Major Issues Arise for The Organization As The 2023 Draft Arrives

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Joshua Deeds
June 5, 2023 (1:26)

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In 2015, the Edmonton Oilers chose Connor McDavid as their first overall pick from the Eerie Otters. Before McDavid arrived, the team lacked a top-tier center, but he has since become the face of the franchise.

Tyler Wright, the director of player personnel and amateur scouting, is responsible for identifying new talent.

The Oilers have used draft picks on OHL players just once since Tyler Wright arrived as director of amateur scouting. Is there a reason? Is it because, as general manager Ken Holland stated recently, the Oilers have no OHL area scout?

It seems logical that the Oilers would use or hire their own talent to scout the league, given that Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid, and Taylor Hall all came from the OHL.

However, as the 2023 season approaches, it appears that Tyler Wright has not corrected course, which could be detrimental to the team's prospect pipeline.

Prior to Ken Holland's tenure, the Oilers had a 45% success rate with 11 picks, five of which were from the OHL. Notable players like Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard, Ryan McLeod, Dmitri Samorukov, and Markus Niemelainen were all drafted from the league.

However, over the past three drafts, the team has avoided the OHL. With multiple eyes on talent in the league, it's time for Ken Holland and Tyler Wright to make a course correction and consider prospects from the OHL in this year's draft.