10. Stuart Skinner – Goalie (78th overall, 2017)
Stuart Skinner is one of the Oilers most promising prospects. Despite drafting Dylan Wells in 2016, the Edmonton Oilers traded up to take Skinner in the third-round last summer, and he spent this past season proving Chiarelli and Gretzky made a good choice. If this list were based solely on career potential, Skinner would easily be in the top five.
However, goaltenders take longer to develop than forwards or defencemen, which is why I ranked him 10th. After three and a half years with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the 19-year-old Edmonton product was dealt with them to the Swift Current Broncos on Jan. 9 in a blockbuster trade.
With the Broncos, Skinner posted a robust 16-6-1 record with 2.68 goals against average; a .914 save percentage and two shutouts in 25 games. Then, in the post-season, he took his game to a higher level. Skinner had an incredible six shutouts, and a .932 save percentage in the WHL playoffs en route to capturing the 2018 Ed Chynoweth Cup.
He will turn pro this fall and is expected to challenge Al Montoya for starter’s job in Bakersfield. Ideally, the two would split starts in 2018-19, which would allow Skinner to make a smoother transition to the pro game, and have a veteran goalie partner to lean on for guidance.
Honorable mentions: Dmitri Samorukov (84th overall, 2017), Filip Berglund (91st overall, 2016), Aapeli Rasanen (153rd overall, 2016), and Olivier Rodrigue (62nd overall, 2018).