Oilers sign son of former first overall draft pick

Moments ago, the Edmonton Oilers announced that they have signed forward James Stefan, the son of the former first overall draft pick in 1999, Patrik Stefan.

Stefan went undrafted in both the WHL and NHL. Now 20 years old, Stefan had an eye-turning year with the WHL's Portland Winterhawks, lighting the scoresheet on fire with 48 goals and 99 points in 64 games. According to several reports, there were 6-8 teams vying to sign Stefan before he decided on the Oilers.




It's an exciting add to the Oilers forward prospects on the wing. Stefan clearly has elite offensive abilities, and if he can continue to develop them and succeed while brought to higher levels, he'll become an even more interesting prospect.

Of course, a story with James will be his father, Patrik Stefan - widely considered to be one of the biggest draft busts in NHL history. Patrik Stefan was selected first overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999, and only went on to play 455 games. Traded to Dallas after six seasons with the Thrashers, he only played 41 games before he was out of the league entirely. One of the last plays he made in the league was a famously horrible empty net miss against the Oilers.


It's an exciting addition to the Oilers prospect depth at this point, and will certainly be a story to follow as we track his development and potential rise to the NHL.