There was a time where Nail Yakupov represented hope for the Edmonton Oilers. In 2012, it was no surprise that Edmonton selected Yakupov first overall, in what seemed to be a low-point of all the draft years. Only Alex Galchenyuk was considered a real competitor with Yakupov for that top pick, as yet another high-performing teammate of his when he was playing with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting.
His numbers were exciting. In 2010-11, he scored 49 goals and 52 assists for an astonishing 101 points in just 65 games. Then, just a year later, he scored 69 points (31G, 38A) in 42 games with Sarnia.