Revisiting the 2024 NHL entry draft - how did the Oilers make out?
Let's finish up this beotch, everyone - last blog in the series. :) Anyway, this is literally the last draft that had Ken Holland's fingerprints over it. Jeff Jackson was interim GM by this time, but let's face it, what possible incentive did he have to radically change things up from when Ken Holland was GM? None. He had literally come in to the job just days before the draft, and was just going to mind the store until we later found out he had chosen Stan Bowman as his permanent replacement. Unlike 2023 when we only had three picks, this draft would feature seven picks, including two in both the sixth and seventh rounds. Also, since the draft was only held only a few months ago, obviously no one has played NHL games just yet.
First round - the Oilers were initially slated to pick 31st overall in this draft but traded away that pick at the trade deadline to Anaheim in exchange for Adam Henrique, Sam Carrick, Anaheim's seventh rounder in 2024, and the rights to Ty Taylor, a goalie currently on the Oilers reserve list who we have no deadline to sign. His stats are less than encouraging, although it's worth noting he played his last year of college hockey at what at the time was Grant MacEwan College here in Edmonton. Anaheim took this pick and flipped it to the Leafs, who for some bizarre reason chose to move down in the draft and send Anaheim a second round pick besides (who knows why the Maple Laffs do anything these days? What a bizarre trade).
Anyway, the Oilers then did a separate deal with Philadelphia to acquire the 32nd pick in exchange for the Oilers first round pick in 2025. This pick was originally Florida's, who had sent it to Philadelphia in a convoluted trade that involved Claude Giroux going to Florida and Owen Tippett going to Philly in exchange for this pick, a fifth round pick in 2024, and two prospects. It was here at 32nd overall that the Oilers drafted.....
Sam O'Reilly
Don't you hate those convoluted trades? I sure do. :) Anyway, RWer O'Reilly set his junior B team on fire by putting up 26 goals and 63 points, along with 63 PIMs, in a mere 35 games, then followed that up with six more goals and 11 more points in eight playoff games. He then jumped straight up to major juniors for the London Knights of the OHL, putting up no offense in five regular season games along with a -5 and also no offence in three more playoff games.
However, in a lesson that shows that we shouldn't judge a player based on one season of hockey, O'Reilly broke out in a big way, scoring 20-36-56 in 68 games for the Knights, along with 34 PIMs and an eye-popping +32. That's a crazy awesome improvement from one season to another. Oh, and did I mention that he followed that up with 5-7-12 in 16 playoff games? Between O'Reilly and Matt Capponi, the 2023 seventh round pick, the Oilers should be well stocked for the future in terms of power forwards with a physical side. O'Reilly was a key contributor on a London Knights team that won the OHL championship and lost in the Memorial Cup to their OHL opposition the Saginaw Spirit (Saginaw was hosting the Memorial Cup so they got an automatic berth in it). Ironically, London beat Saginaw in the third round of the OHL championships, only to lose to them in the Memorial Cup finals. Crazy.
Fun facts - Jarome Iginla's son Tij was drafted by the Utah hockey club sixth overall. He looks well on his way to following in his sniper father's footsteps. Also, the first overall pick was Macklin Celebrini by the Sharks, who is likely jumping straightaway from Boston University to the San Jose Sharks - Celebrini is billed as the next generational talent so Sharks fans can now enjoy the hype that comes from drafting a generational player just like Oilers fans did in 2015 after Connor Mcdavid was drafted.
Trending up or down? Up, definitely up. Good pick.
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."
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.
Third round - no pick, traded away to Arizona/Utah in Zack Kassian trade, the second last of the picks of this trade (only the second rounder in 2025 is left).
Fourth round - no pick, traded away to Nashville in the Mattias Ekholm trade. Nashville later flipped this pick to Tampa Bay after they traded away Ryan Mcdonagh to Tampa Bay in what is a re-acquisition for the Bolts. Tampa used it.
Fifth round - Connor Clattenberg, 160th overall
No relation to the Trailer Park Boys creator Mike Clattenberg, in case you're wondering - I looked into it.
I think it's safe to say we can apply the project label to Clattenberg as well, although he does have some tools in the toolbox. I feel much more comfortable taking a roll of the dice on a fifth round pick than a second round pick, though.
Anyway, after a short stint of four games in Junior A, not producing much of anything, Clattenberg started his junior career with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, putting up 2-8-10 in 56 games with 115 PIMs and a -10 (no playoff games for him). He played a sophomore year for the Greyhounds improving his boxcars ever so slightly to 4-8-12 with a +3 and 51 PIMs in 30 games before a midseason trade to the Flint Firebirds, where he put up a further 9-8-17 with 28 PIMs and a -2 in the same 30 games. If you're wondering, between the two clubs Clattenberg put up 13 goals, 29 points, 79 PIMs, and a +1 in 60 games. He added a further 1-1-2 with eight PIMs in four playoff games for Flint. Nothing to suggest he'll be an offensive dynamo, but there are worse ways to make a living than as a bottom six forward in the NHL.
