Welcome to Daily Faceoff Edmonton’s countdown of the top 20 prospects in the Edmonton Oilers system. 

No. 9 in the countdown is former London Knights forward William Nicholl. Nicholl is a 2024 seventh-round pick, and in a redraft, I think he would be a couple of rounds higher now.

#9: William Nicholl

Age: 20

Position: C

Shoots: Left

Nationality: Canada

Date of Birth: May 24, 2006

Drafted: 2024, seventh round, 196th overall

Height and weight: 6-foot-0 / 183 lbs.

2025-26 stats (OHL):

Contract status: Year one of three, entry-level contract, $985,000 cap hit.

The 2023-24 season was Nicholl’s first full season with London; the prior season was spent mostly with the St. Thomas Stars of the GOJHL; however, he did sneak in five games with the OHL club. Playing your first full OHL season during your draft year is a tough feat; you not only have to adapt to the jump in skill, speed, and physicality, but you also need to stand out enough to earn a draft selection. Nicholl did just that. In his 65 games during the 2023-24 season, the seventh-rounder scored six goals and totalled 20 points on a stacked London Knights roster that went on to win the OHL championship. During their playoff run, Nicholl’s points-per-game pace increased as he scored one goal and added seven assists in 18 playoff games.

In the 2024-25 season, London brought back another loaded roster. William Nicholl finished fifth in team scoring with 21 goals and 57 points in 66 games. The smooth-skating forward went from a minus-two to a plus-38. It wasn’t a surprise when London ran through the playoffs again en route to another OHL championship. This time, Nicholl and the Knights finished the job by winning the Memorial Cup. During the playoff run, the former seventh-rounder matched his point total from the prior playoff run with a goal and seven assists in one fewer game this time around. However, Nicholl didn’t register a point in five Memorial Cup games. In nine Memorial Cup games from the 2024 and 2025 runs, the defensively sound forward failed to register any points.

After the 2024-25 season, Nicholl had an upper-body procedure done, which resulted in him missing about half of the 2025-26 season. After winning back-to-back J. Ross Robertson Cups, the Knights roster was due to take a hit with a fair number of their top players graduating. The Knights made some trades throughout the........

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