The Edmonton Oilers’ prospects saw plenty of action this past week. Despite some strong individual performances across all leagues, we had to give this week’s spotlight to the return of Dylan Holloway. Let’s dive right into it!
Welcome to the TOR Edmonton Oilers prospect update. Each week, we’ll take a dive into how the Oilers’ prospects have done in their respective leagues. We have defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games, and is younger than 25 years of age. All data is from EliteProspects. We also use an NHLe calculator built by Christian Roatis (@Croatis) which is used to estimate a player’s equivalent point total in the NHL based on how they are performing in their respective league. The calculator uses the difficulty of the given league combined with the ease at which a player puts up points to determine the NHLe.
Holloway returns to the Condors
There have been some bright spots, but in general it has been a pretty frustrating post-draft career for Dylan Holloway. Long injury layoffs have been the foremost issue here, though in his biggest sample of games in a given league season Holloway found himself firmly at the bottom of the Oilers lineup card.
Holloway had an outstanding training camp, leading both Stuart Skinner and Philip Broberg in preseason Calder hype, so the Oilers were justified in including him on the opening night roster. However, with so much time lost to injury, Holloway has yet to have a long term role on any team. Playing games is a significant part of developing, and Holloway’s experience does leave something to be desired; he totals 23 NCAA games, 36 AHL games, and 51 NHL regular season games since his draft almost three years ago in 2020. Holloway added five AHL playoff games and one NHL playoff game, or 116 games over three seasons, an average of under 39 games per season.
For that reason, when Holloway was reassigned to the Bakersfield Condors, it was probably a good sign for his development. A greater role and more icetime are exactly what the forward needs at this point of his career. Unfortunately, Holloway was injured right after his demotion to Bakersfield, once again stalling Holloway’s development.
The good news is that Holloway is back from injury and picking up where he left off with a big role on the Condors as they try to solidify their playoff standing. The Condors went 2–1–0 on the week, in part thanks to Holloway’s return.
This has been Holloway’s spot on the Condors power play, his weak side flank. Holloway has confidence operating from this spot, acting as a primary option. His first shot attempt misses, but the Condors are able to work the puck back up around the wall to the other point. Holloway is proactive here, sliding down towards the net. Even though Cam Dineen doesn’t see Holloway, who is open for a pass or slap pass here, Dineen’s shot being blocked has a similar effect. Holloway’s strong anticipation leads to his finding this loose puck in prime position, easily fired home for his second AHL tally of the season.
Though it doesn’t result in a goal, Holloway shows us a lot to like on this play. Once again the anticipation is key, as Holloway senses that his team will win the puck battle and begins attacking up ice. No other player is so far ahead of the play as Holloway is here, allowing him to get behind the defence. Holloway has the speed and strength to hold off the back pressure and make a move on the breakaway.
Holloway follows this up with a growing hallmark of his game, some nifty puck control in the corners. Holloway finds a teammate for a sharp angle shot attempt.
This and that
AHL
Raphael Lavoie breaks into the offensive zone along the boards, firing a cross seam pass in stride to an open teammate. The pass is high quality, enough for Noah Philp to score from a distance we are not used to seeing from him with a one-timer.
The pass clearly takes the defence by complete surprise. Lavoie disguises his thoughts by not staring Philp down, and attacks with speed and decisiveness.
Though James Hamblin scores the goal, this play has Lavoie’s fingerprints all over it. Starting in the neutral zone Lavoie sends a quality area pass off the boards, hitting Seth Griffith in stride. Lavoie continues his up ice momentum, driving the centre lane off the rush. The defender sells out to tie him up, but Lavoie’s size, strength, and skill come into play, allowing him to make another smart pass to an open teammate. Hamblin does not miss on the grade A opportunity, and quickly acknowledges his teammates’ work during the celebration.
We’ve seen tons of shooting highlights from Lavoie, but these highlights show us a playmaking side of his skill set, with both smart efficient plays and highlight reel set ups.
Regardless of what happens during the AHL and NHL playoff seasons, next training camp will be a crucial time for Lavoie, perhaps a defining moment for his time with the Oilers. The back half of this season has seen Lavoie finally find the consistency of a top scorer in the AHL, and no longer waiver exempt next season, there is little doubt he has earned a shot in the NHL.
The same might be said for Lavoie and Holloway, to allow the duo to contribute at their highest level as long as they can this season. Sure, they might be interesting playoff x-factors, and significant injuries to the Oilers forwards might force their hand in calling them up. As it stands the confidence and experience of being dominant players on a nightly basis is the most important for the two, as it might be the last season that either will have the chance to be relied upon so heavily.
