Revisiting the 2024 NHL entry draft - how did the Oilers make out?
By Phil Gretzky
Second round - Emil Vinni, 64th overall
I don't really know what to say about this Finnish goalie, his stats as of late are not that great. See for yourself. He's really all over the place.
His scouting report seems to indicate a bit of a project, but once you get to Dobber Prospect's goalie scout Colin Hunter's comments the pick starts to make more sense:
"February 2024 – "The top goalie for many coming into the draft year, Vinni had a real rough start to his professional career in Mestis. Since then, however, he has been excellent and seems to have found his footing playing against men. Vinni is an intriguing prospect: the tools are evident but so are the issues. His lateral speed and general skating abilities are great, and he loves to aggressively challenge shooters. However, he can have a hard time tracking, getting beat on medium-low danger chances and through the body too often." "
- Colin Hunter
His numbers are a bit all over the place so he's hard to project - and goalies are voodoo to begin with so it's hard to say where he'll go.
I'm a bit surprised the Oilers spent a second round pick on this player since that seems a bit high on the pecking order for a goalie with issues who's a bit of a project. For the team's sake let's hope he moves the dial within the next season or two to the point where he can come over the North American and dominate on the smaller ice surface, then perhaps challenge for a position with the Oilers.
Trending up or down? Neither, for now, he's treading water in place. Hopefully that changes within the next couple of years. At 18, he's got some time still to show his potential. I would've preferred the Oilers spend a third or fourth round pick on this player, but it's done already and in the books and such is life. All we can do now is hope he lives up to his draft position.