Edmonton Draft Review

Edmonton went into the draft weekend armed with eleven picks and had their sights set on one of the three top-rated defensemen available.  In order to get the opportunity to select one of the blueliners that they coveted, the Oilers would have to make a trade to move up in the pecking order.  They were unsuccessful.

“We tried to move up but we didn’t get that accomplished, but given that small disappointment we’re certainly happy with the way things turned out,” said Oilers Assistant GM Scott Howson.

The way it worked out was that, in the end, the Oilers added a twelfth pick to their wallets by trading down five positions with the New Jersey Devils.  The move was a bit risky but to drop from the 17^th pick to the 22^nd did not prevent Edmonton from choosing the player they would have had they not made the trade.

ss=”MsoNormal”>With their first overall selection, the Oilers took Marc-Antoine Pouliot of the Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL).  The 6-1, 188 lb centerman was the lone bright spot for Rimouski this year, a team who had a dreadful season overall.

“We traded all of our veterans,” commented Pouliot, “After the mid-season we only won twice, It was difficult for me to play well and to have motivation.”

The budding star from Quebec City was pleased that Edmonton picked him and not really that surprised.

“The Edmonton Oilers are one of my favorite teams, to play for a Canadian team is just awesome,” said the newest Oiler, “They met me twice, and I thought they were interested
in me.  When they picked me, it was awesome.”

In the second round the Oilers selected a youngster named Colin McDonald.  Edmonton likes what their scouts had to say about the high school winger.

“Colin’s a guy that our scouts were extremely high on,” said Howson. “They’d watched him play in the New England Junior League.  He was a bit of a late bloomer and was under the radar screen a little bit but he had a strong second half.”

With the extra second round pick they acquired from New Jersey, Edmonton took hulking winger Jean-Francois Jacques.  The big winger is well known for his physical play but has deceptive speed for a skater with his size.  The 6-4, 217 lbs winger played for Baie Comeau of the QMJHL last season.

When Edmonton chose Misha Joukov with their third round pick (72^nd overall) it was on a bit of a hunch.

“He’s a Russian playing in Sweden so he wasn’t eligible to play in any of the tournaments over there in Sweden or Russia,” informed Howson. “He played in the elite league, his father’s a coach in Sweden and that’s why he’s there.  He’s a big strong guy that skates very well so we thought that, perhaps, he may be a little bit of a sleeper and we decided to step up and take him in the third round.”

Edmonton’s fifth pick was used on a player who made draft eligibility by just three days.  Zack Stortini, the Captain of the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL, became Oiler property with the 94^th overall selection.  Character, leadership and heart are the three words most often used to describe Stortini.  Considering the winger also notched 222 PIM, ‘scary’ might also be a fitting adjective.

The next four picks by the Oilers were all for forwards. 

Kalle Olsson (147^th), a 6-foot winger who played junior in Sweden is expected to spend the next few years in his homeland.

David Rohlfs played in Michigan in the NAHL last season and was selected in the fifth round (154^th) by the Oilers.  The 6-3 winger has good height and his 219 lbs fills his frame nicely.  This was another selection the Oilers made to improve their forward size. 

The third Swedish league player the Oilers selected was Dragan Umicevic (184^th) in the 6^th round.  The 6-0, 191 lbs winger played for Sodertalje.

Kyle Brodziak (214^th) is a native Northern Albertan who played last season with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL.  The 6-1 191 lbs center hails from St. Paul, AB, a community approximately two hours NE of Edmonton.

Mathieu Roy, a defenceman that the Oilers auditioned at their main training camp last fall as a free agent, was the first defenseman chosen by Edmonton.  The 215^th pick will likely be in training camp again this year as contract negotiations near completion.

The eleventh Edmonton pick was a defender from the Czech Republic named Josef Hrabal.  At 6-1 and only 176 lbs, Hrabal relies on his offensive upside much more than on any physical play.  Indications are that Hrabal is a good passer but that he needs to work on his skating.  Josef played for Vsetin Jr. in the Czech Republic.

Edmonton’s 12^th and final draft choice was Troy Bodie, a winger from the WHL champion Kelowna Rockets.  Bodie is a towering 6-4 but has not hit the 200 lbs plateau, a goal he should be able to achieve in the near future.