The Athletic predicts Oilers 2nd round pick in 2024 NHL mock draft

Even as the Edmonton Oilers aim to build on their absorbing 3-2 double overtime win in game one of the Western Conference Final, they must still consider the future of the organisation. Case in point is the 2024 NHL entry draft, which takes place on June 28-29 in Las Vegas.

For the Oilers specifically, they only actually have one pick in the top four rounds of this year's draft at the time of posting. (They also have one in the fifth round, as well as two in each of the sixth and seventh rounds.) However, that one selection is in the second round, which is relevant for the purpose of this post.

The Athletic's Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler have conducted a mock draft for the first two rounds of the 2024 draft. They alternated making selections, with Wheeler getting the task of making the Oilers' pick in the second round, at 62nd overall.

Who is Luke Misa?

With the selection, The Athletic had the Oilers taking centre Luke Misa from the Mississauga Steelheads. Wheeler wrote: "The Oilers successfully turned Ryan McLeod and his speed game into an NHLer after they drafted him in the second round out of the Mississauga Steelheads. They go back to the Steelheads in the second round and take one of the best skaters in the draft again in Misa."

Depending on which hockey media outlet you refer to, this pick could either be a steal or uninspiring. This is of course taking into account that the majority of the time, where a player is drafted is not necessarily an indicator of how successful they will be.

From example, NHL.com has Misa ranked as the 76th North American skater, and this is down from a midterm ranking of 45th. Meanwhile, TSN's Bob McKenize ranked him 67th among all prospects back in January.

On the more positive side, Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News rated Misa an impressive 22nd last month. Also in April, Steven Ellis of the Daily Faceoff placed him at 47th.

A career year

The 18-year-old Oakville, Ontario native is coming off his best season yet. He set several career highs with the Steelheads, including 26 goals, 55 assists, 81 overall points and a +35 rating, all achieved in 66 regular season games. (The 55 assists also set a team record for the most in a single season.)

One thing all the scouting reports agree on, is that Misa is an excellent skater with superior speed and quickness. On the flip side, the overriding opinion is that his defence needs working on, while his size of 5 foot 10 and 170 pounds is a concern.

For his part, the Oakville, Ontario native has a strong belief in himself, but without being too carried away. As per a recent interview with CHL.ca, he said: "I’ve always known that I could perform and contribute at this level. You can’t let good games get you overconfident or bad games get you down. I try more to tie my confidence to my process in practice and preparation before games."

It also helps that Misa has an excellent work ethic when it comes to putting himself in the best possible position to succeed. He said: "I’m working hard to improve all aspects of my game and strength, every off-season. But definitely a lot of it is just (the) opportunity I’m getting and the mental part of the game."

Overall, the Oilers certainly need to improve the organisation's prospect depth. If they do end up selecting Misa, while he has some intriguing strengths, he could go either way when it comes to being someone capable of making it in the NHL.

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