Once again, the Edmonton Oilers are sitting out of the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. This particular first-round pick is in the hands of the Buffalo Sabres by way of the San Jose Sharks, where it was dealt in exchange for Jake Walman at the 2025 Trade Deadline.
This is nothing new for the Oilers. 2026 will mark the fourth straight year they do not possess their own first-round pick on draft night, only participating in the first round of the 2024 draft due to a last-minute trade to select Sam O’Reilly. The Oilers only possess four picks in this weekend’s draft. They will be picking in the second (#52), third (#84), sixth (#180), and seventh (#212) rounds.
Instead, they will be looking to make an impact on the trade market. Although the Oilers’ trade bait board is rather sparse in terms of value, there are a couple of moves they should look to make that will open many opportunities for improvement once free agency opens next Wednesday.
The pressure is therefore on general manager Stan Bowman and the scouting staff to make the most of the limited draft capital the Edmonton Oilers possess. Finding late-round gems will be crucial in the coming years. Such is life for a team in a competitive window, however.
Unfortunately for the Oilers, that window is in question with a need to make major changes to the roster, minimal high-quality talent in the prospect pool to supplement the roster, and a spotlight on the team’s bench with a baffling coaching decision seemingly about to be announced heading into this week.
Edmonton’s 2026 Draft capital
| Round | Pick # | Status / Origin |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | — | TRADED — Pick #20 to San Jose Sharks (Jake Walman, March 7, 2025) |
| 2nd | #52 | Edmonton (own) |
| 3rd | #84 | Edmonton (own) |
| 4th | — | No pick held |
| 5th | — | No pick held |
| 6th | #180 | Edmonton (own) |
| 7th | #212 | Edmonton (own) |
It is becoming a regular occurrence for the Oilers to be fairly uninvolved at the draft. We have seen just 25 total picks since 2021, tied for 28th in the NHL in that span. And only seven of them were in the first three rounds, the third-fewest in the league.
In the past 10 drafts, the Oilers have only made seven picks twice. This does not bode well for the prospect pool coming up in the organization, but so far, it has led to the growth and success of the team. The onus is now on the scouting staff to find late-round gems and identify players with traits that can help them outperform their draft ranking in the coming years.
The Walman Trade: Was it worth it?
One of the big questions for the first round of the draft this coming Friday is whether or not the trading away of first-round picks is worth it. This year’s pick, traded for the aforementioned Walman, has questionable early returns. Overall, the philosophy and rationale of why these picks have been traded make sense. The player the Oilers would select is not going to impact the team for two to five seasons. Potentially after a competitive window closes. Walman, on the other hand, was ready to step in and create a positive impact the day he was acquired.
Walman’s initial impact on the lineup was stellar. He fit well in the system while contributing three goals and 18 points in 37 games in the regular season and playoffs following being acquired by the Oilers. This quickly led to him being signed to a lengthy extension, seven years with a $7M AAV.
The question marks only really arose during this past season. Walman dealt with multiple injuries, which were a major detriment to his performance, and he only played 53 regularseason games. He did still tally eight goals and 20 points, which at least matches his general scoring pace, though his impact on the ice was visibly limited.
Looking ahead to the 2026–27 season, Walman will be given a bigger role on the defence in Darnell Nurse’s absence. This will be a make-or-break moment for him. Can he maintain his scoring pace? Can he get and stay healthy enough to be a reliable member of the defensive corps? Although the early returns on this trade have been positive, making it a worthwhile addition for the team, Walman has many years remaining at a hefty price tag before a true evaluation can be made.
Pick #52 in the second round
On Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers will likely finally enter the draft when they select in the second round, at 52nd overall. This will be the third time in the past six seasons that the Oilers are poised to make a second-round pick, landing Beau Akey in 2023 and Eemil Vinni in 2024.
This will be an important pick as they look to find someone who was overlooked earlier on and could provide late first-round value to the organization. Will they be able to snag someone like that? We certainly hope so. Here are a few players that the team could target with this pick.
Adam Nemec, Forward, Sudbury Wolves, OHL
Adam Nemec is currently projected to be a second-round selection. The hope for the Oilers is that he is available at 52. Nemec, hailing from Slovakia, is the brother of New Jersey Devils defender Simon. He jumped over to Canada for part of the 2025–26 season, spending it with the Sudbury Wolves, where he had 35 points in 31 games. Not bad for a rookie just transitioning into the OHL.
