The season is over for the Edmonton Oilers. It was an amazing year and we got as close to winning a cup as possible. The Stanley Cup Final was a bit awkward as they had one week off and then played every three days. The result is that everything is happening fast! Draft, awards, and trade deadline are all imminent. Also need to make a GM decision and figure out who to target in free agency. Maybe a trade? Maybe a buyout (cough*Campbell*cough)?
Today is about the draft. I have bad news. If we can get 100 NHL games out of this draft, then we did well. We went for a cup run and lost a lot of picks. We have very little left. I’m fine with the gamble as we got so close. However, things are bleak.
Oilers draft at the end of Round 2 (64) then Round 5 (160), Round 6 (183 and 192) and Round 7 (196 and 218). The odds we get a full time NHL player out of this draft are slim. So I thought I’d suggest an all Czech draft of very promising players that may one day crack the NHL in a “boom or bust” type scenario. My goal was to fill every position and then hope and pray.
Who the Oilers should draft
Round 2 has us going last at 64th overall. My pick is Tomas Galvas. He is a very slick and modern defenceman. Played for the Czechs (bronze) at the U20s as an underager. He played pro in the Czech extraliga. He’d probably be a first rounder IF he wasn’t so small. Unfortunately he’s under 6’ and around 160lbs. So he is more of a long term project but he does have tremendous skating and a very good skillset. At 64th overall this would be a very good bet! Alternative would be Jakub Fibigr if Galvas is gone.
Our next pick is 160th overall in Round 5. My pick is a very promising over ager in Ondrej Becher. Becher came over to North America a year ago and, um, did very little. Didn’t get drafted and was not looking good. He went back to his WHL team and went on an absolute tear this season. He was top 5 in WHL scoring before the World Juniors. He was over a point-per-game at the World Juniors and had a four-point game for the Czechs in winning the bronze. Classic high scoring winger. Him at 160th would be a very good bet.
Our next pick is at 183 in Round 6. Time for a goalie and there are two very promising Czech goalies that should be available at this spot. Lukas Matecha and Jakub Milota. Both similarly excellent. The Czech goalie school is on a nice run so I’d pick whichever one is available of the two. If both, then Milota first. That gives us a very promising D, a high scoring junior player and a promising goalie.
Our next pick is at 192 (also Round 6). My vote is Petr Sikora. A very promising Czech C who stayed at home. Good size, good hands, and from a very good Czech U20 program. Has also played pro and looked good at U18 in April. Promising centre who would benefit from a year in CHL.
Onto Round 7. I am going with a very good passer who was also a big part of the U20 Bronze. Another overager with a good offensive upside. Matyas Melovsky is our next pick. A good size, good skating, great vision type of player. Surround him with good players and he does very well.
We are now deep into the draft. Round 7 and 218th overall. This is the biggest boom or bust. David Svozil. He is Stanislav Svozil’s brother. He has very good upside (like his brother) but has fallen out of draft talks and may not be drafted at all. He left the Czech Republic for Finland and is plying his craft. An unconfirmed rumour is that him and the Czech Federation are not getting along. He was not on several Czech rosters at U18 and U17 level. Not sure why but he is a promising young defenceman.
So there it is. Again, I don’t think this draft yields 100 NHL games played and thought it’d be fun to make a draft of some promising Czechs. We go two defencemen, one goalie, and three forwards out of this. I may look back on this in five years and see if my all Czech draft outperforms whatever the Oilers draft.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
