1979

The shooting star analogy makes a lot of sense now doesn't it? With the greatest hockey player of all time already in the fold (Gretzky) the Oilers draft another of the top ten players of all time (Messier), one of the top twenty scoring right wingers of all time (Anderson) and one of the top twenty defensive defensemen of all time (Lowe). All picked in just one draft. The Oilers very first draft. Each one of these draft picks could use pages of material to cover their contributions to the Oilers and the NHL - that won't happen here, suffice to say that it just doesn't get any better than this. The other three players drafted? Who really cares? Grade A.

1980

The star was still shining brightly in 1980 for the Edmonton Oilers as they added one of the top-ten defensemen of all time (Coffey) and one of the top-twenty wingers of all time (Kurri) to the fold. Andy Moog would prove to be a stalwart for the Oilers in net until Fuhr took the top job for good in the 1983-84 campaign. Still, Moog was the one in net when the Oilers began to fashion their "shoot first, ask questions later" identity. Walt Poddubny didn't do much in an Oilers uniform but did go on to fashion a solid NHL career and had three very 'star' like seasons with the Rangers and then the Nordiques. Another great draft for Edmonton. Grade A.

1981

Not often you get to make three solid wishes on the same star - but it did happen in Edmonton. Fuhr is undoubtedly one of the top 10 to 15 goaltenders of all-time. This draft also produced Steve Smith, a player that would go on to have a long, if not distinguished, career in the NHL (despite the most infamous goal in Oiler history). After Fuhr and Smith, Habschied was the only player taken in the draft that did much of anything in the NHL as he bounced between different NHL teams, their respective farm systems and the Canadian National team. Despite the fact that he was never an impact player he did manage to get in some 345 NHL games. Grade A.

1982

The first of the Oilers failed drafts. Pouzar and Summanen both supplied Edmonton with two decent years of play each, solid journeymen type of work. However, neither player followed through and had lengthy careers (thus the '?' ratings). Pouzar fizzled out after his first two seasons while Summanen found his way to Vancouver after his first two seasons and disappeared soon after. Playfair was a complete bust; he had a cup of coffee in Edmonton and a couple of cups with the Blackhawks before he was gone forever. Grade E.

1983

Gretzky, Kurri and who? Esa Tikkanen is who. A talented checking forward who defined the term 'shadow', Tikkanen was also a true clutch player for the Oilers. While his regular season career garnered him modest 630 points, his 72 play-off goals rank him #11 all-time. Maybe not a superstar, but definitely a 'star'. After Tikkanen in stature comes Beukeboom. A prototypical 'big' man, Beukeboom had a solid career in the NHL before injuries forced his retirement in the 1998-1999 season. Nobody else is really worth talking about here. Grade B.