The Edmonton Oilers are under the microscope in our NHL prospect pool overview series.
Tony Ferrari digs into the Oilers’ strengths and weaknesses, latest draft class, positional depth chart, next player in line for an NHL opportunity and more. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for these exercises, with some exceptions.
Initial Thoughts
The Oilers made and lost the Stanley Cup final in back-to-back seasons, so they haven’t been focused on their prospect pipeline much in recent years.
They don’t have much in the way of immediate impact prospects, but a couple of shrewd moves over the last couple of off-seasons gave them their top two prospects. Edmonton must find players who can help Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, two of the best players on Earth.
Last week, the Oilers acquired Hobey Baker Award winner, Isaac ‘Ike’ Howard, from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Sam O’Reilly, drafted 32nd overall in 2024 by Edmonton. Howard’s relationship with the Lightning had soured over the last year or two, and the breakup was telegraphed since before he even won the Hobey Baker in April. Oilers management made a smart move to jump all over the possibility of adding him.
Howard can jump into the lineup immediately. The left winger’s speed should keep up with the Oilers’ top guns. His shot is a weapon, but his overall offensive creation should excite Oilers fans the most. Whether he’s handling the puck in traffic and slipping a pass through a hole or working one-touch give-and-go passes off the rush, Howard has the tools and the offensive instincts to make an immediate impact.
Last off-season, the Oilers acquired Matt Savoie from the Buffalo Sabres. Although he played only four NHL games this past year, Savoie showed he’s on the cusp of reaching The Show.
Savoie is undersized at 5-foot-9, but his offensive skill and speed should be assets for the Oilers if they allow him to make some mistakes. He has the highest upside of any player in the Oilers' system. The silky-smooth forward should see more than a handful of NHL games this season.
William Nicholl has outplayed his draft position just a year after being selected in the seventh round. His pace and motor are the foundation of his game. He doesn’t have the offensive skill to be a top-six forward at the next level, but he was fantastic for the London Knights as they worked toward a Memorial Cup win. His details and defensive game should give him a shot at an NHL bottom-six role one day.
After a 104-point season in 2023-24, Dalyn Wakely finished his OHL career with a massive step back in 2024-25, notching just 58 points. Now, he will look to regain his scoring touch playing NCAA hockey with UMass-Lowell. His assist number tanked to 35 from 65 after moving to the Barrie Colts and leaving a strong squad in North Bay. Wakely often gets involved in puck battles, throws little reverse hits and engages opposing players. He has a future as a bottom-six player if he can get a bit faster and work on his puckhandling in space.
On defense, Beau Akey began getting back on track after playing only 14 games in 2023-24, recording 32 points in 52 games in his final OHL season. The smooth-skating puck-mover will jump to the AHL, which should allow him to hone his two-way game. Akey has the potential to be a solid bottom-pair defender with excellent skating mechanics and fluidity that help him advance the puck.
The Oilers acquired Paul Fischer in the aftermath the St. Louis Blues signing Edmonton RFAs Dylan Holloway and Phillip Broberg to offer sheets last summer. The Blues sent the Oilers a third-round draft pick in 2028 and Fischer for future considerations after Edmonton chose not to match the offer sheets. The deal felt like a gesture of thanks.
Fischer jumped up to the top of the Oilers' defensive pipeline. The defensive defenseman has shown some nice growth as a puck-mover at Notre Dame during two NCAA seasons. He gets involved physically and tries to close down the angles to cut off play. Fischer could be a very solid depth defender if he continues to develop at this rate.
Edmonton’s goalie pipeline isn’t great, but Eemil Vinni has shown some promise. This past season was a bit of a write-off as the Finnish netminder had back surgery prior to the season. That said, his athleticism and size are excellent traits to build on. Vinni will be in line for a bigger role next year.
Key U-23 Players Likely To Play NHL Games This Season
Isaac Howard (LW), Matt Savoie (RW)
2025 NHL Draft Class
Round 3, 83rd overall - Tommy Lafreniere, RW, Kamloops (WHL)
Round 4, 117th overall - David Lewandowski, LW, Saskatoon (WHL)
Round 5, 131st overall - Asher Barnett, D, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
Round 6, 191st overall - Daniel Salonen, G, Lukko Jr. (Fin.)
