Edmonton Oilers Prospects: William Nicholl Quietly Impressive
William Nicholl (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)EDMONTON – A team is more than its superstar.
At least, all of the good teams are.
The Edmonton Oilers have proven that (so far) with the two best players on the team, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, out of the lineup. With them on the shelf for the next week or so, other players will have to step up.
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That same type of competitiveness is healthy in an organization's prospect pool.
The Oilers' latest first-round draft pick, Sam O'Reilly, is having a great season. Goaltender Samuel Jonsson was named Goalie of the Year in the Hockey Allsvenskan. But another Oilers prospect has put their stamp on this season.
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William Nicholl has largely flown under the radar this year. Nicholl was also a 2024 draft pick, but drafted in the seventh round, 196th overall.
O'Reilly and Nicholl play for the London Knights of the OHL, which begins its playoff journey at the end of this week. However, in their last regular season game, Nicholl hit a professional milestone, his first OHL hat-trick.
He finished the season with a monster of a game. In addition to the hat trick, Nicholl recorded an assist, fired seven shots on net, and won 15 of his 21 faceoffs (71 percent). That's not too shabby.
He finishes the 2024-25 season with 57 points in 66 games (0.86 points per game). Nicholl more than doubled his points from the previous year, scoring 20 points in 65 games.
Nicholl is not a prospect to be taken lightly. While O'Reilly has the two-way fortitude that will endear him to his NHL coach one day, Nicholl has the boots and understated skill to have a higher ceiling than his teammate.
For now, Oil Country can keep one eye on the Oilers and the other on the OHL playoffs, which begin for the Knights on Friday. Their first round opponents are the Owen Sound Attack.
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