Oilers have a potential gem in newly signed prospect William Nicholl

It is no secret that the Edmonton Oilers have not had the most bustling prospect pool. By most outlets, they rank well into the bottom half of the league.

This is especially the case with the graduation of Matt Savoie and the up-and-down debut professional season from college hockey star, Isaac Howard amongst others. Josh Samanski has probably played himself out of the American Hockey League and there are at least a few more Bakersfield Condors standouts that have the chance to graduate to fulltime NHL players in the near future.

One key fixture in their prospect pool going forward could be Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights forward, William Nicholl. The team announced they signed Nicholl to his three-year entry-level contract that kicks in next season.

William Nicholl is an underrated piece in the Oilers pool

Nicholl was the Oilers’ seventh round pick at the 2024 NHL Draft, selected 196th overall. Despite his billing as a heavy forechecking two-way forward, Nicholl has average size but makes up for it with his high octane play. His willingness to engage in battles along the boards and in front the net at both ends makes him a very projectable player. His archetype of an energetic two-way forward gives him very interesting potential as a player who could play up and down the NHL lineup.

He also has a high skill level and is currently one of the Knights’ top players but unfortunately had his season disrupted. Last August, he underwent surgery, keeping him out of action for over four months, until the end of December. Despite this bump in the road, Nicholl notched a respectable 15 goals and 11 assists for 26 points in 32 games this season for the Knights that sold off assets at the OHL trade deadline.

Still at just 19 years old, there is plenty of runway for Nicholl to develop. He has shown his ability to score goals and create offence while playing minutes in all situations. If he can develop into a player of any sort of consequence at the NHL, it is a huge win out of a seventh round selection.

The Oilers have shown an eagerness to inject talent into their prospect pipeline. At the draft table specifically, they have targeted smart utility pieces who can bring many things to the table. In theory, this allows the Oilers to replenish their depth with young players on entry-level contracts who can play a variety of roles from penalty killing bottom-six minutes to playing a complimentary offensive role alongside Oilers stars such as Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid.

Either of these results seem both attainable and ideal for the Oilers and Nicholl.