Clattenberg is 19, but he might be eligible for another year of junior after next season as an overager as he won't be turning 20 until close to the end of the OHL season.
My assessment of this player is further backed up by a scouting report published on OilersNation for Clattenberg.
I’m not sure Clattenburg will ever play a game in the NHL, but as a fifth rounder, it was interesting. He’s a pain in the ass to play against because he goes out there to cause pure violence. He’s also a decent goal-scorer, although that’s not going to be his game in the NHL. If he makes it, it’s to be as an energy forward who can maybe put up seven to 10 goals in a season.
- Prototypical ‘energy’ player
- Initiates physical contact; can be a catalyst for good board and corner play. Skates pretty good and can get on top of defenders well; create a sense of discomfort for them.
- Offense is not a calling card.
This means if Clattenberg does make the NHL - no guarantee at this point - it'll be as a bottom six forward who can play physical and contribute offense at a supplementary level. Like I said, there are worse ways to make a living.
Trending up or down? It's complicated. Trending up slightly offensively and defensively but down physically.
Sixth round - two picks - Albin Sundin, 183rd overall. Pick acquired from Nashville as part of the Mattias Ekholm trade.
For the record, no relation to Mats Sundin. The right side defender's calling card at this point appears to be as a stay at home blueliner. Able to produce a modest amount of offence at the Swedish junior level, he has yet to translate that to the Swedish minor leagues. He's produced only a single assist of offence in 29 games played over three seasons in the Swedish minors, and in 2023-24 he produced a modest 1-1-2 in 14 playoff games for the same club.
29 games is hardly a condemnation of the player, as we have to take sample size into consideration. Defense is part of his toolbox, though, as he has produced +3, +4, and 0 in those 29 games so far. Of course, the Swedish minors are a long way from either the AHL or the NHL, but it's definitely a tool in the toolbox. At 20 years old Sundin is an older prospect, and it's hard to say exactly what kind of future he has. Smart money says he stays in Europe for at least two more seasons - he's currently on the Oilers reserve list and they have until June 1, 2026, to offer Sundin a contract. It may be an AHL-only contract if he's still the same player he is today.
Trending up or down? Treading water.
Dalyn Wakely, 192nd overall
So far, so good for this right shooting prospect center. After a single game in the OJHL, he graduated to the North Bay Battalion of the OHL where he's spent the past three seasons and has been improving ever since. If Wakely can translate his stats to the pro leagues, then we've got a real player here.
Wakely has gone from 20-14-34 with 21 PIMs and a +6 in his rookie season (1-3-4 and 8 PIMs in 13 playoff games) to 30-19-49 with 34 PIMs and a +24 (and a further 5-4-9 and 12 PIMs in 20 playoff games) to 39-65-104 with 71 PIMs and a whopping +54 (13-10-23 in 16 playoff games with 18 PIMs).
Those are amazing stats - how this guy wasn't snapped up in the first or second round of this draft is beyond me. Unless Wakely completely implodes next season - his last and overage season in junior as he's turning 21 in March next year - then he's going to be Bakersfield bound after this season. Whichever scout unearthed this guy should be given a cash bonus or promotion. It's rare for a player to score 20 goals at any level of hockey in his rookie season, and Wakely did that.
There isn't a tool this guy doesn't seem to have in his toolbox. Want him to score? He can do that. Want him to be a playmaker? Check, he up 65 assists last season. Play physical? Hard to top the 71 PIMs he had last season. Responsible defensively? Hard to get better than +54 in a season.
At this point, there doesn't appear to be anything Wakely can't do. Does he even have weaknesses? His scouting report doesn't seem to think so. Could he literally be the second coming of Mark Messier or Leon Draisaitl? Maybe.
Trending up or down? Up, way up.
Seventh round - two picks - William Nicholl, 196th overall. Pick acquired from Anaheim in the Adam Henrique/Sam Carrick trade.
A teammate of Sam O'Reilly's on that OHL champion/Memorial Cup finalist London Knights team, left shooting center, Nicholl is only 70 games into his junior career, but is already showing signs of being a solid future NHLer. Like O'Reilly, Nicholl did a year of Junior B in the GOJHL and did quite well for himself, putting up 20-44-64 in 43 games, tacking on another four assists in four playoff games. He then graduated that same season to the Knights, where he put up 1-1-2 in five games with a +2. Last season he put up 6-14-20 with 38 PIMs in 65 games for the Knights, with a further 1-7-8 and 14 PIMs in 18 games in the playoffs.
At 18, Nicholl has two more years of junior left, and if he can build on what he did over those next two seasons, he's a surefire candidate for the Condors the following season. Like most of the players in this draft, the Oilers have until June 1, 2026, to sign him. At this point, the odds are pretty good for that.
Trending up or down? Up, for sure.
