With the NHL draft coming up on June 26th and 27th, the Oilers have four total selections. They have a second-rounder, a third-rounder, a sixth-rounder, and a seventh-rounder. We here at the Oil Rig have a series looking at potential picks the Oilers could make, and this entry will look at players management could select with their 6th round pick.
Late round picks are the equivalent of throwing darts at a board and hoping one sticks. After all, seventy-three percent of players who are selected in the 6th round of the NHL draft never appear in even one NHL game.
The mentality with late-round picks is not so much who has the highest ceiling, as most players in these late rounds have one or more major flaws to their game (hence why they are a late rounder). A key strategy is to identify the prospect with the highest floor even if that’s as a 7th defender or 13th forward at the NHL level.
With that being said lets take a look at some of the prospects the Edmonton Oilers could target with their pick.
Ryerson Leenders, Goalie, Brantford Bulldogs, OHL
Leenders recently made headlines as Buffalo announced they won’t be signing the 2024 7th rounder despite stellar seasons in the OHL. The 2006-born goaltender now looks to re-enter the NHL draft, and a stacked goaltending pipeline in Buffalo might just result in the Oilers finding an NHL backup of the future with Leenders.
Leenders game is best defined by smart play reads, athleticism, and consistent position that offsets his smaller 6’01 frame. The 20-year-old consistently upchecks, which allows him to anticipate plays well, while also having solid mobility (post-post, and t-push), and remains a stable positionally sound goaltender who angles up to shots, and has an effective scramble game that routinely creates highlight reel saves.
The main areas of concern for Leenders include his on-off tracking, an average glove side, and susceptibility to higher-end deception, which can lead him to aggressive reactions and a puck in his own net.
The OHL goaltender has shown stable but slower growth in his OHL career, most recently highlighted by back-to-back seasons with a .910 save percentage in Brantford. Expect the netminder to take the NCAA route after his last OHL year in Owen Sound for the 2026–2027 season, which will prolong his development timeline.
Leenders is the type of goalie the Edmonton Oilers like to target
Leenders fits the Oilers scouting trends almost perfectly, as the organization largely targets older goaltenders in general (with Salonen and Ungar being the most recent examples).
No team is as big a fan of D+1 and D+2 players in general either as five of the Oilers past 12 selections are over-agers. Additionally, the Oilers have proven to be in desperate need of a legitimate NHL prospect goaltender, (and what’s another dart at the goalie board?).
The Hamilton-born product is expected to garner interest in the later rounds, so don’t be surprised if Edmonton uses its 6th or 7th-round pick to take a flyer on Leenders.
Anttoni Uronen, Center, HIFK, Liiga
It’s possible Uronen is gone long before the 6th round, but if he isn’t, the Oilers might just find a dark-horse top-9 NHLer in the 6th round.
Uronen is one of the many Europeans who are flying under the radar this season in the Liiga. Uronen is ranked 54th on the NHL’s Central Scouting European Skaters list, and is ranked 198th overall by McKeen’s Hockey. The 2008 born forward has quietly been climbing up lists across the hockey world, and its not hard to see why as he’s producing points and playing old-school hockey.
The 6’01 centre is an imposing physical presence, with a higher-end motor, and a surprising amount of offensive instincts. His physicality shines with good body positioning, engagement, and board play aptitude. His compete level also shines with good intensity, a non-stop motor, and pressure support every shift. Offensively his awareness, and habits help facilitate plays regularly with basic enough instincts and a finishing element.
Uronen is more likely to drop to the end of the draft
The main knocks on the Finn are his less-than-stellar skating (shorter, mechanically choppy stride, below-average elusiveness, and limited power), along with hot-and-cold handling, deking, and raw decision-making. Some base limitations in his shooting (puck elevation, shot release, and power), will harm his scoring opportunities at the next level.
Uronen’s has also jumped around everywhere this season, from U18 to U20, Liiga, and international tournaments. In the Liiga, Uronen plays a largely bottom-6 physical/motor role which isn’t particularly flashy, but still averages 11:52 per game which is impressive for a draft elgible in a professional men’s league.
Most surprisingly of all, Uronen has also out-produced his fellow draft eligible players with a 0.37 PPG on a moderate 12% scoring-chance conversion rate in the Liiga. If the Kerava-born product can further elevate his physicality, he could carve out a solid role as a down-low supporting power forward with a hockey sense edge at the NHL level.
He’s already outmuscling grown men with a 50% puck battle win rate, but he could take it a step further and be an even bigger force. His mobility and handling refinements are also central to his overall development.
This blend of physicality and scoring is similar to Oilers 2025 3rd-rounder, David Lewandowski, who just finished an impressive D+1 year with Saskatoon. In short, Uronen is an exciting under-the-radar Finn that plays an impactful, powerful game in all three zones and could be a force in the near future if someone takes a flyer on him.
Axel Brongel Larsson, Defence, Frolunda U20, J20-Sweden
Brongel Larsson is a wild card, as he is projected everywhere from a 4th round pick to being undrafted, and if his name is still available in the 6th or 7th round the Oilers could consider taking him as he fits the Oilers mould of recently selected physically imposing shutdown defenders like Asher Barnett, and Bauer Berry, but has an edge on both of them due to his higher end skating.
The 2007-born defender has a late November birthday, making this his first draft-eligible season, and boy is he a fun defender to watch. The Olso product has a game defined by strong physicality (frequency, power, and hitting form), higher-end mobility (edgework, stride, and power), and a simplistic but capable A-B puck moving game.
The main areas of concern for the young defender are his hockey sense (play processing, anticipation, and awareness) and his predictability with the puck (decision making, handling, and lane awareness). His shooting also projects below average by all regards but this alone does not detract from his game.
It’s unlikely that Brongel Larsson will be much of an offensive contributor at the next level, due to these knacks, but his smooth skating and shut-down ability will be where he makes his largest contributions.
Brongel Larsson’s upside and fit with the Edmonton Oilers
Brongel Larsson is a ruthlessly aggressive gap control expert and heavy net front presence, so even if the senses don’t improve he might just do enough physically to prevent opposing forwards getting in their correct spots to kill chances before they even start. His board play also shines, as he wins a whopping 57% of his physical battles, 1.22 blocked shots and dishes out 1.91 hits per game.
His physicality and skating also help further his baseline defensive instincts, habits, and this helps explain his seven takeaways per game, and his 2:31 of Penalty Kill TOI per game of his total 20:29 TOI total.
The Norwegian is a more raw prospect, but remains an intimidating presence who uses all of his physical tools to their utmost effectiveness and has the skating to mitigate risk and rush chances on the regular. Brongel Larsson plays an old-school version of hockey and echoes shades of Anaheim Ducks prospect, and fellow countryman, Stian Solberg from the 2024 draft.
Brongel Larsson is expected to make the jump to the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, and could be on track for an NCAA pathway. Even if his offensive upside doesn’t improve, Brongel Larsson likely projects as a strong third-pairing shutdown defender at the NHL level, who could be a steal in the late rounds.
Finding 2026 NHL Draft Sleepers in the Late Rounds
The Oilers have the potential to get a dark horse prospect like Uronen or Brongel Larsson if they are still on the board. Ultimately, don’t be surprised if Edmonton goes the North American route, targeting some of the more experienced D+1 or D+2 players. With that being said, there remain plenty of solid options throughout the late rounds of the 2026 draft.
The best part about late round selections is the low expectations but possible high reward payoff.
Now all that’s left is to wait and see who the Oilers decide to use those late round picks on this year.
Are there other prospects you think the Oilers should consider? Who would you like to see the Oilers draft with their 6th-round selection? Let us know in the comments below.