Nemec is said to be a strong, active, two-way forward who can play a physical game. His engagement and drive give him an edge up on the ice; he is not afraid to play physical or play the role of a pest. The key to all of this is a strong work ethic, something that Stan Bowman and his front office are heavily targeting in the prospects they acquire. Although his upside may not be a superstar forward, his skillset should project well into a defensive-minded two-way forward who can assist with play creation.
Giorgos Pantelas, Defender, Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL
Giorgos Pantelas possesses a unique skillset as a fairly developed shutdown defender who is still in juniors. He is a workhorse, leading his team in ice time; he is a physical presence with strong defensive instincts, and his stick work is stellar for a player of his age. He clearly is going to be a capable defensive defender in the NHL.
The biggest question mark is going to be his offensive game. Although he can make smart plays offensively, and given his ability to defend against them, he very obviously understands that side of the game. However, his offensive impact and consistency are yet to show in his play. That seems minor in the grand scheme of developing a strong defender of his archetype. If the Oilers go for a defender, they may want one they know can be a bottom-four defender in the coming years.
Ethan MacKenzie, Defender, Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL
The Oilers should be very familiar with Ethan MacKenzie from his time with the Edmonton Oil Kings. MacKenzie is an overager, turning 20 in September, which is something that Bowman may be looking to target. A player who is closer to making an impact, further along in his development.
Although MacKenzie doesn’t seem to have a top-four ceiling, he has taken massive steps in his development this season to improve his motor and work ethic as he played a role as the top defender on a strong Oil Kings team. He grew enough this season to play on the World Juniors team, where he had five points in seven games.
MacKenzie seems to be developing a two-way game with strong transitional play, a skillset that should mesh well with the Oilers. They’ve needed better puck management and movement from the bottom pairing of their defence. MacKenzie, being an overager for this draft, could project to provide that to the team.
What the Oilers need from this pick
Quite frankly, any pick that has any return or value given back would be nice at this point. The Oilers are not a team that drafts well, historically, and the prospect pool needs more options and players to work with immediately. Given that the majority of the top prospects are already forwards, that may be an area for the Oilers to deprioritize.
However, simply getting prospects and players coming up through the system with NHL potential is a win, regardless of position. Given that Edmonton has specific needs in their forward group and prospect pool, like top-six wingers or bottom-six centres, for example, someone like Nemec at least fills one of those needs.
If the Oilers are drafting for need, they will probably look at a defender. Forwards are generally covered or easily attainable elsewhere (such as the influx of free agent forward prospects that they have acquired over the past year). And goalies are generally voodoo magic in terms of development. Moreover, it seems the team has a few good goalie prospects in Samuel Jonsson, Nathan Day, and the recently re-signed Connor Ungar. But again, anyone with NHL potential is a worthwhile pick at this point.
Pick #84 in the third round
By the third round, most draft boards have been thrown out the window. At this stage of a deep draft class, there is real upside to find with players who have fallen under the radar. Here are a couple of players the Oilers could target that might fit well in their prospect pool
Ola Palme, Defence, Växjö Lakers HC U20
The Oilers’ prospect pool on defence is weak. Drafting a defender like Ole Palme may help begin to remediate that. Palme may not stand out for flashy play, but his reliability and consistency are what make him an appealing pick in the third round. The aforementioned traits may be what keeps him hidden from most teams’ draft targets, as they get wooed by more standout players. But a calm, intelligent, reliable defender like Ole Palme is what the Oilers need.
He seems to be showing the potential of being a modern day NHL defender. With strong skating, agile movements, and intelligent decisions, he has the foundation built already with many of the traits he will need to succeed at the next level.
Becket Hamilton, Forward, Red Deer Rebels, WHL
The Oilers have been targeting certain types of players in the draft in recent years. The main trait they seem to be looking for is work ethic. Is the player they draft someone who possesses that motor? Are they a spark plug type of player? Will they battle physically and chase pucks?
Becket Hamilton does all of this. He is a strong two-way forward with solid instincts, albeit a bit raw and undeveloped. But the foundation of a good bottom-six forward is present, and the Oilers may want to target another player of that build in the third round of the upcoming draft.
Later rounds: Picks #180 and #212
This is where Bowman and his team’s scouting prowess can shine: the sixth and seventh rounds. It is unlikely that these players will become impactful at a high level. But the ability to turn some of these picks into NHLers or players that can be utilized in trades is incredibly important when building competitive teams.
The Oilers currently have one sixth and one seventh-round pick. Historically, Bowman has not found much in these rounds, with just Hinostroza and Louis Crevier having more than 100 games played in their careers.