Bauer Barry, 218th overall
Barry looks to be another solid pick, a left side defender with a penchant for creating at least some offence as well as effectively taking care of his own end of the ice. He just entered his third season playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. He started his career there putting up 1-1-2 in six games with four PIMs, then followed that up last season putting up 1-13-14 in 59 games with 83 PIMs with a +12 to boot. Pretty good for a full season in junior. He followed that up with 1-1-2 in eight games with 15 PIMs.
He appears to be a player capable of putting up offence - to what extent is still unknown - and has a mean physical streak to boot. Through my research of this piece, I discovered that the USHL doesn't have a formal agreement with the AHL like the CHL does, however, the 20 year old minimum age limit to play in the AHL comes from the AHL itself, not the USHL or the CHL. I was always under the impression that came at the request of the CHL, but it's actually an AHL rule. At any rate, since Barry is turning 19 in just over a month (Oct. 31), he has this season and next to build on this past season when he broke out slightly. It appears Barry is the one exception to the June 1, 2026 signing deadline as he's listed as on the reserve list with a signing deadline of Aug. 15, 2029. I'm assuming this is due to the fact that he was drafted past a certain point in the last round.
Trending up or down? Up, slightly.
Fun fact - Miroslav Satan's son Miroslav Jr. was drafted by the Washington Capitals six picks before Barry. However, the word Jr. is conveniently left off his name in hockeydb making it look amusingly like his 49 year old father has been re-drafted into the NHL.
Overall verdict
This draft is very much a mixed bag. O'Reilly, Wakely, Nicholl, and Barry all appear to be covering their draft bets in the early going to different extents. This, of course, is no guarantee of anything, but it's good to look good early in your career. The future is a bit fuzzier for Vinni, Clattenberg, and Sundin, but I'm not willing to write off any of them just yet. They were literally just drafted so anything can happen. Any of the latter three can surge up just as much as any of the former four can nosedive down. Drafting is an inexact science and it's hard to say this early in their careers who will work out and who won't. Some are paying early dividends, some not so much.
Bonus material
Oilers sign Mike Hoffman and Jasper Weatherby to PTOs
As of late, the Oilers seem to enjoy grabbing players with connections to the San Jose Sharks for some strange reason. The 34 year old Hoffman was at one time one of the NHL's elite snipers, cracking the 30 goal mark once and the 20 goal mark six times. However, that hasn't been the case for five seasons now, as Hoffman these days is best described as a younger version of Corey Perry - past his prime but still might have his uses. He might tag team with Perry on the fourth line, that's about as good as I can see for him if this PTO turns into a full fledged contract. He played for the Sharks last season putting up a respectable 10-13-23 in 66 games, albeit with a -21 in the process, notwithstanding of course the fact that San Jose was and still is a lousy rebuilding team.
Weatherby, on the other hand, was drafted by San Jose in 2018 and although he had one extended 50 game callup in the 2021-22 season, he only put up 5-6-11 and a -14 in those games. He spent the next two seasons on San Jose's farm team the San Jose Barracuda and dropped off the map after that, spending the next two seasons bouncing around the AHL, first in Grand Rapids then in Milwaukee. Weatherby looks to be an AHL bubble player at best and will likely find himself with an AHL-only contract at best unless he knocks everyone's socks off in training camp. At 26 his dream of being an NHL regular is likely done.
These moves are in addition to recently signing blueliner Travis Dermott to a PTO.
Pro scout Jason Pietrzykowski and Assistant GM Brad Holland exit the organization
Pietrzykowski has left for Pittsburgh to take on the same role with the Penguins. Holland and the club, "mutually parted ways" so to speak, and it's unclear what he's going to do next. Meanwhile, GM Stan Bowman says there are no plans to replace Holland on the management team.
Prospect Roby Jarventie will miss training camp with a knee injury
Looks like Carl Berglund isn't the only Oilers prospect injured, so is Roby Jarventie, the player acquired from Ottawa over the summer for Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson. He's going to have to have surgery but fortunately, this knee injury isn't as severe as the one that limited Connor Brown to only four games for the Washington Capitals two seasons ago. Jarventie is slated to be back within two weeks, at which point he'll probably be assigned to the Condors where he can participate in their camp.
Next. Edmonton Oilers Start Preseason Schedule Today Against Winnipeg Jets. Edmonton Oilers Start Preseason Schedule Today Against Winnipeg Jets. dark
Notable hires in scouting and analytics
Warren Rychel, who has spent the last three seasons with the Oilers as a pro scout, has been promoted to pro scouting director. Meanwhile, to compensate for the loss of Pietrzykowski the Oilers have hired ex-Oiler Zack Kassian to take his place. This will be Kassian's first foray into scouting.
Meanwhile, Dominik Zrim, one of the founders of CapFriendly, is joining the Oilers as director of hockey strategy. Other hires include Aaron Nagy (amateur scout), Erik Elenz (video and analytics coaching coordinator), and David Evanochko (lead solutions architect).
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