Edmonton Oilers blasted for failing to draft prime goalie, get a D+ grade on prospect pool

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Extra low marks for the prospect pool of the Edmonton Oilers, this time from Stephen Ellis of the Day by day Faceoff, who ranked Edmonton twenty fifth out of 32 NHL groups, and blasted the Oilers for failing to take Swedish goalie Jesper Wallstedt in 2021.

Stated Ellis: “(Stuart) Skinner has been a strong choice, but when he doesn’t turn out to be the long-term resolution, who will? Olivier Rodrigue had a superb bounce-back season after coping with accidents, however he’s a backup at greatest. And even that’s a longshot… Drafting goaltenders can typically be a crapshoot, and you’ll typically repair your crease scenario in different methods. However having somebody you may belief in your again pocket doesn’t damage.”

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My take

1. Many an Oilers fan has made the identical level as Ellis, specifically that Wallstedt would have been the higher decide in 2021. The Swedish goalie was out there when the Oilers drafted twentieth general that yr, however Edmonton selected to commerce that decide for the twenty second and ninetieth picks within the draft, choosing ahead Xavier Bourgault, now ranked the Oil’s prime prospect by the Cult of Hockey, and d-man Luca Munzenberger, now ranked sixteenth. Wallstedt was taken twentieth general by Minnesota.

2. At the moment, Stuart Skinner, 22, had simply had his first robust yr as a professional, with a .914 save share in 31 video games. That marked Skinner as a strong professional prospect, although removed from a certain factor at that time, given Skinner’s first two professional campaigns have been mediocre. However with Rodrigue, a late second spherical decide in 2018, additionally within the system, maybe it’s not so loopy that Edmonton thought it had a strong candidate or two in web and determined to go on Wallstedt. That stated, Wallstedt was much more extremely rated by most scouts, rating tenth general, in comparison with Bourgault, twenty fourth general, with Munzenberger at one hundred and sixtieth general.

3. Since that point Wallstedt has had two respectable professional seasons with a .917 save share with Lulea in Sweden’s prime league, then a .908 save share within the AHL final yr. In each years, Wallstedt carried out higher than different goalies on his personal squad. He’s trying like a strong first spherical decide with an honest shot at an NHL profession. Bourgault ripped it up in his ultimate Quebec junior season, then had an honest sufficient yr in Bakersfield. As one of many youngest gamers within the AHL in 2022-23, he put up 34 factors in 62 video games and did some OK work on the penalty kill. The jury continues to be out as to which would be the higher participant, Wallstedt or Bourgault, although most knowledgeable observers haver Wallstedt forward of Bourgault.

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4. Ellis’s low grade for the Oil’s general system aligns with different current rankings. Edmonton’s group was  ranked second final within the NHL by Elite Prospects. Corey Pronman of the Athletic ranked the Oil’s prospect pool twenty eighth out of 32 groups. Prospect knowledgeable Byron M. Bader of Hockey Prospecting had the Oilers pool of ranked twenty eighth. And the Oil pool was shut out of the NHL Community’s new listing of Prime 50 NHL prospects. Not one Oilers prospect was within the Prime 50. Wallstedt was ranked twenty first general on the NHL’s listing.

6. Wallstedt’s .908 save share noticed him ranked twenty third for AHL starters final yr. Rodrigue at .912 was ranked tenth. When it got here to rookie goalies, Wallstedt ranked fifth within the AHL, so he didn’t precisely come throughout as the following Carey Value in his first professional season in North America.

5. For a full assessment of Edmonton’s prospects, Cult author Bruce McCurdy has an in-depth look right here.

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Hyperlinks to Cult of Hockey prospect profiles

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