This save is calm, cool, and collected from Olivier Rodrigue, square to the shot off the rush. More than this particular play is Rodrigue’s overall season.
Rodrigue has been a revelation overall, greatly improving his numbers from last season, in fact carrying the Condors for long stretches this season. Of late his starts have waned, as veteran Calvin Pickard returned from injury.
This week was a strong one for Rodrigue who won both of his starts while stopping 48/50 shots.
ECHL
It seems like it has been a big year for goalie goals with Ryan Fanti joining in on the fun. This is a classic, from behind the net off the dump in, Fanti stops the puck before spinning down to the empty net. Shooting percentages can vary but Fanti does have a chance of maintaining his elevated shooting percentage as he works his way up into higher leagues.
In all seriousness it has been a decent season for Fanti. Regardless of any specific statistics or the fact that he finds himself in the ECHL, Fanti cemented himself as the Fort Wayne Komets starter and best goalie this season. In his rookie season as a professional this is a good step for Fanti, who also has a fight this month.
OHL
Matvey Petrov occupies the middle of the blueline on this power play, earning a primary assist in setting up his teammate for the one timer. Petrov is known for his shot, but has shown a lot of skill as a playmaker in leading the North Bay Battalion to a strong season.
Another primary assist on the power play, Petrov stands at the far hash mark. He is quick and crisp with the pass, working the give and go with Seattle Kraken defence prospect Ty Nelson.
This is Petrov’s final OHL season, likely bound to join the Condors next season. Though Petrov had a prolific offensive output this season it is nearly identical to his work from last season. This shouldn’t be a concern, as Petrov was able to build new chemistry and showed off some new skills, a sign that his overall game has rounded out a bit. We shall see how his offensive prowess transfers to the professional ranks, but for now Petrov has acquitted himself nicely as a legitimate prospect.
WHL
Jake Chiasson has fit in nicely since being traded to Saskatoon, especially in a new role on the power play. Closer to the net front, Chiasson has shown strength and poise in operating in the tough ice, as he does here, fighting off a defender to find an open teammate.
Chiasson’s Blades will face Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats in the first round of the playoffs, so it might be worth checking out a game or two if you have the access to.
KHL
With his Lokomotiv team trailing in the second round playoff series 3–1, the the game tied 0–0 late in the third, this is a huge goal from Maxim Beryozkin. Along the far boards through the neutral zone, Beryozkin patiently works his way into the slot. Trailing the play perfectly, a teammate finds Beryozkin wide open, with time and space to execute a curl and drag shot in a singular motion, beating the goalie clean.
USHL
Shane Lachance is ready to move on from the USHL onto the NCAA, which will happen next season. Lachance has dominated the USHL as a goal scorer, with size, speed, and a dangerous shot. Lachance shows why he is captain material here, operating as a net front presence despite his stature as one of the league’s best players.
Perhaps not too dissimilarly from Petrov and the OHL, there is certainly an interesting possibility that Lachance can carry over his success to higher levels, earning far greater acclaim as a prospect along the way.
NCAA
This Skyler Brind’Amour goal held up as the game winner earning Quinnipiac a trip to the Frozen 4. Brind’Amour begins by coming high in the zone, sending a support pass to his defenceman. He cycles down towards the net, finding the loose puck in space in prime position. This is an embodiment of Brind’Amour’s offensive game, simple, fundamental, far more substance than style.
Though he does not figure to be a scoring threat at higher levels, Brind’Amour should be an interesting prospect as a defensive centre. For now his season will continue, but once it ends Brind’Amour might find himself signing with the Oilers, likely joining the Condors, or waiting until the summer to become a free agent.
NHLe Leaderboard
NHLe is a metric used to estimate a player’s offensive output at the NHL level from their point totals in their respective league. Here are the Oilers’ current top five (bracketed numbers denote movement from the previous week).
