Edmonton Oilers 2007 Draft Thread

[UTMCretin]

At this point, there's really nothing else to look forward to, so we may as well look to the draft as the next big event for the Oilers (woo). Because Chicago couldn't hold a third period lead over the Stars, the Oilers will be 6th going into the lottery. This gives us a 6.2% chance at winning the lottery and moving into, at most, the 2nd spot in the draft.

As it currently stands, according to ISS:
1. Jakub Voracek
2. Patrick Kane
3. Alexei Cherepanov
4. Kyle Turris
5. James van Riemsdyk
6. Karl Alzner
7. Sam Gagner
8. Maxim Mayorov
9. Keaton Ellerby
10. Logan Couture
11. Angelo Esposito
12. Colton Gillies
13. Nick Petrecki
14. Joakim Andersson
15. Alex Plante

If the Islanders win today and move into the 8th spot in the East, we will have the 15th pick in the draft. If they lose, we get the 12th pick. Tie and we get the 13th pick. (EDIT: The Islanders won so we got #15) We also currently have Anaheim's pick, which is subject to change due to playoff arrangements.

So who should we take with the #6 pick? The Islanders pick? Anaheim's? Or would we be better off packaging them in a deal for an established star?

[UTMCretin]

McKeens Top 10:
1. Patrick Kane
2. Kyle Turris
3. Alexei Cherepanov
4. Karl Alzner
5. Logan Couture
6. James van Riemsdyk
7. Jakub Voracek
8. Brandon Sutter
9. Sam Gagner
10. Keaton Ellerby

Redline Top 10:
1. Patrick Kane
2. Jakub Voracek
3. Kyle Turris
4. Karl Alzner
5. James van Riemsdyk
6. Logan Couture
7. Sam Gagner
8. Angelo Esposito
9. Alexei Cherepanov
10. Mark Katic

[Freeway]

Looks like we will have a legit shot at Esposito. But i doubt he will be contributing any time soon

[UTMCretin]

Esposito should definitely be around at #6, so there's no worries there. His stock has really fallen considering he was #1 (among North Americans) as recent as January. Not sure what the deal is there, but he's turned into this year's Phil Kessel

[peteXmaravich]

right now, id be fine with Alzner if he makes it to 6.
Solid size and is definitely around the 4-6 average on most peoples top 10's.

[Freeway]

Esposito should definitely be around at #6, so there's no worries there. His stock has really fallen considering he was #1 (among North Americans) as recent as January. Not sure what the deal is there, but he's turned into this year's Phil Kessel

Yah as i recal he was ranked number 1 before world jrs occured.

Then he got cut and his name slowly drifted off for reason i am unaware of. Most likley do to a weak season performance.

I really just want some rookie to come and produce and not have to rot away in are farm teams. Alot of are previous draft picks come in all hyped and never turn out to what we expected after staying in Juniors for a few years

[UTMCretin]

Well, after looking into it, Esposito has dropped because of two things mainly: a somewhat lackluster season in which he's been accused of regressing, and a tag as a lazy player with a poor attitude (kind of like Schremp ). I also found this, which is a rebuke to the criticism Esposito has received recently.

Myth Busters: Angelo Esposito Edition


1. He has a poor attitude.

In a situation similar to that of the Rob Schremp/Ice Dogs debacle, Esposito brought a great deal of hatred upon himself as a 16 year-old when he stated he was going the NCAA route. In reality, the QMJHL was his choice all along, but he wanted only to play for the Remparts, a non-lottery team. Q GMs steered clear of Esposito in the first round as they believed him, allowing the Remparts to select him with a freshly acquired pick.

Some NHL people are obviously going to hate on him forever and ever amen because of that, claiming he's a precocious so and so. So what if he wanted to play for his favorite team? He gamed the system to assure that, and that doesn't mean he's going to be a locker room cancer the rest of his career.

One only needs to look at last season to see how false this myth is: Esposito was captain of not only one, but TWO Team Canada entries (World U17s, World U18s). And guess which team happened to win Gold both times?

