Edmonton Oilers Prospects: Leon Draisaitl Under the Radar
By Eric Friesen
June 27, 2014. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the site of the 2014 NHL Draft.
The Edmonton Oilers owned the third overall pick, their sixth consecutive year with a top 10 pick in the draft. Then-GM Craig MacTavish stepped to the podium and selected Leon Draisaitl from the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL, becoming the highest selected German-born player in the NHL history. Oilers fans were ecstatic that the team finally had a prospect that could potentially grow into a big, strong second line centre to play behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
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Fast forward one year and the Oilers win the lottery draft and go on to select general talent Connor McDavid with the prized pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. Oil Country was consumed by ‘McDavid Mania’ this summer, and rightly so, it’s exciting time to be a fan of the Oilers. However, no one should forget about how talented of a prospect Draisaitl is.
Last year, Draisaitl made the big club out of training camp and was slotted in as the second line centre early on, which proved to be too big of an undertaking for the 19-year-old rookie. Draisaitl tallied two goals and nine points in 37 games as a rookie with the Oilers before being returned to junior in January.
After the Raiders traded him to the Kelowna Rockets, Draisaitl registered 19 goals and 53 points in 32 games and was arguably the best player in the WHL in 2014-15. Draisaitl helped the Rockets win their first Ed Chynoweth Cup title since 2009, finishing tied for the league lead in assists (18) and points (28) in 19 playoff games and was named the 2015 WHL Playoff Most Valuable Player. He then led the WHL champion Rockets to the 2015 Memorial Cup final where they lost to the OHL champion Oshawa Generals 2-1 in overtime. Draisaitl tied for the tournament-lead in goals (4) and led the tournament in points (7) in five games and won the 2015 Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as Memorial Cup MVP and the 2015 Ed Chynoweth Trophy as Memorial Cup Leading Scorer.
Draisaitl was a standout at the at the 2015 Young Stars Classic in Penticton, BC where he was named first star in two of the Oilers’ three games as well as in the annual showdown between the Oilers rookies and the University of Golden Bears. Draisaitl projects as a top six forward, but with McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins as the Oilers’ long-term top two centres, a move to the wing is his best shot of earning a spot on a scoring line. However, a team can never have too much depth down the middle and idea of having McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl at centre is an intriguing one for Oilers fans.
There are no guarantees that Draisaitl will start the year in Edmonton. A good majority of the fans believe that he should start the season with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL and dominate at that level for a couple months before possibly getting called up. I believe that starting Draisaitl in the AHL this year would benefit him long-term, but if he’s ready to play in the show, then that’s where he needs to play. Head Coach Todd McLellan said that the best players will be on this team and I think most would consider Draisaitl at least a better option at left-wing than Rob Klinkhammer, which bodes well for his chances to make the team.
If Draisaitl does earn a spot on the Oilers this year, it will likely be on a sheltered minutes line with Anton Lander and Nail Yakupov. I predict he will put up 15 goals and 35 points if he ends up playing the entire season in the NHL. But I’m not overly concerned with what he is or isn’t able to accomplish in the NHL this season. Draisaitl is going to be a big part of the Oilers future and has the potential to be an offensive weapon for the Oilers for the next decade.