Diamond in the rough found by the Edmonton Oilers in the 7th round of the last NHL Draft?
The Edmonton Oilers made a surprising draft selection last season by selecting William Nicholl with their 7th-round pick in the NHL Draft.
He has now been recognized as one of the top steals of the entire 2024 draft and Nicholl is already impressing Oilers' analysts this season.
Excellent pick by the Edmonton Oilers last year
The Oilers found a diamond in the rough with Nicholl in the seventh round and Daily Faceoff ranked him fifth in their late-round draft steals from last season.
- Daily Faceoff
Given that he was one of the last picks in the draft, there's a lot to like about Nicholl, and we believe he will push his way up the Oilers' depth chart as the season advances.
He was initially known more for his play without the puck, but Will Nicholl has also been taking some steps ahead on the offensive side.
During the season the Oilers drafted Nicholl, he only scored 6 goals and 20 points in 65 games because of the London Knights stacked team, but he has now more opportunities, and he had huge improvements in his puck skills which have now brought William Nicholl's points to almost one in each game.
His defensive play remains his game's strength, but the increase of points scored is the most significant development as of now this year.
If Nicholl continues to show this type of progression then he will be a player to watch as he moves through the Oilers system in the coming years.
Early signs indicate that Edmonton may have found a promising player very late in the draft and it's always a good thing to watch a kid being drafted this late being labelled as a steal.
