2018 NHL Draft: Edmonton Oilers full seven-round mock draft

Third Round – No. 71: Riley Stotts (W)

Stotts got off to a slow start with the Swift Current Broncos, collecting just three points in 22 games. But a trade to the Calgary Hitmen re-ignited the forward. He went on to post 41 points in 47 games for the Hitmen. He didn’t have quite the jump of the aforementioned Liam Foudy, but he did go from 88th in the Central Scouting midterm rankings to 51st in the final rankings.

His point total with the Hitmen showed that he can produce when given an opportunity. He’s 6-foot-0 and 174 pounds, putting him right in the middle in terms of weight and size. He plays well in all three zones and is rarely caught out of position. He’s a good skater with a plus shot and plays hard on every shift.

While he’s reliable in every zone and does many things well, he doesn’t do anything at an elite level. That may limit his overall upside. Most scouts have him capped at being a third line player in his career. Given Edmonton’s lack of depth in their organization, they need as many capable bodies as they can get. Stotts may not have the ceiling of other prospects in this draft, but there’s not much risk with him either. At the very least, he’s going to have a solid NHL career as a depth forward.

When the Oilers have had a third round pick in previous years, they’ve typically gone with defense and goaltending. They need a capable forward to slot into their pipeline.