Wakely selected by Edmonton Oilers in National Hockey League’s Entry Draft
By Sam Laskaris
CURVE LAKE FIRST NATION – Dalyn Wakely had to wait a lot longer than he had originally hoped for, but the wait was certainly worthwhile for the 20-year-old member of Curve Lake First Nation.
Wakely was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round, 192nd over-all, at the National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft held June 28-29 in Las Vegas.
Wakely, who spent the past three seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s North Bay Battalion, was eligible to be selected in the 2022 and 2023 NHL drafts but was not selected.
Wakely, who was still eligible to be selected in this year’s draft, put up some monster numbers this past season that made him difficult to be ignored this time around.
He racked up 104 points (39 goals and 65 assists) in 66 regular season contests, and he added 23 points, including 13 goals, in 16 playoff matches.
Wakely had conversations with representatives from several NHL squads prior to this year’s draft. And he was thrilled to be drafted by Edmonton.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s a Canadian team. They’re pretty good right now and they have a couple of the best players in the world.”
That would be Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, one of the squad’s assistant captains.
Edmonton came up a bit short in its quest to win this year’s Stanley Cup. The Oilers advanced to the league’s championship final but were edged by the Florida Panthers in the best-of-seven final, which required a decisive Game 7.
It remains to be seen, however, just where Wakely will be for the 2024-25 season.
Despite his high-scoring ways this past season, it’s unlikely he will make the jump to the NHL right away. A more likely destination is the California-based Bakersfield Condors, who are the Oilers’ top minor-league affiliate and compete in the American Hockey League.
Wakely, a 6-foot, 195-pound centre, could also potentially still return to the Battalion and be one of the club’s overage players.
“That’s certainly the discussion right now,” Wakely said of his immediate hockey future. “At the end of the day, it will be up to me and how I play.”
Wakely did attend the Oilers’ three-day development camp, which concluded July 5. But that event did not include any on-ice sessions.
“I would have loved to skate with (the Oilers’) colours on,” Wakely said.
Instead, camp participants took part in some fitness testing. Various seminars, including topics covering nutrition, sleep, and strength and conditioning, were also held.
Wakely will return to Edmonton this September and be on the ice for the Oilers’ rookie camp. It’s expected that medicals and fitness testing will be staged in Edmonton before camp participants head to the British Columbia city of Penticton to take part in a tournament featuring the rookie camp rosters of a handful of other NHL franchises.
Wakely is also expected to attend the Oilers’ main training camp, also in September.