NHL Draft: Edmonton Oilers Recap

Photo: NHL

Day 1 was boring, as expected, when you don’t have a pick in the first round. The Edmonton Oilers came into this offseason with three draft picks—one in the second round, one in the sixth round, and one in the seventh round. Everyone outside of the Oilers fanbase is well aware of the talent that Edmonton can find within the first round. But the bulk of the criticism for their scouting, drafting, and developing is what happens in all of the other rounds. The Oilers completed a trade to shed salary before making their first selection. The organization’s new prospects are…

Related Article: Edmonton Oilers Send Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin to Detroit

Beau Akey – RHD – 56th Overall: Edmonton’s position for right-handed defensemen looks thin or nonexistent after Evan Bouchard, and they needed to trade a good RHD prospect in Michael Kesselring when they acquired Nick Bjugstad at the 2023 Trade Deadline. Surely, this selection will fill that void. Akey played 66 regular season games for the OHL’s Barrie Colts this year, putting up 11 goals and 36 assists for 47 points. Then added two goals and three assists for 5 points in 12 postseason games.

Nathaniel Day – G – 184th Overall: This is now the fourth goaltender in Edmonton’s farm system, fifth if you count the veteran Calvin Pickard being a depth goalie for the Oilers. The other three are 19-year-old Samuel Jonsson, 22-year-old Olivier Rodrigue (turning 23 next week), and 23-year-old Ryan Fanti. For the OHL’s Flint Firebirds this season, Day started 32 games. While a GAA of 3.91 and a save percentage of .874 don’t light anyone’s eyes up, he still ended his season with a 17-10 record. They don’t ask how you win, they ask how many you win.

Matt Copponi – C – 216th Overall: A right-handed Centerman from the NCAA, playing 37 games for Merrimack College this season. He put up 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points. If he continues that level of production, could the Oilers be looking at another Ryan McLeod in a year? Copponi is 20 years old and missed out on being selected in the two previous drafts. Congrats are for him finally getting his name called.


Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Stephen Vani

Oilers fan in Toronto. Staying up past my bedtime for Western games since the mid 2000s.

Leave a Reply

PHOTOS: Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers (Stanley Cup Finals Game 1) – 06/04/2025

EDMONTON, AB. – The Edmonton Oilers took Game One of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night. Leon Draisaitl, opened the scoring only a minute into the game and then ended the game with his NHL record-tying third overtime dagger of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Check out the photo gallery […]

Read More
Victor Eklund 2025 NHL Draft Profile

2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Victor Eklund

The Scouting Report: Victor Eklund is an upcoming high-end forward prospect eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft and recorded 19 goals and 31 points for Djurgårdens IF this past season. Eklund had great success playing in a men’s league and ultimately helped the team reach promotion. Historically, the league is not a very high-scoring league, […]

Read More

ECHL: Conner Roulette Heads Back To School

The ECHL-protected list is set to be released within the next week. As teams prepare to review the list, the Tulsa Oilers will find themselves with a spot to fill. Left Wing Conner Roulette, in a significant decision, has chosen to further his education. He will be joining the University of Saskatchewan in the USports […]

Read More