July 30 /2005

Edmonton Oilers Claim Cogliano 25th Overall

www.edmontonoilers.com

The Edmonton Oilers drafted eight players at the 2005 National Hockey League Entry Draft held earlier today in Ottawa, Ontario.

With their first round selection (25th overall), the Oilers' drafted centre Andrew Cogliano from the Ontario Provincial Junior "A" Hockey League's St. Michael's Buzzers. The 5'9", 180-pound native of Toronto, Ontario led the OPJAHL in scoring during the 2004-05 season, recording 102 points (36-66-102) in 49 games, which was 30 points better then the league's second leading scorer. Cogliano has been invited to Canada's National Junior Team's Summer Development Camp in Whistler, BC after leading the 2004 Under-18 Junior World Cup with nine points (5-4-9) in five games. Cogliano will be attending the University of Michigan (CCHA) in the fall.

Oilers' Vice-President of Hockey Operations Kevin Prendergast says, "We are extremely pleased with the way things unfolded today and are looking forward to watching these kids progress over the next few years. Andrew Cogliano is a tremendous skater with great speed and agility. We were pleased to see he was still available because we had him ranked very high on our list."

Calgary Claims Pelech 26th Overall

The Calgary Flames went big in the first round of the 2005 Entry Draft, choosing six-foot-three, 220-pound defenceman Matt Pelech from the Ontario Hockey League. "I like the physical part of hockey. I'm a stay-at-home defenceman. I don't try and do a lot offensively but I'm pretty solid in my own end. I'd have to say I'm a physical, defensive defenceman," said Pelech who plays for the Sarnia Sting. Pelech, a former SMC student is currently staying in shape with the Buzzers and is the older brother of recent grad and co-rookie of the year, Michael Pelech.