to the NHL level, where size concerns often shadow smaller netminders and leave Edmonton still waiting to see if this one finally sticks. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Still Have A Goalie Question Behind Linus Ullmark
Ottawas push to chase a third straight playoff berth in 2026-27 is going to hinge in large part on what happens behind Linus Ullmark. The veteran is back as the starter after a difficult prior season, and the Senators are counting on a steadier showing from their crease after leaning so heavily on goaltending last year.
Samuel Ersson, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs, is penciled in as the backup, but his NHL track record has left some room for doubt. That is why the clubs options in goal still feel a little open-ended, with another veteran name on the market giving the Senators something to weigh as they sort out who can best support Ullmark over the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Is About To Make Oilers History
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is on the verge of adding another milestone to a career that has already made him one of the defining Oilers of his era. The longtime forward sits among the franchise leaders in goals, assists and points, and his durability has been just as remarkable as his production over the years.
Now, with the season just getting underway, he is lined up to pass Kevin Lowe for the most games played in franchise history. Nugent-Hopkins is expected to tie the mark on Oct. 10 and move past it on Oct. 13 during an early-season road swing, a fitting next step for a player who has been at the center of Edmontons story for so long. [Read more 🡒]