Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Kelly Buchberger comes in at No. 43 on our updated 2025 list. He was ranked No. 27 on Brownlee’s original list.

The Edmonton Oilers’ dynasty years were built because of not just Wayne Gretzky, but also savvy drafting early in their National Hockey League days. Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Andy Moog, Grant Fuhr, and Steve Smith were all drafted in the first three rounds. They supplemented the key members of the dynasty with other notable draft picks in the mid-1980s, such as Kelly Buchberger.

Notable

Playing his junior hockey with the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors, Buchberger only scored 12 goals and 29 points in 51 junior games during his draft year, which led to the Oilers selecting him 188th overall in the 1985 draft.

Making his professional debut in 1987-88, Buchberger scored 12 goals and 32 points in 70 games with the American Hockey League’s Nova Scotia Oilers. He played three games with the Oilers during their 1987 playoff run, earning a Stanley Cup ring in the process.

The 1987-88 season was mainly spent in the AHL, but he appeared in 19 regular-season games, where he scored a goal. Becoming a National Hockey League regular in 1988-89, Buchberger scored five goals and 14 points in 66 games, but didn’t appear in a playoff game.

In 1989-90, he scored two goals and eight points in 55 games, then added an........

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