- Matvey Petrov 37.9 (1)
- Maxim Beryozkin 33.0 (2)
- Raphael Lavoie 30.7 (3)
- Dylan Holloway 26.7 (N/A)
- Patrik Puistola 24.8 (4)
Overall regular season totals for Oilers’ prospects
Forwards
| Player | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PPG | PIM | +/- | NHLeLeague | NHLe |
| Justin Bailey (RW/LW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 49 | 18 | 12 | 30 | 0.61 | 40 | -5 | AHL | 24.3 |
| Tyler Benson (LW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 36 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 0.61 | 29 | -4 | AHL | 24.3 |
| Carl Berglund (C) | totals | 38 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 0.71 | 12 | 7 | Hockey East | 22.9 | |
| Maxim Beryozkin (RW/LW) | totals | 61 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 0.52 | 22 | 7 | KHL | 33.0 | |
| Jake Chiasson (C/RW) | totals | 70 | 20 | 38 | 58 | 0.83 | 26 | -15 | WHL | 20.6 | |
| Maxim Denezhkin (C) | totals | 39 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 0.54 | 90 | 1 | VHL | 17.8 | |
| Seth Griffith (C/RW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 63 | 17 | 39 | 56 | 0.89 | 30 | -12 | AHL | 20.4 |
| James Hamblin (LW/C) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 43 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 0.58 | 12 | -1 | AHL | 23.1 |
| Dylan Holloway (LW/C) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.67 | 2 | 0 | AHL | 26.7 |
| Mattias Janmark (C/W) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | AHL | 39.9 |
| Klim Kostin (LW/RW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.44 | 15 | -4 | AHL | 17.5 |
| Shane Lachance (LW) | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | 54 | 30 | 18 | 48 | 0.89 | 45 | 10 | USHL | 19.7 |
| Raphaël Lavoie (C/RW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 52 | 22 | 18 | 40 | 0.77 | 39 | 9 | AHL | 30.7 |
| Jeremias Lindewall (RW/LW) | Östersunds IK | HockeyAllsvenskan | 35 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0.17 | 12 | -16 | HockeyAllsvenskan | |
| Brad Malone (C/LW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 35 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 0.54 | 24 | 4 | AHL | 12.4 |
| Tomas Mazura (C) | St. Lawrence Univ. | NCAA | 28 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 0.43 | 8 | 2 | ECAC | 9.9 |
| Greg McKegg (C/W) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 60 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 0.32 | 60 | 5 | AHL | 10.3 |
| Matvei Petrov (RW/LW) | North Bay Battalion | OHL | 65 | 27 | 66 | 93 | 1.43 | 32 | 31 | OHL | 37.9 |
| Noah Philp (C) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 62 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 0.47 | 44 | 1 | AHL | 18.7 |
| Patrik Puistola (RW/LW) | Jukurit | Liiga | 60 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 0.67 | 12 | -8 | Liiga | 24.8 |
| Carter Savoie (LW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 43 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 0.26 | 18 | -17 | AHL | 10.4 |
| Devin Shore (C) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | AHL | 39.9 |
| Tyler Tullio (C/RW) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 54 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 0.48 | 14 | 2 | AHL | 19.1 |
| Joel Määttä (C) | Univ. of Vermont | NCAA | 36 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0.39 | 18 | -10 | Hockey East | 12.6 |
Defencemen
| Player | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PPG | PIM | +/- | NHLeLeague | NHLe |
| Philip Broberg (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.57 | 0 | -2 | AHL | 22.7 |
| Jason Demers (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 51 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 0.33 | 71 | -9 | AHL | 8.2 |
| Vincent Desharnais (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.15 | 19 | 1 | AHL | 3.7 |
| Cam Dineen (D) | totals | 60 | 4 | 38 | 42 | 0.7 | 14 | -11 | AHL | 27.9 | |
| Philip Kemp (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 62 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 0.29 | 45 | 10 | AHL | 11.6 |
| Luca Münzenberger (D) | Univ. of Vermont | NCAA | 28 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0.18 | 24 | -9 | Hockey East | 5.5 |
| Markus Niemeläinen (D) | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 28 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0.25 | 16 | 1 | AHL | 10.0 |
| Maximus Wanner (D) | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 44 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 0.68 | 45 | 23 | WHL | 16.8 |
| Nikita Yevseyev (D) | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 48 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0.15 | 11 | 7 | KHL | 9.9 |
Goalies
| Player | Team | League | GP | GAA | SV% |
| Calvin Pickard | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 32 | 2.8 | 0.909 |
| Olivier Rodrigue | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 26 | 2.91 | 0.906 |
| Samuel Jonsson | Rögle BK J20 | J20 Nationelle | 27 | 2.65 | 0.902 |
| Ryan Fanti | Fort Wayne Komets | ECHL | 30 | 3.42 | 0.896 |
| Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 8 | 3.71 | 0.884 |
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
