Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Oilers sign Yakupov to three-year contract

2012 NHL Entry Draft - Portraits

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 22: Nail Yakupov, drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers, poses for a portrait during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Getty Images

In predictable news, the Edmonton Oilers have signed first overall draft pick Nail Yakupov to a three-year, entry-level contract.

“We’re very happy to sign Nail to a three-year contract,” Oilers GM Steve Tambellini said in a release. “He’s an extremely talented and passionate young man who we feel will be an integral part of our team for many years to come.”

Yakupov, 18, is expected to compete for a roster spot in 2012-13, though the talented winger isn’t taking anything for granted.

“I want to prove with work and the way I play that I deserve to be on the team,” he said recently. “I want to get as much ice-time as I can. I want my team to win. I want to get a lot of points. I want to feel comfortable on the team. I don’t want to be in the limbo. I want to be a part of the team. I don’t want to be an up-and-down guy. And I want to be the best (laughs).”