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Our annual countdown of the Oilers’ Top 25 Under 25 is set to kick off this Tuesday. Here’s a short list of those who were very close, but didn’t make the cut.
#30: MAXIM BEREZKIN (5th round 2020 NHL Draft)
| Shona | Corey | Matt | Preston | Jeff | Pouzar | OVERALL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAXIM BEREZKIN | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 32 | 26 | 30 |
The recently turned 19 year old Berezkin was this year’s fifth round selection for the Oilers. The winger had a successful 2019-20 which saw him post 54 points in 51 games with Loko Yaroslavl. He’ll have plenty of chances to ascend the top 25 list in the coming years.
#29: THOMAS MAZURA (6th round 2019 NHL Entry Draft)
| Shona | Corey | Matt | Preston | Jeff | Pouzar | OVERALL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOMAS MAZURA | 30 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 30 |
Czech native and left shot centre who finished last season as the leading scorer of Kimball Prep (USHS). Is currently on loan to the under 20 league in Finland, he will begin his NCAA career with Providence in 2021-22.
#28: PATRICK SIIKANEN (7th round 2018 NHL Entry Draft)
| Shona | Corey | Matt | Preston | Jeff | Pouzar | OVERALL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PATRIK SIIKANEN | 28 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 25 | 34 | 28 |
2018 seventh round selection from Finland is now in his first full year with Jyväskylä in Finland’s top hockey league. Siikanen can play centre or wing. Was selected by the Oilers after seventeen points in 24 games in Junior.
#27: MATEJ BLUMEL (4th round 2019 NHL Entry Draft)
| Shona | Corey | Matt | Preston | Jeff | Pouzar | OVERALL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MATEJ BLUMEL | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 30 | 34 | 27 |
Blumel was selected midway through the 2019 entry draft after averaging over a point per game in the USHL. A winger that can play on either side, Blumel was a participant in last year’s World Juniors for the Czech Republic. Blumel has four assists in eight games so far for HC Dynamo in the Czech league.
#26: DYLAN WELLS (5th round 2016 NHL Entry Draft)
| Shona | Corey | Matt | Preston | Jeff | Pouzar | OVERALL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DYLAN WELLS | 23 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 23 | 31 | 26 |
Dylan Wells has split the last two seasons between Bakersfield (AHL) and Wichita (ECHL), and he’s the only player in this short list that is under contract with the club. 2020-21 is a contract year for Wells, who will look to have an impact season after his numbers dipped a bit this past season.
The first installment of our Top 25 begins on Tuesday.
Join us as we count down every prospect all the way to number one.