Edmonton Oilers make controversial draft pick with third selection
The Edmonton Oilers didn't have many picks to use in this year's draft, but the picks they did use were very surprising to fans - especially their third pick in the fifth round.
In the fifth round, the Oilers selected Connor Clattenburg, an overage player from the OHL's Flint Firebirds. Clattenburg scored only 13 goals and 29 points in 60 junior games, a scoring rate that has almost never translated to the NHL.
Other than pure enforcers, only David Clarkson has ever made the NHL while producing at Clattenburg's rate. Any other pick in the fifth round is realistically a lottery ticket, but there were other players on the board, and it doesn't seem that Clattenburg was on anyone else's radar. Clattenburg does however use his size of 6'2 and 200 pounds to play a physical game. In his 60 games, Clattenburg racked up 79 Penalty Minutes.
Seemingly with a profile that many don't project will translate to the NHL, plenty of fans went online to raise their concerns for this pick.
When a team goes way off the board to select a player at the draft, it's clear that their scouting department has identified something with the player that they believe is worth the pick, and despite Clattenburg's stats, that will still be true. The Oilers traded into the first round at the last minute last night to select Sam O'Reilly as well, showing their belief that he could be a great value pick.
Overall, scouting analysts are saying the Oilers did the best they could with their limited draft capital. Clattenburg certainly seems to be the outlier, but even then, fans can hope for a surprise if he can develop into an NHLer.
Source: Jonathan Willis
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Oilers should've taken Clattenburg with the third selection? | ||
| Yes, trust the scouts | 153 | 41.4 % |
| No, he wasn't the best player available | 170 | 45.9 % |
| See Results | 47 | 12.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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