DRAFT: History of the 29th overall pick

EDMONTON, AB - The Oilers will have quite the wait before they take the stage in Montreal to make their initial selection in the 2022 NHL Draft.
As a result of this year's trip to the Western Conference Final, General Manager & President of Hockey Operations Ken Holland will have the 29th pick in next week's draft at his disposal. Whoever's name ends up being called by the GM will become the latest first-round pick in Oilers franchise history.
The previous latest first-round pick in Oilers history came back in 2005 when Edmonton selected freshly minted Stanley Cup champion Andrew Cogliano at 25th overall out of the St. Michael's Buzzers of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. One of the famed members of the Oilers 'kid-line' in the late aughts, Cogliano appeared in 328 games for the Oilers over four seasons, recording 146 points (57G, 89A) for the then Copper and Blue.
While 29th would be the latest the Oilers have selected in the first round, it won't be the longest the team has had to wait to make their first selection. In 2006, Edmonton picked Jeff Petry 45th overall in the second round after dealing their first rounder to Minnesota at the trade deadline for Dwayne Roloson.
The 29th pick has seen a fair share of quality NHL players have their names called on draft day. Ahead of next week's festivities, we look back at the history of the Oilers current draft slot.

OILERS HISTORY

The 29th pick in the 2022 draft will be the latest the Oilers have ever selected in the first round, but it won't be the first time they have held that draft slot.
Back when the NHL had only 21 teams, Edmonton selected Regina Pats forward Todd Strueby 29th overall in the second round of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Following the draft, the Lanigan, SK product would play two more seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Saskatoon Blades, recording 218 points (100G, 118A) in 126 games.
Unfortunately for Strueby, he was not able to translate his junior success to a loaded 1980's Oilers roster. He would only end up suiting up for five games for the team over three seasons from 1981 to 1984, recording a single assist. The 6-foot-2 centre would bounce around the American Hockey League, the International Hockey League and the German pro circuit, while also playing for the Canadian National Team before retiring in 1993.
The 1981 draft did end up bearing fruit for the Oilers. Edmonton would end up selecting defenceman Steve Smith in the sixth round, as well as Hall of Fame netminder Grant Fuhr at eighth overall.
While Streuby would not end up making a huge mark in the NHL, several other 29th overall picks have. Here is a quick look at some of the best selections from the Oilers current first-round draft slot:

STANDOUT PICKS

Stephane Richer (1984 - Montreal Canadiens)
Richer is a well-known figure among NHL fans of a certain vintage. The 1984 selection by the Montreal Canadiens is the most prolific scorer ever selected with pick 29 in the NHL Draft, notching 421 goals, 398 assists during his 1054 National Hockey League games. Richer was well regarded for his shot, which led to him becoming a two-time 50-goal scorer with the Montreal Canadiens while notching at least 20 goals in 12 consecutive seasons.

The right winger ended up playing for five different teams during his long NHL career, with most of his games being played with the Canadiens who drafted him and the New Jersey Devils. The Buckingham, Quebec native would go on to win a Stanley Cup with both the aforementioned franchises - winning in 1986 with Montreal and 1995 with New Jersey.
Teppo Numminen (1986 - Winnipeg Jets)
A veteran of 1372 National Hockey League games, Numminen was a mainstay on the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes bluelines of the 90s and early 00s. The defender was selected 29th overall in the second round out of Tappara Tempere of the Finnish SM-liiga, where Numminen would play until he finally made his NHL debut with Winnipeg in 1988. The Tampere native would play 1098 games for the franchise, staying with the club as they relocated to Arizona.
Numminen would end up getting dealt to Dallas in '03-04, before finishing out the rest of his career with Buffalo. The then 41-year-old retired with 117 goals and 520 assists for 637 career points.
Prior to his retirement in 2009, the Finn had logged the most games played by any European-born player. Numminen's number was officially honoured by the Coyotes organization in 2010 when his number 27 was added to the team's ring of honour.
Niklas Kronwall (2000 - Detroit Red Wings)
One of the hardest hitters in the history of the NHL, Kronwall was a staple of the Detroit Red Wings blueline from his NHL debut in 2003 to his retirement in 2019. The stocky defenceman played his entire career for the team that drafted him in the first round out of Djurgardens IF Stockholm of the Swedish Elite League. Kronwall played 953 games for the Red Wings over his 15-year NHL career, recording 83 goals and 349 assists.
The Swede racked up his fair share of hardware over his long playing career -- winning the Stanley Cup with Detroit in the '07-08 season, an Olympic gold medal in 2006 and a silver medal in 2014, and a gold medal and silver medal at the World Hockey Championships in 2003 and 2006 respectively.
Mike Green (2004 - Washington Capitals)
Green was part of the new wave of offensive defencemen who emerged during the 2000s. Beginning his career with the Washington Capitals, the Calgary, Alberta product quickly ascended as one of the league's elite scoring defenders. By the time he was 24 years old, Green was a two-time First Team NHL Allstar and a two-time Norris trophy runner-up.
In the '08-09 season, Green became the first NHL defenceman to score over 30 goals in 26 years, when he netted 31 in only 68 games for the Capitals. Green would go on to set a career-high of 76 points (19G, 56A) in the following season, earning his second Norris Trophy nomination. Despite his dynamism, injuries would slowly derail Green's production as he would never play a full 82 games in any of his final 10 seasons.

