Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Oilersnation’s Summer 2025 Prospect Countdown – No. 8: Dalyn Wakely

Originally posted on Oilersnation | By Cam Lewis | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 6:25 PM ET

Welcome to Oilersnation’s Top Prospect Countdown for Summer 2025. This list profiles players and goaltenders under 25 years old who have played fewer than 25 NHL games.

Over five drafts during the Ken Holland era, the Edmonton Oilers selected just two skaters from the Ontario Hockey League, which is surprising given how much NHL talent the league produces. In their lone draft with CEO Jeff Jackson serving as acting general manager in 2024, the Oilers used four of their seven picks on OHL forwards.

One of those picks was Dalyn Wakely, finally selected in the sixth round after being passed over in two previous drafts. Wakely turned heads with a 104-point season in 2023-24 and is committed to the University of Massachusetts–Lowell for the fall.

Dalyn Wakely

Position: Centre

Shoots: Right

Nationality: Canada

Date of Birth: March 5, 2004

Drafted: 192nd overall in 2024

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 200 pounds

Via The Nation Network

The North Bay Battalion selected Wakely in the second round of the 2020 OHL Draft. After missing the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic, he scored 20 goals and 34 points in 67 games as a rookie in 2021-22. He followed that up with 30 goals and 49 points in 66 games in 2022-23 but was passed over in the NHL Draft for a second straight year.

Wakely broke out in 2023–24 while playing on North Bay’s top line, scoring 39 goals and 65 points in 66 regular-season games, good for third in OHL scoring. He followed that up with 23 points in 16 playoff games. Here’s what Elite Prospects had to say about him in their draft guide that summer:

Every team needs players like Wakely. He battles for pucks mercilessly, takes hits to make plays, and dishes out even more punishment than he takes. Around the net, he digs for pucks and creates space for his teammates by engaging as many defenders as possible. Along the boards, he throws reverse hits, rolls with contact, and attacks the middle.

Last off-season, the Battalion traded Wakely to the Barrie Colts, and his offensive production dipped in his final OHL campaign. He recorded 58 points in 55 games, third on the low-scoring Colts but well off the league leaders. In the playoffs, however, Wakely led the way with 24 points in 16 games for Barrie.

With the NCAA lifting its eligibility restrictions for CHL players starting in 2025-26, Wakely will join UMass–Lowell this fall. The Oilers hold his rights until next summer, so it won’t take long to find out whether he’s part of the organization’s long-term plans.

Wakely isn’t a typical NCAA prospect, as he’ll be among the first players to complete a full OHL career before heading to the college ranks. With the big club always on the lookout for bottom-six forwards who play his style, a strong freshman season at UMass–Lowell could put him in line for a pro deal with the Oilers.