Over the years, the Edmonton Oilers have enjoyed their share of fortune and disappointment at the NHL Draft. At some drafts, they have had tremendous luck, selecting promising players who would be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. In other cases, they fell flat, failing to select a single player who would don an Oilers jersey at the NHL level.
While drafting is, at best, an educated guess, there’s no question that some draft years have proven more fruitful than others. Here’s a look at the Oilers’ five most successful NHL Drafts and how they influenced the team’s success for years to come.
#5: 2011 NHL Draft
Amid the rebuilding process, Edmonton held the first-overall choice in the 2011 NHL Draft. With a handful of forwards and only a few promising defencemen available, the organization nabbed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins from the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels.
More than a decade later, it’s safe to say the Oilers were smart to select the Burnaby, BC native, as his consistent two-way play has been crucial to the team’s success in recent years. While his offensive outputs haven’t been overwhelming, aside from his shocking 104-point season in 2022-23, his stability and leadership throughout his career can’t be understated. Signed to a long-term contract, he will likely spend the rest of his career in Edmonton, and for good reason.
With their second choice in the first round, the Oilers nabbed Swedish defenceman Oscar Klefbom at 19th overall. Although he only played 378 career games, all with Edmonton, his impact on the team was immense. Known for his booming slapshot and detailed defensive game, he showed incredible ability and promise as they aimed to put an end to their ongoing rebuild.
Unfortunately, a shoulder injury forced him from the ice during the 2019-20 campaign, and he retired in August 2024. Averaging well over 20 minutes of ice time per game, his loss left a hole in the lineup, and Edmonton has been searching for a defender of his well-rounded skill set ever since.
#4: 2015 NHL Draft
In 2015, the perennially poor Oilers had the opportunity to draft one of the most promising players in recent history, and that’s exactly what they did. Nabbing Connor McDavid was a no-brainer and immediately pointed Edmonton in the right direction. For the sake of time, we won’t detail each of McDavid’s accomplishments. We know he’ll be remembered as one of the best players to ever play the game. If he can lead the Oilers to a Stanley Cup, his legacy will be secured.
McDavid alone made the 2015 NHL Draft one of the five greatest in Oilers history. However, the team also nabbed Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear in later rounds, although neither ever secured a full-time role on the roster. Of the two, Bear showed promise at the NHL level but was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes after just 132 games with the team. Edmonton also drafted John Marino in the sixth round, but he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins before ever appearing in a game for the Oilers.
#3: 1981 NHL Draft
In the 1981 NHL Draft, the Oilers were looking for a goaltender capable of leading them to multiple championships, and they didn’t have to wait long, as the team drafted Grant Fuhr with the eighth overall selection.
Known for his electrifying style of play, Fuhr helped lead the Oilers to four Stanley Cups during the 1980s on his road to the Hockey Hall of Fame. In ten years in Edmonton, he earned 226 wins and was awarded the Vezina Trophy in 1987-88 as the NHL’s top goaltender. That same year, the native of Spruce Grove, Alberta, was crucial to his team’s playoff success. During their charge to another Stanley Cup, he assembled a sparkling 16-2 record and was named runner-up for the Hart Trophy.
In addition to Fuhr, the Oilers also drafted Steve Smith in the sixth round, 111th overall. A veteran of seven seasons with the club, he was a sturdy and consistent defenceman who contributed at both ends of the ice. Although his time with the Oilers was somewhat short, he helped the team to three Stanley Cups and wasn’t afraid to drop the gloves when needed.
#2: 1980 NHL Draft
The Oilers added two Hall of Famers in the 1980 NHL Draft. In the first round, Edmonton selected Paul Coffey sixth overall. Although he played for eight teams across his NHL career, his best years were with the Oilers. In 532 games, the Weston, Ontario, native recorded 669 points and won two Norris Trophies. A three-time Stanley Cup champion with Edmonton, Coffey’s electrifying offensive abilities made him one of the NHL’s best defencemen for almost two decades.
Related: The Greatest Draft in Edmonton Oilers History: 1979 or 1980?
In the fourth round of the draft, Edmonton selected Jari Kurri, 69th overall. He won five Stanley Cups during his time with the Oilers and also received the Lady Byng Trophy in 1984-85 as the NHL’s most sportsmanlike player. A deadly goal-scorer, the native of Helsinki, Finland, scored 474 goals with Edmonton and an incredible 1,043 points in 754 games.
Between the 1980 and 1981 NHL Drafts, the Oilers acquired a slew of future Hall of Fame talent who played substantial roles with the team for the better part of a decade. Added to that, the 1979 NHL Draft was also a success.
#1: 1979 NHL Draft
At the 1979 NHL Draft, the Oilers selected a jaw-dropping three Hall of Fame players with consecutive selections. In the first round, the team nabbed Kevin Lowe, 21st overall, who played more than 1,200 games in his NHL career and was an invaluable defenceman who helped lead Edmonton to five championships during the 1980s.
In the third round, the Oilers selected Mark Messier 48th overall. A veteran of more than 1,700 NHL games, he was crucial to Edmonton’s storied success during the 1980s and collected multiple individual awards, including the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1983-84.
Finally, the team nabbed Glenn Anderson in the fourth round, 69th overall. Like Lowe and Messier, his contributions during his time in Edmonton were immense as a key member of the team during all five Stanley Cup runs. His ability to score timely goals, as well as provide consistent offence in the playoffs, was crucial.
In just three years, the Oilers added six future Hall of Famers to their lineup and, in doing so, laid the foundation for their incredible success throughout the 1980s.
Which Oilers Draft Class is Best?
There’s little doubt that the 1979 NHL Draft provided Edmonton with its most promising and successful class of prospects. Drafting not one, not two, but three future Hall of Fame players in a single NHL Draft with consecutive selections is unheard of. Lowe, Messier, and Anderson were crucial to Edmonton’s incredible success during the 1980s and afforded the team a foundation of excellence for over a decade. The 2015 NHL Draft will be remembered because of McDavid, especially if he can will his team to a Stanley Cup championship, but until that happens, Edmonton’s 1979 NHL Draft remains the greatest in franchise history.
