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Seems like as good a time as any to start the anticipation. The Oilers lost their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks in the Penner acquisition last year, so we'll have to make do with Anaheim's 1st rounder from the Pronger trade, which is 22nd overall. Featured below are some rankings of the current available prospects, and, as the season ends and the draft positions finalize, it will be updated to include mock drafts and other articles in order to gain a better perception of how the draft might go.

2008 ISS Rankings: (as of June 12)

1. Stamkos, Steven C 5.11 176 R 2/4/90 Sarnia (OHL)
2. Bogosian, Zach RD 6.02 197 R 7/15/90 Peterborough (OHL)
3. Filatov, Nikita LW 6.00 165 L 5/25/90 Moscow CSKA-2 (RusDi)
4. Doughty, Drew RD 6.00 219 R 12/8/89 Guelph (OHL)
5. Pietrangelo, Alex RD 6.03 206 R 1/18/90 Niagara (OHL)
6. Schenn, Luke RD 6.02 216 R 11/2/89 Kelowna (WHL)
7. Boedker, Mikkel LW 5.11 195 L 12/16/89 Kitchener (OHL)
8. Wilson, Colin C 6.01 215 L 10/20/89 Boston U. (H.E.)
9. Hodgson, Cody C 5.11 185 R 2/18/90 Brampton (OHL)
10. Bailey, Joshua C 6.00 188 L 10/2/89 Windsor (OHL)
11. Sbisa, Luca LD 6.01 190 L 1/30/90 Lethbridge (WHL)
12. Boychuk, Zac C 5.09 175 L 10/4/89 Lethbridge (WHL)
13. Beach, Kyle C 6.03 203 R 1/13/90 Everett (WHL)
14. Tedenby, Mattias LW 5.09 165 L 2/21/90 HV71 (SweJE)
15. Myers, Tyler RD 6.07 204 R 2/1/90 Kelowna (WHL)
16. Colborne, Joe LW 6.05 190 L 1/30/90 Camrose (AJHL)
17. Petrov, Kirill LW 6.03 198 L 4/13/90 Kazan (RusDi)
18. Teubert, Colten RD 6.03 185 R 3/8/90 Regina (WHL)
19. Robak, Colby LD 6.03 194 L 4/24/90 Brandon (WHL)
20. Dalpe, Zac C 6.00 170 R 11/1/89 Penticton (BCHL)
21. Carlson, John RD 6.02 212 R 1/10/90 Indiana (USHL)
22. Karlsson, Erik D 5.11 165 R 5/31/90 Vastra Frolunda (SweJE)
23. Del Zotto, Michael LD 5.11 211 L 6/24/90 Oshawa (OHL)
24. Grachev, Evgeny C 6.03 202 R 2/21/90 Yaroslavl (RusDi)
25. Deschamps, Nicholas C 6.00 173 L 1/6/90 Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
26. Trivino, Corey C 6.01 170 L 1/12/90 Stouffville (OPJHL)
27. Toews, David LW 5.10 175 L 6/7/90 Shattuck-St (MN-HS)
28. Nemisz, Greg C 6.03 197 C 6/6/90 Windsor (OHL)
29. Ness, Aaron LD 5.10 162 L 5/18/90 Roseau (MN-HS)
30. Eberle, Jordan C 5.10 174 R 5/15/90 Regina (WHL)

CSB Midseason Rankings

TSN Midseason Rankings

Red Line Report Columns and Rankings: (last updated June 12)

1 Steven Stamkos C 6-1/180 R 7-Feb-90 Sarnia
2 Nikita Filatov LW 6-0/172 R 25-May-90 CSKA
3 Drew Doughty D 6-0/213 R 8-Dec-89 Guelph
4 Zach Bogosian D 6-2/199 R 15-Jul-90 Peterborough
5 Mikkel Bodker RW 5-11/201 L 16-Dec-89 Kitchener
6 Alex Pietrangelo D 6-3/198 R 18-Jan-90 Niagara
7 Luke Schenn D 6-2/210 R 2-Nov-89 Kelowna
8 Kirill Petrov RW 6-3/218 L 13-Apr-90 Ak Bars Kazan
9 Cody Hodgson C 5-11/182 R 18-Feb-90 Brampton
10 Tyler Myers D 6-7/210 R 1-Feb-90 Kelowna

Wow. That was an awful move by Lowe to sign Penner. Could have gotten someone in the draft this year who is better.

timd1218 wrote:Wow. That was an awful move by Lowe to sign Penner. Could have gotten someone in the draft this year who is better.

