"I played against Draisaitl my first year in Spokane and he was unbelievable," said Yamamoto. "I've never seen a guy chuck backhand sauce, cross-ice and right on the tape for a goal. I'm really looking forward to it and going to that skilled team is definitely going to benefit my game. It's going to be awesome."
Size is not a worry for the Oilers GM, who has spent the last few seasons gathering size up front. And besides, Yamamoto doesn't play a 5-foot-7 game.
"Although he is small, he's not a small-skill guy," said Chiarelli. "He plays big. We saw him a lot, and he didn't disappoint. He had some great games, we had some great viewings and I'm really happy with this pick."
Yamamoto is very pleased as well. Grinning from ear-to-ear, the newest Oiler expressed pure happiness at his future home.
"I was really hoping to go to the Oilers, actually," he said.
That feeling was mutual.