The Oilers are beefing up their goalie pipeline, signing Nathaniel Day to a three-year entry-level deal. The 20-year-old netminder was their sixth-round pick in last year’s draft.
Day’s been a workhorse for the OHL’s Flint Firebirds, leading the league in games played and minutes this season. He earned team MVP honors for his efforts.
His numbers might not jump off the page – a 26-25-2-3 record and .894 save percentage – but there’s more to the story. Day faced an absolute barrage of shots, the fourth-most in the entire OHL.
The young goalie still managed to rack up his first three shutouts this season. He also stepped up in the playoffs with a solid .902 save percentage in five games.
The league took notice too. Day was named OHL Goaltender of the Week three different times.
At 6’4" and 205 pounds, he’s got the size NHL teams dream about for modern goalies. Despite his young age, Day’s already a seasoned veteran in Flint, having played 153 regular season games and 17 playoff matchups.
He got his first taste of NHL action last fall, appearing in both the Young Stars Classic and making his preseason debut for Edmonton.
Day joins an interesting group of young goalies in the Oilers system. There’s Samuel Jonsson (2022 fifth-rounder), Olivier Rodrigue (2018 second-round pick), and Connor Ungar in the ECHL.
Brett Brochu might be the most intriguing of the bunch right now. The 22-year-old just got called up to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors and he’s been lights out – posting a .937 save percentage in his first three starts.
Brochu’s been climbing the ladder impressively, putting up strong numbers at every level from junior hockey to the ECHL, where he’s got a sparkling .924 save percentage and 20-10-4 record this season.
Meanwhile, Rodrigue got a recent taste of the NHL himself, getting called up to Edmonton when Stuart Skinner was sidelined.