The defenceman would ultimately end up finishing his career as a member of the Oilers when General Manager Ken Holland acquired him from the Detroit Red Wings prior to the 2020 trade deadline. Green injured his knee after playing just two games for Edmonton and retired at the conclusion of the season. The defenceman would ultimately only play 880 NHL games in his 15-year career, recording 150 goals and 351 assists.

RECENT HISTORY

Chase Stillman (2021 - New Jersey Devils)
Stillman, the most recent 29th overall draft pick, was selected by the New Jersey Devils after playing his junior hockey with Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League. The 19-year-old right winger is the son of Cory Stillman, who played 1025 NHL games split between the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers -- winning two Stanley Cup titles. Chase Stillman spent the '21-22 season with the Peterborough Petes where he notched 29 points (10G, 19A) in 35 games.
Brendan Brisson (2020 - Vegas Golden Knights)
The American forward was drafted in 2020 after a strong season with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, registering 24 goals and 35 assists in 45 games. After getting drafted by the Golden Knights, Brisson joined the University of Michigan where he scored 31 goals in 62 games over two seasons with the Wolverines. The 20-year-old also represented the United States at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, where he scored two goals in seven tournament games. Brisson completed his college hockey career and joined Las Vegas' AHL affiliate at the end of the season, picking up eight points (3G, 5A) in seven games.
Brayden Tracey (2019 - Anaheim Ducks)
The 21-year-old was selected out of the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors at the tail end of the 2019 draft by the Anaheim Ducks. Tracey was considered a creative player on offence, with a high-end hockey sense by The Athletic's prospect guru Corey Pronman during his draft year. Since then, the Calgary, Alberta products had suited up in 67 games for the Ducks AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls over the past two seasons. Tracey began to show the offensive skills that made him a first-round pick last season, finishing sixth on the Gulls in scoring with 31 points (11G, 20A) in 55 games and eventually making his NHL debut in January against the Detroit Red Wings.
Rasmus Sandin (2018 - Toronto Maple Leafs)
The 22-year-old Sandin has emerged as a steady contributor on the Toronto Maple Leafs back end since being drafted in the first round back in 2018. Originally from Uppsala, Sweden the defender played 51 games with the Soo Grey Hounds prior to his draft year, where he recorded 45 points (12G, 33A) in the OHL. He has gone on to play in 88 NHL games with Toronto, recording 28 points and a plus-eight rating -- including 51 contests in the '21-22 campaign where he logged 16:58 of ice-time per game.
Adrian Kempe (2014 - Los Angeles Kings)
The Los Angeles Kings originally selected Kempe out of Modo of the Swedish Hockey League during the 2014 NHL Draft. The product of Kramfors, Sweden was a recent playoff foe of the Edmonton Oilers, recording two goals and six points in Edmonton's Round 1 victory over Los Angeles back in May. Over his NHL career, Kempe has accumulated 90 goals, including a career-high 35 in '21-22, and 96 assists (186 points) in his six seasons with the Kings.