2008 NHL Season Preview: Edmonton Oilers Love Their Crop of Kids

When the Edmonton Oilers entered Scotiabank Place in Ottawa for the 2008 Entry Draft, they didn't expect much. The Oilers only had 5 picks in the draft, but knew who they were looking for. With the number 22^nd pick overall, the Oilers nabbed Jordan Eberle before leaving Canada's capital. Eberle joins a good crop of youngsters for the Oilers including young gun Sam Gagner, who put up impressive numbers last season with 49 points in 79 games as an 18 year old.

Eberle played with number one overall choice in 2008 Steve Stamkos when they both played for team Canada in the Under-18 tournament last year. Eberle also put up 42 goals for the Regina Pats of the WHL last season. The Oilers have solid offense but no one single goal scorer, Eberle could be that pure goal scorer.

The next prospect is Riley Nash. Nash finished his first season with Cornell University last season strong with 32 points in 36 games. Nash continues to make strides at the college level, and look for his size and skill to increase as time goes by as well. There could be a chance that Nash could make the cut this season if his training camp goes well.

Rob Shremp is one of the most exciting minor league players to watch. He has great skill with the puck and can do things in the shootout that most people can only dream of. All you need to do is youtube his name and a bunch of videos will come up of him doing ridiculous lacrosse style moves in the all-star game shootout. Shremp spent last season with Edmonton's minor league team in Springfield and put up impressive numbers with 23 goals and 53 assists. That many assist shows that Schremp not only can score, but will be a valuable playmaker for the Oilers in the future.

Although our next prospect suffered from injuries last season, the Oilers expect defensemen Alex Plante to play a major role in their back end in the future. Selected 14^th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the 6-foot-4 225 pounder is expected to return to juniors to give it another go next season. Hoping he remains healthy, the Oilers will have a solid defenseman to look forward too.

After three solid years at the University of North Dakota, Taylor Chorney has signed an entry level deal with the Oilers. Selected 36^th overall in the 2005 Entry Draft, Chorney skates with the heart and soul needed to be a NHL level player. Expect Chorney to start the 2008-2009 season in Springfield with the Oilers minor league club.

Arguably the most important position in hockey is in goal. Without a solid goaltender an NHL team has no chance at success. Devan Dubnyk hopes that his play for the AHL squad will earn him a spot in the big leagues in the future. Last season, Dubnyk spend his time playing with the Oilers ECHL team in Stockton where he went 24-11-7. Dubnyk will be the number one goalie in Springfield next season and hopes that his play will prove he is a worthwhile asset to the team.