The Canucks didn't wait this year for the NHL Draft before they started replenishing what is widely viewed as a shallow prospect pool.

In what may be his most significant and underplayed organizational change this year, Mike Gillis turned Vancouver into a player in the hot college free-agent market. The Canucks may have been bridesmaids in 2009 in their pursuit of two of the most highly sought after NCAA free agents -- Tyler Bozak and Hobey Bake winner Matt Gilroy -- but they believe they uncovered a gem in Minnesota-Duluth defenceman Evan Oberg.

There wasn't much fanfare when the Canucks quietly signed the undrafted, 21-year-old Oberg in April. But don't discount the importance of this transaction if the Alberta native -- and lifelong Canucks fan -- is as talented as many scouts believe.

"We have a puck-moving offensive defenceman who has some great upside, but needs to become a more complete player like a lot of guys," Gillis said. "We are really excited about getting him signed. It did go under the radar. There were a number of teams who were trying to sign him, and we were fortunate enough to get him.

"When we heard he was turning pro, we got very excited."

The Oberg signing takes the sting out of losing the Gilroy sweepstakes. That auction crossed over into the ridiculous when Gilroy, the NCAA senior who got a ton of publicity, signed a precedent-setting, two-year, one-way, $3.5-million deal with the New York Rangers.

In Oberg, who many compare favourably to Duncan Keith, the Canucks landed a defenceman four years younger than Gilroy at a fraction of the cost. The most encouraging part for the Canucks is that there are several NHL scouts who said if he stayed in school he would have been as good as Gilroy in two years as a senior.

Going undrafted used to be a kiss of death for young players. But not anymore.

"Not being drafted actually helped me, to be honest," said Oberg, who was ranked 135th by Central Scouting when he was eligible for the draft. "I had my choice pretty much this season of which organization I wanted to play for. It was nice.

"That's why it became really hard for me to stay in school and pass up on this opportunity. This is my dream, and has been for a long time. I never lost sight of my dream to play in the NHL. I can always go back to school."

In essence, Oberg is equivalent to a late first-round draft pick which alleviates some pressure from the Canucks as they head into the NHL Draft in two weeks. It's why Gillis, who hired Stan Smyl as his Director of Collegiate Scouting this year, plans to become even more active in the college free agent market.

"We have Stan out there doing a great job finding those players and scouting them," Gillis said. "The B.C junior league is a main provider of kids like that. We want to be on top of players who go into the college setting from this province. The earlier we speak to them and tell them what we're up to, the better opportunity we have to get them."

It's no secret the Canucks are thin when it comes to defensive prospects. But the Oberg signing means they don't necessarily have to draft for position in the first round. They can still go for the best player available.

Oberg has spent the last month traveling with the Manitoba Moose, the team he is set to join next year.

"Everybody is more skilled and you can see everyone is stronger and bigger," Oberg said. "I see I need to gain some weight and some strength in the summer."

Oberg rebounded from an injury-riddled freshman year to put up

27 points in 43 games this season. The numbers are similar to what Matt Niskanen posted in his sophomore year at the same college three years ago.

Since then, Niskanen has developed with the Dallas Stars into one of the NHL's best young blueliners.

The most encouraging thing for the Canucks, is the way Oberg progressed this year. He was at his best during the playoffs which ended for Minnesota-Duluth just shy of the Frozen Four.

"The way I played in the playoffs was the best hockey I played in my life," Oberg said. "I improved quite a bit. I think the mental aspect of my game has really improved. My awareness on the ice is so much better than it was two years ago."

Interestingly, Oberg has followed an almost identical career path to Mason Raymond's. They both grew up on Alberta farms, played junior for Camrose and went to Minnesota Duluth for two years. But Raymond is not why Oberg is a huge Canuck fan.

"I was a really big Pavel Bure fan back in the 1990s," Oberg said.

jbotchford@theprovince.com