Oilers 7th round draft pick steal rises in new prospect rankings
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
Edmonton Oilers prospect William Nicholl is continuing to rise in prospect rankings after being considered a long shot pick just last year.
The Oilers selected Nicholl in the 7th round of the 2024 NHL draft, a left shot centreman from the OHL's London Knights. Right after being drafted, Nicholl took a huge leap forward as a player.
Oilers prospect William Nicholl ranked team's 7th best prospect one year after draft
Just one year after being drafted in the 7th round, Nicholl has surpassed numerous higher profile prospects to be ranked the team's 7th best prospect by analysts at OilersNation.
Nicholl is a forward who shows unrelenting pace, textbook details, and flashes of high-level offence. He wins body positioning on everyone in every situation: Net front, along the boards, on the backcheck, on random opponents in open ice. His physical skills enable him to beat defenders off the wall, get inside, and fire off chances.
- OilersNation
- OilersNation
In his draft year with the London Knights, Nicholl didn't show much with only 20 points in 65 games with a minor role on his team. Then he began to breakout in the playoffs, scoring 8 points in 18 games and becoming a key player.
The Oilers drafted him hoping that could be his ceiling, and he proved them right this year. Earlier this year, NHL analysts identified Nicholl as an early steal from the 2024 draft.
Still just 19 years old, last season Nicholl shot up to 57 points in 66 games, and kept up his strong two way play as well. Oilers prospect analyst Bruce Curlock has been incredibly high on his development.
Nicholl will now return for a third season with the London Knights, and if he can take another step to dominate the competition as an older player, he'll move up even more on the prospect rankings and start to grab the attention of the NHL club for an entry-level contract.
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