20 Things about the Oilers Draft History

The Edmonton Oilers have a new scouting director (Stu MacGregor) and a small sample under his direction. Still, there are indications that the "MBS" is going to be his own man at the draft table. Below are Oiler draft trends--both old and new--that may have some application at this year's draft. I think it is worth looking back to see if we can predict the future.When they selected Alex Plante in the first round in 2007, it marked the first time a defenseman had been drafted by the Oilers in that round since Mathieu Descoteaux in 1996. In both seasons, the defenseman was the second player taken in the round (Boyd Devereaux in '96, Sam Gagner in '07). What can we learn from it? I think the Oilers will take a defenseman (my bet is Dylan McIlrath) should they trade up to the middle of the first round. The highest choice for the blue since Stu Macgregor took over was Troy Hesketh (#71) last season. Small sample size, but they need to stock the blueline with better ...