The 2025 NHL Draft gets underway around dinnertime on Friday (June 27), but Edmonton Oilers fans will have to wait until lunch on Saturday (June 28) before they have anything to sink their teeth into.
That’s because for the first time since joining the NHL in 1979, the Edmonton Oilers will not have a selection in the first two rounds of the annual entry draft. It won’t be until the late stages of Round 3 at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles that the Oilers will finally make their first choice, with the 83rd overall pick.
Related: THW’s 2025 NHL Draft Guide
Chances are not high that the Oilers are going to land an impact player with that selection. According to extensive research by The Hockey Writers’ Jacob Billington, almost half of all picks made in the third round don’t even play a single NHL game.
But history also shows that it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that the Oilers could unearth a hidden gem in Round 3. Here are the three future All-Stars that Edmonton has picked in the third round:
Mark Messier
In their very first NHL Draft, the Oilers swung a trade with the Minnesota North Stars, acquiring Dave Semenko and a third-round pick (48th overall) in exchange for a second-round pick (42nd overall) and a third-round pick (63rd overall). The Oilers then used the 48th selection to draft Mark Messier.
An 18-year-old forward from St. Albert, Messier was in his first year of NHL draft eligibility but had played pro the previous season with the Cincinnati Stingers and Indianapolis Racers in the WHA.
Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)
It didn’t take long for Messier to become one of the NHL’s best, as he made his first of 15 NHL All-Star Game appearances in 1982. In all-time NHL All-Star Game history, Messier has the second-most assists (14) and fourth-most points (20).
Messier would spend 12 seasons with the Oilers, serving as captain for the last three (1988-89 to 1990-91), and was integral to all five of the team’s Stanley Cup titles (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990). He received the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1984 and was awarded the Hart Trophy as MVP of the 1989-90 season.
After being traded to the New York Rangers, Messier went on to win his second Hart Trophy in 1992 and sixth Stanley Cup in 1994.
Messier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. He currently ranks third all-time in NHL regular season history for games played (1,756), assists (1,193) and points (1,887).
Tom Poti
The Oilers more or less struck out with their first three picks in the 1996 NHL Draft: Boyd Devereaux (6th overall) spent about a decade in the NHL but never reached his high expectations; Matthew Descoteaux (19th overall) suited up for just five NHL games, none of which were with the Oilers; and Chris Hajt (32nd overall) only played six games in the NHL. But with its fourth pick, Edmonton hit a home run.
In the third round, with the 59th overall selection, the Oilers chose 18-year-old defenceman Tom Poti. A native of Worcester, Mass., Poti was committed to Boston University.
After two years of collegiate hockey, Poti joined the Oilers and had one of the finest rookie seasons by a blueliner in franchise history. He played 73 games, recorded 21 points, and registered a team-leading plus/minus rating of plus-10 en route to being selected to the 1998-99 NHL All-Rookie Team.
Poti was a fixture on Edmonton’s blue line for the better part of four seasons (1998-99 to 2001-02). Over 285 regular season games with the Oilers, he totalled 27 goals and 78 assists for 108 points, and notched seven game-winning goals, tied for fifth most among defencemen in franchise history.
At the trade deadline in 2002, Poti was dealt to the Rangers. The following season, he received a well-deserved selection to the 2003 All-Star Game.
Stuart Skinner
On Day 2 of the 2017 NHL Draft, the Oilers struck gold in the third round when they used the 78th overall pick on goaltender Stuart Skinner, an Edmonton product who at that time was playing for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Skinner made his NHL debut in 2020-21, playing one regular season game. He then appeared in 13 regular season games with the Oilers in 2021-22.
Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
The following season, Skinner finally became a full-time NHLer and had a spectacular campaign, posting a 29-14-5 record to go with a 2.73 goals-against average (GAA) and .914 save percentage (SV%). Skinner was selected to the 2022-23 NHL All-Rookie Team and named a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.
He was voted by fans to the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, and joined Hall-of-Famer Grant Fuhr as the only Oilers netminders to play in the All-Star Game as a rookie.
Skinner has since helped Edmonton reach back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025, and already ranks second in Oilers playoff history for both wins (25) and shutouts (four). He is just two victories shy of becoming the sixth netminder to win 100 regular season games as an Oiler.
There is, however, some speculation that Skinner could get traded this summer. That’s one of many fascinating things to watch for from the Oilers this offseason, and it all starts with what they do at the draft this weekend in Los Angeles.