Round 7, 223rd overall - Aidan Park, C, Green Bay (USHL)
Edmonton didn’t pick until the third round, when they selected Tommy Lafreniere. He isn’t a highly skilled player with the puck, but he makes up for that with effort. Lafreniere doesn’t have a standout trait, but the right winger’s always found a way to make the best of his tools and leverage his relentless motor. He invites contact at times and outworks opponents along the boards. He could have a future as a bottom-six checking forward.
David Lewandowski is a strong left winger who powers his way around the ice and consistently looks to play a possession-based game. The German has solid puck protection abilities, and he’s flashed some interesting skill to pull pucks to the middle of the ice and take a shot. He must work on his skating and amp up the pace at times, but Lewandowski is a decent bet in the back half of the draft.
There may be more than meets the eye for fifth-round defender Asher Barnett. He plays a fairly simple game, but he moves well, reads play and has the puck skill to get himself out of trouble when needed. Barnett captained Team USA’s U-18 squad this past year and led by putting his body on the line each shift. There is a long way to go, but he’s committed to the University of Michigan in 2026-27 and will be in a prime position to continue his growth.
The Oilers needed to swing on a goalie in the draft, and their choice was Finnish netminder Daniel Salonen. The 6-foot-3 overage draft pick will turn 20 in December, so there is a little less runway with Salonen than a typical draft pick. He’s had some success at Finland’s second professional level, but he must start to prove himself and possibly get over to North America as soon as his deal ends at the end of the season.
Aidan Park put up 66 points in 55 games as a rookie in the United States League. The Oilers picked the 19-year-old in his second go-around at the NHL draft. With the new NCAA rules allowing CHL players, Park is headed to the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen this upcoming season. He could be in line for a big season by exploding at the WHL level before heading to the University of Michigan the following year. Park is a crafty forward who can bring some power elements to the game when he has the puck. It should be fun to watch him in the WHL next season.
Strengths
Saying anything is a real strength for the Oilers would be providing false hope.
Wingers Howard and Savoie could help the NHL roster this season, so that’s a strength for now. When they graduate, the wings will no longer be a strength. The Oilers must add some young talent, but with their eyes set on winning a Cup, no one in Edmonton will be upset if they don’t put much focus on the prospect pool.
Weaknesses
The Oilers’ prospect pipeline is as dry as it comes.
Aside from a few interesting players, such as Howard, Savoie and Akey, there is a collection of long shots and low-upside players. The fall off after those players is massive.
Despite having holes everywhere, the lack of effective talent on the back end is a real concern for Edmonton. Even Akey is a bit of a long shot, but the players behind him lack true NHL upside in most cases. The Oilers are in desperate need of finding a couple of defensive prospects to help fill the NHL roster, as some of the current Oilers get older. Right now, they’d have to rely on a journeyman who likely has very little upside to offer.
Hidden Gem: Beau Akey, D
Akey’s been a bit of a forgotten prospect after losing most of a year to injury and putting up a good but not great campaign to finish his OHL career.
In the AHL, Akey can regain some of his offensive form and leverage his high-level skating to become the player some in Edmonton hoped he could be when they drafted him.
Akey has plenty of runway left, and the AHL is an excellent place for him to further his development. It will allow him to get used to the physicality of pro hockey and get a gauge for where he is moving forward.
Next Man Up: Isaac Howard, LW
The Oilers have needed a talented young winger to step in and establish themselves as a reliable scoring option who can play within the top six and help supplement their star centers. Holloway represented the last great hope of a young player for the top six before he joined the Blues – until now.
Howard might be the player they need. He has the speed, finishing ability and offensive mind to not only play with McDavid or Draisaitl but actually keep up, unlike so many of their other linemates in past years. He may not keep up on the scoresheet, but he can be a functional offensive option for them.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Isaac Howard, William Nicholl, David Lewandowski, Matvey Petrov, Roby Jarventie, Maksim Berezkin
C: Dalyn Wakely, Jayden Grubbe, Aidan Park
RW: Matt Savoie, Brady Stonehouse, Tommy Lafreniere, Petr Hauser, Quinn Hutson
LD: Asher Barnett, Paul Fischer, Nikita Yevseyev
RD: Beau Akey, Albin Sundin
G: Eemil Vinni, Daniel Salonen, Samuel Jonsson, Nathaniel Day, Connor Ungar
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.
Seattle Kraken Announce 2025 Preseason ScheduleThe Seattle Kraken have announced their preseason schedule for the 2025-26 season. They will play six games in total and kick things off against the Vancouver Canucks, on Sunday, September 21st at Climate Pledge Arena. This will be a great chance to see young prospects and veterans in action throughout the training camp process.
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