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Revisiting the 2023 NHL entry draft - how did the Oilers make out?

The second last blog in the series is now here. Just FYI, only six players period from this draft have played NHL games so far. Most of the players have yet to play games in the AHL, never mind the NHL. A few may have played in the European pros but that's not necessarily uncommon for picks from overseas - many of them do their rawest work in the European pro leagues before coming across the ocean to determine how to translate their game to the NHL in the minors. This would also mark Ken Holland's last draft as GM of the Oilers, although it's safe to assume that the 2024 draft would've been heavily influenced by him anyway seeing as how he declined another contract only days before the draft and after the playoff run.

By Phil Gretzky

2024 Stanley Cup Final - Media Day
2024 Stanley Cup Final - Media Day / Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
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Round three - no pick, traded away to Arizona along with RD Michael Kesselring in exchange for LD Cam Dineen and rental C Nick Bjugstad. Worth noting that this trade has worked out well for Kesselring himself as he's slated to be a regular bottom pairing d-man for the Utah hockey club this upcoming season. He was buried far too down the depth chart here to be given that opportunity with the Oilers.

Round four - no pick, traded away to Philadelphia for rental bottom six forward Derick Brassard

Round five - no pick, traded away to the NY Rangers in exchange for the rights to prospect Jayden Grubbe. Grubbe has since started his pro career in Bakersfield in a solid if unspectacular fashion.

Round six - Nathaniel Day, 184th overall

Day is a goalie in the mold of a "throw something against the dartboard and see what sticks" mold.

At the same age as Akey, Day is 19 years old and playing for the Flint Firebirds of the OHL, where he has yet to put up a save percentage above .900 or a GAA below 3.5. See for yourself. Oh, it's not all bad with Day, though - word on the street is, like Akey, he started for the Oilers prospects vs. the Flames prospects in Penticton and was one of the only bright spots in a 2-0 loss.

Still, however, that's only one game, and it's hard to say one way or the other based on one game. It could be a sign, however, that Day has more confidence and will take a step forward with Flint this upcoming season, but that's nothing more than an educated guess at this point. When evaluating prospects you have to take into account their entire body of work to this point - take a look at Stuart Skinner's junior numbers to compare. When looking at it that way, the signs are not encouraging to this point. Day has no contract with the organization at this point in time but remains on the Oilers reserve list.

Fun fact - Puckpedia has at long last started to imitate a feature that up until now it has never had and one that CapFriendly always had until it was taken down after being bought out by the Washington Capitals - it's started listing literally just recently the deadline for signing players on the reserve list. Thus, I can now report to you that we have until June 1, 2025, to sign Day to a contract before he walks from the organization as a prospect free agent.

What I would expect from Day is that he will go back to Flint for one last junior season - and it will be a make or break, critical to his future type season. If he can move the dial and show some potential in his final season in junior, I suspect the Oilers will sign him to a contract - it may not be a standard NHL two way contract, perhaps only an AHL two way contract, but if he finishes his junior career with a bang, then I suspect one way or another he will stay in the organization, even if he has to man the nets for the Komets to start two seasons from now.

Trending up or down? Down, for the moment. If he can carryover his performance in the Young Stars tournament to his final season of junior, then that could change quickly.

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