Oil On Whyte
Fansided

Revisiting the 2017 NHL entry draft - how did the Oilers make out?

After making out terribly in the 2016 NHL draft, the Oilers were looking to redeem themselves and perhaps get back at least some of the success they had at the table in 2015. Can they do it? Let's find out together.

By Phil Gretzky

Mar 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Team North America general manager Peter Chiarelli (right) gestures as he speaks to media while associate general manager Stan Bowman listens during a press conference for the upcoming 2016 World Cup of Hockey at Intercontinental Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Team North America general manager Peter Chiarelli (right) gestures as he speaks to media while associate general manager Stan Bowman listens during a press conference for the upcoming 2016 World Cup of Hockey at Intercontinental Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next

Seventh round - Phil Kemp, 208th overall

Boy did the scouts ever find a reach here. I never really figured out what they found in him, as his numbers weren't all that impressive in any regard as he was coming up the ranks. But, I think they may have themselves a gem here.

Kemp is a stay at home blue liner, so you can't judge him based on his boxcars alone. My guess is he caught the attention of Oilers scouts when his +/- went from -16 to +7, while he progressed from the US National under-17 team to the US National under-18 team. He then went the US College route as well, playing at Yale University for three seasons, finishing with a +/- on the plus side of the ledger in two of those three seasons, while increasing his boxcars from a modest eight points in 26 games to 11 points in 32 games.

Kemp then went to the Swedish pro leagues while the pandemic lockdown was happening here, and put up those same boxcars but with a -15 this time - but, rookie pro season and all that. He then went to Bakersfield and looks to have flourished there, going from a +/- of +2 his first season to a career high of +13 last season. He got a cup of coffee last season and didn't put up any offence in that game but nor did he make a mistake either, finishing at 0, unusual for a player making his NHL debut.

The defenceman appears to have added an element of secondary offence to his game as well, as in his last two seasons with the Condors he has put up 21 and 15 points respectively. In fact, Kemp has actually grown into the "next man up" role with the Condors in terms of defencemen, now that Philip Broberg has made his way onto the roster full time. Kemp was also on the taxi squad for this past season's playoff run.

Once he can beat out Troy Stecher and Josh Brown for a roster spot, then he'll have made the NHL full time, and that might occur as soon as next season, you never know. Most 25-year-olds are usually off the farm team if they aren't pushing for a roster spot with the big club. So even if Kemp turns out to be a late bloomer, the Oilers obviously see something in him, and I can see why - at this point he looks like a less physical version of Vincent Desharnais, and will come just as cheaply.

Hit or Miss? Tough call, but I'm saying this is a hit because frankly only eight out of 31 players drafted in this round have even played NHL games. The fact that he can even still stick around the farm team and still have a shot at the NHL also says something about how the organization sees him.

Did the Oilers miss out on anyone? No, and no one of consequence was even drafted in this round. If Kemp does end up grabbing a spot in the bottom pairing he'll be the best player to come out this round in the draft.