The Edmonton Oilers did not have a selection in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, trading it away at the 2025 NHL trade deadline to acquire defenceman Jake Walman.
This made it a very quiet night for Oilers general manager Stan Bowman and Oilers fans as they were held out of the action. Especially given the prices on the trade market, there were very few opportunities for the team to get involved.
Oilers draft recap
Entering day two, the Oilers held four picks in total: 52, 84, 180, 212. However, the team made trades to move back and acquire more picks.
The first trade the Oilers made was sending the 52nd overall pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the 58th overall and 133rd overall picks.
58th overall
After moving back, the Oilers selected at pick 58th in the second round, taking forward Rudolfs Berzkalns from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. Berzkalns a centre who is committed to join Boston College in 2027-28.
The Latvian centre, Berzkalns boasts a large frame at 6'4 203lbs, he is known for his defensive prowess and physicality, using his stick and body to snuff out offence. He was not the most productive player scoring just 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 48 games but plays a very mature game. At this stage, he projects as more of a bottom-six shutdown centre who can provide supplementary offence.
84th overall
The Oilers use their own selection to take Swedish winger from MoDo of the U20 Nationell, Malcom Gastrin. Gastin is the younger brother of Milton Gastrin who was drafted by the Washington Capitals at the 2025 draft and was recently dealt to the St. Louis Blues. At 6'0 174lbs his size makes him
Gastrin is a skilled winger who plays with a high motor, providing some two-way upside but skill is where most of his value comes from. He can create chances and displays great vision with the puck on his stick. He is quite raw being just 17 years old and will not turn 18 until August 19th, giving him some genuine upside.
133rd overall
Using the pick acquired from the Lightning, the Oilers select defenceman Andrew Robinson from the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. He is an average sized left-shot defenceman at 6'0 190lbs. He spent the 2024-25 season in the OJHL and played in 63 games for the Spitfires producing 24 points.
Despite his low production, Robinson is a very toolsy two-way defenceman who is a sound puck mover who is able to make smart plays with the puck and is good on retrievals. He has an active stick and is able to break up plays as well. At 133rd, it is tough to project a surefire NHL role but he has some legitimate potential as a No. 4 - No. 6 puck mover in the future.
180th overall
For the second straight selection, the Oilers use their 180th overall pick to select a player from the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, Caden Harvey. He played 68 games this past season, scoring 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points.
Harvey is a worker bee type of player, he has a good motor and although not very productive at the OHL level, he has some genuine flashes of offensive upside. He projects as more of a secondary offensive player but fits the Oilers' drafting bill as a projectable depth option.
212th overall
Using their seventh round selection and final pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Oilers drafted goaltender Ryan Cameron who spent this past season with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the USHL. He will join the Sioux Falls Stampede next season and has committed to Boston College the year after in 2027-28.
Cameron filled the starting role for the Roughriders, playing 40 games with a 24-11-5 record and a 2.92 goals against average and .882 save percentage. Cameron possesses relatively small size for a modern NHL goalie at just 6'0 174lbs. However, the club has strong USHL roots with assistant general manager Kalle Larsson spending years in the league as a top executive.
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