Axel Brongel Larsson, Defence, Frolunda U20, J20-Sweden
Another bigger defender fitting a shutdown playertype is Axel Brongel Larsson. He has shown strong defensive instincts, skating, and physicality to become an intimidating defensive defender that could fill a role on the Oilers on a third pairing or as a penalty killer. His net front play could be intriguing to develop into a heavily relied on presence on the penalty kill. He is a project, however, as his overall play reading and hockey sense are limited and could hamper his development as he heads to the next levels.
Xavier Wendt, Goaltender, Tri-City Americans, WHL
It never hurts to add another goalie to the mix. And in these late rounds, the Oilers could and definitely should look at adding one. A possible option is Xavier Wendt, a goalie for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. He possesses a strong foundation to work from as a developing goalie. Solid skating, amazing instincts, and a great understanding of the fundamentals of his position. He may have some limitations to his game that will limit his ceiling, but someone with the brains and talents he already has could be an option for a diamond in the rough type of pick.
Stan Bowman’s draft history
Across his career as a general manager, Stan Bowman has had a reasonable amount of draft success. Although he has never really drafted much in the way of star players, he gets some success out of picks past the first round. Maybe not the most of anyone around, but definitely enough to make it possible he will find a late round gem.
The best players drafted by a Bowman-led team are Teuvo Teravainen, Alex Debrincat, Nick Schmaltz, and Brandon Saad. It does appear his later years in Chicago may have trailed off in draft quality, but some players still had success.
Bowman has also drafted well-known players like Kevin Hayes, Henri Jokiharju, Justin Holl, Andrew Shaw, Vinnie Hinostroza, Ryan Hartman, Philipp Kurashev, among others. Many of these picks with a few hundred NHL games were past the first round. And given his first draft with the Oilers landing potential gems like Tommy Lafreniere and David Lewandowski in the third and fourth rounds, there may be potential here for them to select an overlooked prospect this season.
Although this may be a side effect of being a general manager of a regular Stanley Cup contender or playoff team through his time in Chicago, Bowman has never really drafted many star or major impact players. The first-round picks he has made are quite hit-and-miss, the best of which is probably Teravainen. Bowman-led teams have had more success finding serviceable NHL players and depth pieces, which is probably more what the Oilers need now anyways.
The state of the pipeline
Recent seasons of trading picks and prospects away for experienced talent (or just letting nearly developed prospects walk for nothing) has led to a thin prospect pool, one of the worst in the league. The Oilers have next-to-no top-tier talent in their system, with a prospect pool led by Isaac Howard. Matt Savoie has graduated from prospect status after this season. Howard himself is barely a top prospect on most teams and usually falls around or below 50th in league-wide prospect ranking lists.
Despite the general weakness of the prospect pool, it is better than it was the year prior. Bowman and his team have done a great job at identifying older prospects with a chance to make an impact, and their talents were on display with the Bakersfield Condors all of last season. Howard had a stellar rookie season in the AHL with 50 points in 47 games. Quinn Hutson had 63 points in 67 games. Viljami Marjala had 60 points in 72 games. And Josh Samanski had 31 points in 45 games before spending the end of the season with the Oilers. These players may not project to be top line star players, but this level of production in the AHL suggests that they should be able to contribute to the Oilers in the coming years, potentially outperforming their prospect rankings.
The big question about the quality of the prospect pipeline is whether or not the team needs to worry about it. Does having a strong prospect pool help the Oilers win in their competitive window? Does it help them win during the rest of Connor McDavid’s contract?
The reality is that it does indirectly impact this. With no high-end prospects, it makes it necessary to find improvements externally, either free agents or trades. Free agents tend to be expensive and can hinder the cap situation. And making trades without high value prospects is more likely to need to include roster players and make it more difficult to improve.
Edmonton’s approach to its prospect pool will need reevaluation soon. For now, it is holding fine. The team doesn’t need to add more star players; they can rely on depth players working through the system. The tricky part is making improvements when they do not have much value in trade capital.
This draft could lead to success
Although the draft has taken a back seat in Oil Country in recent years, this is still bound to be an important day in the development of this team. This provides an opportunity for the front office to find some hidden value in later round picks that they cannot ignore or brush off.
It also gives them a chance to set the stage for the opening of free agency next week. If the suspected trade of Darnell Nurse happens during the draft, it completely changes what we should be expecting once July one rolls around.
If the Oilers can retain the few picks they have left, identify some good prospects that match the roles they need to fill in the organization (or that they project will outperform their draft rankings to create additional value in the future, whether it be for internal use or in trades), and sort out the cap situation for July 1, the weekend will be a success.
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