2024 Oilers Draft Picks: What We Learned From Development Camp – Hockey Writers – Oilers Prospects

The Edmonton Oilers recently held their 2024 Development Camp, bringing together 17 prospects for three days in Alberta. Six of Edmonton’s seven picks in the 2024 NHL Draft were there: Sam O’Reilly (No. 32 overall pick), Connor Clattenburg (No. 160), Albin Sundin (No. 183), Dalyn Wakely (No. 192), William Nicholl (No. 196), and Bauer Berry (No. 218). Only netminder Eemil Vinni (No. 64) was absent.

Related: Edmonton Oilers: 2024 Development Camp Recap

For the new Oilers, Development Camp provided their first chance to see Rogers Place. And for Oilers fans, it provided the first opportunity to get to know the members of Edmonton’s 2024 Draft Class, whose names were largely unknown in Oil Country until less than two weeks ago.

During Development Camp, each of the Oilers’ 2024 draft picks spoke to the media. Here’s the most interesting thing we learned about each:

O’Reilly Has a Unique Nickname

While hockey nicknames are known for being unrealistic, usually just based on a player’s last name ending in a suffix like “er” or “ie”, London Knights forward O’Reilly has a relatively unique moniker: everyone calls him “Peanut” .

O’Reilly was given that name when he first moved to London and former Knights defenseman Logan Mailloux, a 2021 draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, discovered that O’Reilly was allergic to peanuts.

“He immediately caught on to that, and came up with that nickname,” O’Reilly said. “Since then I have never been called Sam. It just stuck, so I’m happy with it.”

Clattenburg was originally going to Camp Kings

This was the second year of draft eligibility for Clattenburg, who was not selected in 2023, and there was no guarantee he would hear his name called again this year. So ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft, the forwards of the Flint Firebirds have accepted an invitation to attend the Los Angeles Kings’ Development Camp from July 1-3.

Clattenburg, originally from Ottawa, was actually at the Toronto airport on June 29, waiting to board a flight to California when he found out the Oilers had taken him in the fifth round.

“I had to take all my gear off the plane and ended up going back to Ottawa to come (to Edmonton),” Clattenburg said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Sundin’s father wants to focus on his son

Swedish defenseman Sundin grew up in the shadow of his father Ronnie Sundin, a hockey legend in his country. Ronnie is a full-time player for Frolunda HC, one of the top clubs in Swedish pro hockey. Albin made his debut for Frolunda HC aged 18 in 2022-23, and played 18 games for the club last season.

In 2006, Ronnie helped Sweden win its second Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey, but Albin doesn’t really talk to his father about what happened at the Turin Winter Games. “My father wants me not to focus on him and other people talking about him,” explained Albin. “You want me to have my own job.”

Wakely’s Parents Defeated During the Draft

June 29 was the day dreams finally came true for Wakely, who was not selected in the first two years of eligibility for the NHL Draft in 2022 and 2023.

And when the Oilers called his name in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, it was clear how much everything affected his mother and father. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen them cry,” says the North Bay Battalion striker, before that moment.

“It’s been a long time coming, and I’m thinking about them,” said Wakely, who is 20 years old. “I think it’s probably going to put less pressure on them than it would have on me because they want to see me happy and achieve my goals, so I think it was a big relief for all of us one day, and I can’t thank them enough for their support. They’re amazing, and they’ve done everything to get me to this point, so they’re the best.”

Nicholl Believes Oilers Have Top 2 NHL Players

Oilers captain Connor McDavid arguably ranks as the best player in hockey today. But No. 2 on that list depends on who you ask, and could be any number of eligible players, including Oilers center Leon Draisaitl.

When asked what it’s like to be on the same court that McDavid and Draisaitl call home, Knights forward Nicholl made his opinion clear.

McDavid and Draisaitl are “two of the best hockey players in the world, right?” Nicholl said with a big smile. “They’re two guys that I’ve been watching my whole life and looking forward to my whole life, so to be here knowing that they live here too is unbelievable.”

Berry Comes From a Family of Oilers Fans

Berry’s father, former NHLer Brad Berry, is from Bashaw, a town in central Alberta about an hour and a half’s drive from Edmonton. While Beau grew up in North Dakota, the Berrys still have a lot of family in Bashaw, and they’re all big Oilers fans, he says.

So it’s no surprise to learn that Beau owns a lot of Oilers gear, including McDavid’s jersey, which he acquired during the Oilers’ incredible run through the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I actually got it in the third round series from my dad’s best friend at Bashaw,” Beau said, “and I’m pretty sure I’m going to get drafted (a few weeks) later here.”

It won’t be long before the newest members of the Oilers family get to know more about Edmonton, and Oil Country gets to know more about them: Rookie Camp will begin in September.