2. His numbers indicate he's a failure/has regressed/is a bust

The 2005-06 was anomaly, and not only for Esposito. Every North American league that adopted the new rules experienced a jolt in scoring. Now, in 2006-07, teams have become accustomed to things and are scoring nowhere near the inflated totals they did last year.

As a result, it should come as no surprise that Esposito's totals have fallen off. But there are a great deal of people who have ignored that. There's also the matter of how his 79 points in 60 games stack up against his peers.

Fact: Esposito had the 2nd-highest point total among first-time QMJHL eligible forwards (Jakub Voracek was the highest). If you're going to call him a bust this early based only on his numbers, everyone besides Voracek must be as well.

3. He lacks drive/motivation/is lazy/won't go into traffic

Closely related to Myth #1, one of the 'obvious' explanations for Esposito's apparent regression is that he's just a lazy coaster who is finally being exposed for the player he's always been- a perimeter player who got by on talent alone.

Well, in 2006-07, Angelo Esposito gave out 72 hits, a total that puts him squarely in the top 50 among forwards. And when looking only at the league's leading point-getters, only five players had a better ratio of hits to points. And in the playoffs, Esposito put it up a notch, distributing 11 hits in just five games, the second-highest Quebec total.

4. He doesn't show up when it matters

Another common criticism of Esposito's is that his points are primarily scored in meaningless situations, something that runs back to his 16 year-old season when he had an underwhelming postseason.

But looking at some statistics, we can solidly put to bed this notion that Esposito disappears with the game on the line.

60%- That's Esposito's shootout success percentage, highest on the Remparts among players with more than one shootout attempt.

4 goals- Esposito finished tied for first in playoff goals for the Remparts.

7 points- The 2nd-most on Quebec in the post-season.


So, there you have it. The four biggest myths about Angelo Esposito, at the very least countered with tangible facts.

Now, does this mean he's perfect? Absolutely not. There are things Esposito must work on, as with all prospects. A perfectly legitimate concern is his lack of muscle. However, that's not insurmountable, and neither is pro success. In fact, he's a lot closer than most will give him credit for.

[UTMCretin]

Its official: The Oilers draft 6th

1st pick goes to the Blackhawks, whose odds we would have had, had we not beaten Calgary. Super

[moose man]

If I were the Oilers I'd take Karl Alzner. Im from Calgary and have watched this kid play a ton of games. He is very talented. Good skater, passer, hes physical and can play well in his own end. Once he gets to the league he will be a very good defenseman. And who knows maybe Esposito could fall to you guys at 15, its certainly not impossible.

[UTMCretin]

Well I'm not too big on Esposito at this point, so its no real loss if he, as expected, goes before 15. The only way I would really want Esposito would be if we take Alzner with that #6 pick (which we probably should if he's available and all major forwards are off the board). Voracek, Turris, Cherepanov and Kane are still above Alzner on my board at this point because the Oil are desperate for some offense. Defense too, but we're not 30th in the league in goals allowed

[UTMCretin]

Final ISS Rankings


1. Patrick Kane
2. James Van Riemsdyk
3. Kyle Turris
4. Alexei Cherepanov
5. Jakub Voracek
6. Karl Alzner
7. Sam Gagner
8. Maxim Mayorov
9. Keaton Ellerby
10. Mikael Backlund
11. Angelo Esposito
12. Colton Gillies
13. Logan Couture
14. Nick Petrecki
15. David Perron

[UTMCretin]

1st Round Picks

6th: Sam Gagner
15th: Alex Plante
21st: Riley Nash

I so despise this organization

[Crowned]

1st Round Picks

6th: Sam Gagner
15th: Alex Plante
21st: Riley Nash

I so despise this organization

Sam Gagner may end up being the best player to come out of this draft. At this point, I'm higher on him than everyone but Kane.

[UTMCretin]

-= original quote snipped =-




Sam Gagner may end up being the best player to come out of this draft. At this point, I'm higher on him than everyone but Kane.

Nothing against Gagner intended, as he does look really skilled and he performed extremely well at the Canada-Russia series. The sky's the limit for him. Its the rest of the draft I wasn't enthused about