Dreams Realized as Local Hero Park Drafted by Edmonton Oilers with Second-Last Pick in Heartwarming Hometown NHL Moment
As the 2025 NHL Draft wound down and fans across the globe began shifting their attention toward off-season speculation, one of the most heartwarming and memorable moments of the event quietly unfolded with the second-last pick. With the 223rd overall selection, the Edmonton Oilers called the name of a local kid whose journey to that stage had been marked by perseverance, grit, and hometown pride: defenseman Tyler Park.
The selection didn’t grab the headlines like the lottery picks or blockbuster trades. It didn’t prompt wild cheers or immediate projections about next season’s top rookie. But for Park, his family, his community, and even the Oilers organization, it was a moment steeped in emotion, pride, and the deep-rooted connection between a city and its team.
Tyler Park, a 19-year-old from St. Albert—a bedroom community just northwest of Edmonton—grew up wearing Oilers jerseys, practicing on frozen ponds, and dreaming of the day he might one day skate in Rogers Place not as a spectator, but as a player. As those dreams evolved over years of minor hockey, junior leagues, training camps, and heartbreaks, they seemed both impossibly far and tantalizingly close.
That journey began in the grassroots leagues of Alberta, where Park was often seen as a late bloomer. Not the flashiest skater, nor the most physically dominant, Park built his reputation through disciplined two-way play, high hockey IQ, and a relentless work ethic. Scouts didn’t always project him as a future NHLer, but coaches and teammates always noted one consistent truth: Park never quit. He showed up, game after game, ready to compete, ready to improve, and ready to prove he belonged.
By the time he joined the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints, Park had turned heads with his leadership qualities and dependability on the blue line. He wasn’t just surviving in competitive hockey—he was thriving. His stat sheet may not have dazzled, but his quiet excellence and steady hand became a cornerstone for his team. In the final season before his draft year, Park tallied a modest 5 goals and 23 assists in 58 games, but his +22 rating and penalty-killing dominance were signs of a player who did the little things right—something NHL teams always keep tabs on.
Still, Park remained off many draft boards. He wasn’t ranked among Central Scouting’s top 200 prospects. Analysts debated whether he would be selected at all. Yet, the Oilers’ scouting department, known in recent years for giving local prospects a close look, had been tracking Park’s progress. It was assistant GM Keith Gretzky and amateur scout Taylor Foster who pushed for a deeper evaluation. They saw potential not just in his game, but in his mentality.
“He’s got a chip on his shoulder, and that’s a good thing,” Gretzky said after the pick. “He plays like someone who’s always been told he’s not good enough—and uses that to fuel his game. That’s a player you want in your system.”
The moment the Oilers called his name, the crowd at the Park household erupted. Tyler, surrounded by close family and friends, was momentarily speechless. Cameras captured the purest kind of emotion: tears, laughter, and disbelief. Park hugged his father tightly, then his mother, then his two younger brothers, all of whom grew up idolizing Oilers legends like Ryan Smyth and Connor McDavid.
“To be picked by the Oilers, my team, the team I’ve loved since I was a kid… it’s beyond anything I could have dreamed,” Park said in his first media availability. “It still doesn’t feel real.”
The draft call itself had a twist. With the Oilers set to select in the seventh round, Park wasn’t even watching the screen anymore. He had stepped out to catch his breath, believing his name wouldn’t be called. His phone rang—a 780 area code. “It’s the Oilers,” he said to himself in stunned disbelief. Moments later, his name appeared on the screen. Cue the chaos.
Oilers fans, ever passionate and quick to rally around a hometown story, lit up social media. Local outlets quickly dug up old footage of Park as a peewee player skating at Rogers Place during intermission scrimmages. His high school coach gave interviews about Tyler’s discipline and humility. Former teammates from minor league tournaments shared stories of his resilience and leadership.
“He always made everyone around him better,” said Brayden Mills, Park’s former teammate with the Saints. “Even when he didn’t have the puck, he was the guy shouting instructions, organizing the defense, keeping the team focused. That kind of leadership doesn’t show up on stat sheets.”
The Oilers’ development staff wasted no time in extending an invitation to their rookie development camp, slated for mid-July. Park accepted immediately and expressed excitement to learn from Edmonton’s player development coaches and—most thrilling of all—to practice on the same ice he grew up watching McDavid dominate.
There’s no illusion here—Park has a long road ahead. Seventh-round picks rarely make it to the NHL, and fewer still become impact players. But for Park, the dream is alive, and he’s determined to make the most of it. He knows the odds. He knows the challenge. But he’s ready to put in the work.
“It’s about what you do next,” Park said. “Getting drafted is one thing. Earning a contract, earning a roster spot—that’s where the real journey begins. I know I’ve got to prove myself all over again.”
This pick also highlighted a subtle but significant shift in the Oilers’ draft strategy. After years of focusing heavily on high-end offensive talent, Edmonton’s scouting team has shown renewed interest in blue-collar, high-character prospects—players who may not jump off the screen but bring the kind of consistency and discipline that rounds out a contending team.
Tyler Park fits that mold perfectly. A defenseman who doesn’t crave the spotlight, who’s unafraid of grinding through the tough moments, and who takes pride in doing the work that doesn’t always get celebrated.
“I’ve always believed that every team needs glue guys,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “Players who hold the team together, who do the little things, who you can trust in tough moments. I don’t know where Tyler’s career will take him, but I love the way he plays the game.”
In the days following the draft, Park made the rounds on local radio, did interviews with Edmonton’s sports networks, and even took in a surprise visit to his former high school, where he was honored in a small ceremony. His story resonated far beyond the rink—a reminder that dreams can be realized in the most unexpected of ways, and that sometimes, the perfect ending is written in the closing lines of the draft.
For the Oilers, a team seeking to maintain its status as a Stanley Cup contender while retooling its prospect pool, the selection of Park may not have been the most high-profile decision, but it was a deeply symbolic one. A nod to their roots, to their community, and to the belief that greatness doesn’t always arrive in the first round—it sometimes waits until the very end.
Park has already started skating again, eager to prepare for rookie camp. He knows the cameras will eventually move on. The buzz will fade. But the work—his favorite part—continues.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re picked,” he said. “All that matters is what you do with the opportunity.”
For Tyler Park, the opportunity of a lifetime has arrived. And fittingly, it came wearing blue and orange.