Yeah, but that could have taken years for Kyle Beach/whoever to pan out. And Lowe doesn't have years. (See also: Sheldon Souray)

Using the link below, I've put together the opinions of a few sources on how the Oilers' pick will go. As expected, there is very little in the way of consensus, but a couple of names reappear.

Collection of Mock Drafts from around the web

USA Today wrote:22. Luca Sbisa. They got to see plenty of the Swiss rearguard in Lethbridge, and they liked what they saw. He's a safe pick at a position of need.

MyNHLDraft]22*
Greg Nemisz
Ht/Wt:6.03/200 lbs
Position:C
Drafted From:Windsor[/quote]

[quote="NHL Draft Site wrote:22 Edmonton (from Ana) Jimmy Hayes RW 6'4" 210 11/21/89 NTDP (USA) United States

Open Ice Hits wrote:22. Edmonton Oilers - Colton Teubert - Regina (WHL)

Hockey Trade Rumors wrote:22. Edmonton Oilers- Zac Dalpe- C, Penticton(BCHL), 6' 170 lbs, Stats N/A

WTF Holland wrote:22. Edmonton Oilers - Erik Karlsson, D.
Frolunda's Erik Karlsson is a defenseman who's certainly benefited from a strong U-18 tournament late in the season, and possibly even a certain Stanley Cup champion. Karlsson is a smaller defenseman, 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, who plays a game similar to Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall. Karlsson wasn't really discussed all that much until the end of the season when he drew rave reviews from scouts in international play, potentially bumping him up to the top 10 or 15 of the draft. Karlsson is an undersized defenseman who excels with the puck on his stick, a true powerplay quarterback. But he's also a surprisingly physical player, and it's the way he hits that draws the comparisons to Kronwall. With so many skilled defensemen available in the draft with good size, it's likely Karlsson falls to the later half of the first round, but he could end up as one of the best picks of the first round if he can get past his size.

Future Considerations wrote:22). Edmonton (from Anaheim) – D Colby Robak
Organizational Summary: The strength of the Oilers organization’s prospect pool lies in the abundance of quality forward depth. They lack many top notch offensive forwards but there are a few with potential. The backend has a stable of solid developing prospects but they all have limited upsides. The goalie situation is solid for now but they should add to this area before it does become a weakness.
Reason for the Pick: The organization’s current prospects coming through the ranks have limited offensive potential from the backend and Robak adds a dimension that is sorely lacking. Offensively he can start the transition with his breakout passing abilities better than all the rest and immediately moves to the top of the defensive prospect depth chart.

HF Radio wrote:22. Edmonton - Greg Nemisz - Windsor, Center

They've got the young, speedy, smallish, talented guys in Gagner, Cogliano and Nilsson so why not add a kid with power forward potential. Nemisz is no stranger to the front of the net as he combines his size and a nice set of hands to finish off plays in front of the net.Nemisz may not be the most flashing guy in the draft but either was Tomas Holstrom, yet he just won another Stanley Cup. You can teach a guy to go to the net, but it's a heck of alot to draft one who already likes to go there on his own. He knows his role and it's a role that would most likely need to be filled a few years down the road in Edmonton, wouldn't hurt to learn from a guy like Dustin Penner.

And with the 22nd overall pick, the Edmonton Oilers select Jordan Eberle.

Gare Joyce wrote:Oilers pick a player from the former team of longtime scout Lorne Davis, who died this year at 77. Smallish, skilled, fiery pick. Seems like Edmonton already has players in that mold.

Jeff Marek wrote:Ya like small players who can score? Then Eberle is your man. He had 42 goals this year for the Regina Pats who has slick moves that we've all seen on the highlights all season long. He has an amazing wrist shot to go along with his explosive speed. The knock on Eberle is his size five-foot-10, 175 pounds but he's still has time to fill out as he's not expected to make the team next season.

Pierre McGuire wrote:Perfecto for the Oilers. They just keep adding dynamic forwards. He plays a lot like Joe Mullen used to - he's a great goal scorer.

Congratulations to Eberle, and congratulations to Pierre for finding a suitable synonym for "perfect". Any thoughts?