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This is the fourth summer that we've done a Top 25 Under 25 for the Edmonton Oilers, but the first summer that hasn't seen a player added in one of the top five spots. That this is the case even though the Oilers selected Darnell Nurse with the seventh overall pick in June speaks very highly indeed of the best young players in the system, and with exactly zero players from the top twenty set to graduate based on age in the next year, the Summer 2014 list promises to be even better. I don't know if it'll happen this year, but sometime soon, this team is going to be very good, and it could last a good long while.
As for this year's list, things break into three tiers quite nicely. The first tier runs from first through ninth; not everyone has the nine players in the same order, but everyone agrees on the same nine guys except DB who dropped Oscar Klefbom to 11th. These are the team's best young players, and all of them would likely fetch something notable for the team via trade. Magnus Paajarvi, for example, would have been in this group, but the Oilers cashed him in for an established top-six player in David Perron.
The second tier runs from tenth through twentieth. Once again, the panelists don't agree on where these guys fit, but almost everyone agrees that these eleven players should hold these spots (the exceptions are Martin Gernat with one ranking of 9th and both Anton Slepyshev and Philip Larsen with one ranking of 21st). These eleven players are legitimate prospects, and one or two will probably turn out, but you wouldn't want to bet on any one of them in particular.
Lastly, we've got the longshots, which is everyone ranked 21st or lower. Some of these guys have a better shot at making it than others, but I'd probably set the over/under for above-average NHL players at one (and that might be optimistic).
The chart below shows each writer's individual rankings as well as the overall list. The columns are sortable; just click on the name on the top of the column that you'd like to see and you're ready to go.
Overall | Player | AH | Ben | Bruce | DB | DZ | JW | MP | RB | SR |
1 | Taylor Hall | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2 | Nail Yakupov | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
3 | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 (Tie) |
2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
4 | Jordan Eberle |
5 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
Justin Schultz |
4 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
6 |
6 | Sam Gagner | 6 | 4 | 6 |
7 |
5 (Tie) |
7 |
6 | 6 |
7 |
7 | Darnell Nurse |
8 |
7 |
8 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
8 |
5 |
8 | Oscar Klefbom |
7 |
9 |
7 | 11 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
9 | Martin Marincin |
9 |
8 | 9 | 8 |
9 |
9 |
9 | 9 |
9 |
10 | Martin Gernat | 14 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
11 |
11 | Teemu Hartikainen | 13 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
12 | Jujhar Khaira | 10 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 13 | 16 |
13 | Dillon Simpson | 11 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 10 | 10 |
14 | Anton Lander | 15 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 14 |
15 | Marc-Olivier Roy |
16 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 18 |
16 | Toni Rajala | 12 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
20 |
20 |
19 |
17 | David Musil |
