Sport 1 min read

Oilers use first pick of 2026 NHL Draft to select Rudolfs Berzalkns at No. 58

With their first pick of the draft, at No. 58 overall in Round 2, the Oilers grabbed Rudolfs Berzkalns.

The 18-year-old Latvian played 48 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL last season, recording 13 goals and 12 assists.

At the 2026 world juniors, Berzalkns appeared in five games and potted a single goal.

A six-foot-four, left-shot centre, Berzalkns is set to play for Boston College in the NCAA for the 2026-27 season.

The Oilers were initially supposed to draft their first pick at No. 52, but traded that selection to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday in exchange for the 58th and 133rd overall picks.

The Lightning used No. 52 to draft Oleg Kulebyakin of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads.

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