With their second sixth-round pick, the Edmonton Oilers went back to the OHL and took Dalyn Wakely of the North Bay Battalion. The double overager hails from Port Hope, Ontario.
Who is Dalyn Wakely?
| Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | R | 6’0” | 198 lb |
Wakely is a big bodied centreman in the OHL, and the type of player that you need on any team. He plays with a ton of heart and has the point production to match.
Wakely’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | G | A | P | Playoff GP | Playoff G | Playoff A | Playoff P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | D+0 | OHL | North Bay Battalion | 67 | 20 | 14 | 34 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2022-23 | D+1 | OHL | North Bay Battalion | 66 | 30 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 2023-24 | D+1 | OHL | North Bay Battalion | 66 | 39 | 65 | 104 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 23 |
Keep in mind that this production is from his draft year to today, not from his D-1 year as with most draft eligible players. Wakely saw growth in his game over the past three years, but really exploded this season, finishing third in the OHL in scoring. While you would expect that a 20-year-old will have put up great numbers while playing against younger players, 104 points is nothing to sneer at in the OHL.
Wakely finished second on his team in scoring and led his team in assists with 65. On top of that, he finished with a whopping +54 this season, which is good for third in the league. While a flawed stat, to be on the ice for that many goals for and that few goals against is something to admire.
Wakely’s strengths
Size and strength
Wakely isn’t massive, but he uses his size and strength to create space for himself and his teammates. Unafraid to get to the tough areas of the ice, he constantly battles in front of the net to win puck battles and throws hits and reverse hits to body defenders off the puck.
He is also great at puck management, able to protect the puck from intruding sticks. Because of this, he pulls defenders to him and creates more open ice for his teammates to generate scoring chances.
Reading the play
Wakely is great at anticipating where his teammates will be and finding them for open looks. While playing on one of the top lines in the OHL, Wakely was able to find his teammates with ease and generate hundreds of scoring chances. The line was made better by his presence on it.
Even last season, when he was playing down the lineup on the stacked Battalions side, Wakely still generated tons of looks and it was honestly a bit of a shame that he didn’t hear his name called that year. This is likely a result of being on a very good team and getting fewer minutes than guys his age on weaker sides that were playing 20+ minutes per night.
Wakely’s areas of improvement
What exactly is he?
There are so many questions with Wakely this season. Was he good or was he just older? Was he good on his own or was his play driven by being with two really good linemates? Is this production even sustainable at the next level let alone at the NHL level? We simply do not know.
Projection with the Oilers
Realistically, it’s probably a combination of all of the above. He probably improved, but being older and playing with excellent linemates definitely made him look better. Realistically, Wakely probably ends up being an energy guy, and if his production grows the way it should at the AHL level, he might find his way to the NHL as a fourth line guy. This is honestly really good for a sixth round pick.
Wakely’s next steps
The road to this point is going to be tough. Wakely will need to demonstrate that he can produce at the next level, and put up points the way he did in junior. He will also need to do so with less good linemates, at least to start. However, the potential is very much there.
Realistically, he should move to the AHL next season, and will likely sign an AHL only deal next season. If that works out, he could sign an ELC from there. However, he could go another way in his development, signing with a different league for a year to grow before turning pro. There are a lot of questions with his future, but for the Oilers’ sake, the hope is that he can translate his growth into being an NHLer in a few years.
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