20 |
16 |
15 | 17 |
18 |
17 | 18 | 17 | 15 |
18 | Anton Slepyshev |
17 |
14 |
21 |
19 |
19 |
20 |
15 |
15 | 17 |
19 | Bogdan Yakimov | 19 |
20 |
20 |
18 |
17 | 19 | 19 |
18 |
12 |
20 | Philip Larsen |
18 |
18 |
18 |
20 |
21 |
16 |
14 |
19 |
20 |
21 | Brandon Davidson |
21 | 22 |
19 |
21 |
22 | 23 | 26 | 22 | 21 |
22 | Mark Arcobello | 22 |
24 |
22 |
24 |
24 |
21 | 27 |
23 |
23 |
23 | Erik Gustafsson | 23 | 21 | 26 |
23 |
23 |
27 | 25 | 26 | 22 |
24 | Olivier Roy |
25 |
26 | 29 | 22 | 27 | 29 | 21 | 21 | 25 |
25 | Tyler Pitlick | 27 | 23 | 23 |
32 |
29 |
31 |
24 | 24 |
27 |
26 | Jackson Houck | 26 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 27 | 39 |
27 | Andrew Miller | 24 | 29 | 24 | 25 | 32 |
22 |
30 |
29 |
30 |
28 | John McCarron | 32 | 33 |
31 |
26 |
20 |
33 |
35 |
30 | 29 |
29 | Daniil Zharkov |
30 |
28 |
28 |
29 | 25 |
40 |
28 | 25 | 37 |
30 | Greg Chase |
28 | 30 | 30 | 33 | 42 |
26 |
31 |
28 |
24 |
31 | Brad Hunt | 33 | 35 | 35 | 28 |
33 |
25 |
33 |
35 | 32 |
32 | Joey Laleggia |
29 |
38 | 39 |
35 |
31 | 32 |
36 |
37 | 28 |
33 | Lee Moffie | 35 |
40 |
42 |
31 | 28 | 38 | 32 |
31 |
31 |
34 | Kyle Platzer |
36 |
37 |
38 | 34 | 37 | 34 |
29 |
32 | 33 |
35 | Frans Tuohimaa | 31 |
27 |
40 |
38 | 35 |
30 |
43 |
43 |
26 |
36 | Travis Ewanyk |
40 |
34 |
34 |
46 |
34 |
41 |
22 |
33 |
35 |
37 | Mitch Moroz | 38 | 36 |
25 |
44 |
44 |
28 |
34 | 36 |
36 |
38 | Tyler Bunz | 34 | 32 | 36 | 30 |
38 |
44 | 37 | 34 | 38 |
39 | Curtis Hamilton | 39 | 31 | 32 | 36 | 30 | 37 | 41 | 39 | 43 |
40 | Ryan Martindale | 41 | 39 | 41 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 38 | 38 | 45 |
41 | Kale Kessy |
42 | 41 | 33 | 39 | 45 | 39 | 40 | 42 | 34 |
42 | Aidan Muir |
43 | 46 | 37 |
41 |
39 |
43 |
39 |
40 |
40 |
43 | Evan Campbell |
37 |
44 | 43 |
40 |
40 | 35 | 45 | 44 | 44 |
44 | Ben Betker |
45 | 47 |
44 |
42 |
41 |
42 |
42 | 41 |
41 |
45 | Kellen Jones |
44 | 45 |
46 |
43 |
43 |
46 |
46 | 45 |
42 |
46 | Antti Tyrvainen |
46 | 42 |
45 |
45 |
46 | 45 | 44 | 46 | 46 |
47 | Cameron Abney | 47 | 43 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 |
As always, I'm interested in hearing about where you think any one of us went wrong, and to get that conversation started, I'll list a few of the more distinctive rankings from each of our panelists.
Notables Inside the Top 25:
Alan: Andrew Miller (24)
Ben: Jackson Houck (25)
Bruce: Andrew Miller (24), Mitch Moroz (25)
DB: Andrew Miller (25)
Derek: John McCarron (20), Daniil Zharkov (25)
Jon: Andrew Miller (22), Jackson Houck (24), Brad Hunt (25)
Michael: Travis Ewanyk (22), Jackson Houck (23)
Ryan: Daniil Zharkov (25)
Scott: Greg Chase (24)
Notables Outside the Top 25:
Alan: Tyler Pitlick (27)
Ben: Olivier Roy (26)
Bruce: Erik Gustafsson (26), Olivier Roy (29)
DB: Tyler Pitlick (32)
Derek: Olivier Roy (27), Tyler Pitlick (29)
Jon: Erik Gustafsson (27), Olivier Roy (29), Tyler Pitlick (31)
Michael: Brandon Davidson (26), Mark Arcobello (27),
Ryan: Erik Gustafsson (26),
Scott: Tyler Pitlick (27)
"Interesting" Rankings:
Alan: Toni Rajala (12) and Martin Gernat (14)
Ben: Sam Gagner (4) and Cameron Abney (43)
Bruce: Anton Slepyshev (21) and Mitch Moroz (25)
DB: Martin Gernat (9) and Oscar Klefbom (11)
Derek: The Top Seven and John McCarron (20)
Jon: Brad Hunt (25) and Daniil Zharkov (40)
Michael: Philip Larsen (14) and Travis Ewanyk (22)
Ryan: Justin Schultz (3) and Frans Tuohimaa (43)
Scott: Darnell Nurse (5) and Jackson Houck (39)
Check out the complete Top 25 Under 25 Analysis in our