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…
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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.
