The Edmonton Oilers are going to be a wagon this season, and it feels like the team is all set to start the regular season. With just a few open spots and question marks in the star-laden lineup, the team on the ice looks to be just about set.
Equally importantly, the Oilers’ future stars are getting set to start their 2024–25 seasons and hoping to have good years as they try to fight their way to the Oilers’ lineup in a few years. Here is where they will all be playing:
Maxim Beryozkin
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 Draft, Maxim Beryozkin will be back in the KHL this year with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. He’s off to a roaring start with seven points in his first 11 games with the club.
Maxim Denezhkin
Another late round Russian, Denezhkin is also playing in the KHL this year but with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. He has four points so far on the year.
Albin Sundin
Not a relative of NHL great Mats Sundin, the Swedish defenceman was drafted this past year and has potential to be a good two-way defenceman in a few years. He will spend the year in Sweden, likely in the SHL with Frolunda HC. He doesn’t have any points yet through five games.
Bauer Berry
Another 2024 draft pick, the imposing defenceman is back in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He is a commit of the University of St. Thomas, where he is expected to start next season.
Nikita Yevseyev
The 2022 draft pick spent last year split between the VHL and KHL, spending more time in the former than the latter. He should spend most of the year in the KHL this year if all goes well, and plays for AK Bars Kazan.
Matt Copponi
The final draft pick from 2023 had a massive year in the NCAA last year, putting up 32 points in 30 games for Merrimack College. He has transferred to Boston University for his senior year, and should play a major role this year.
Beau Akey
One of the Oilers’ top defencemen in the system, Akey has been bitten by the injury bug of late. He has been sent back to junior hockey, and will spend the year with the Barrie Colts.
Carl Berglund
Signed out of college at the end of the 2022–23 season, the Swedish forward spent most of last season the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets. Hopefully he can earn a larger role in the AHL with Bakersfield this season.
Matvei Petrov
The former OHL standout will play his second season in the AHL this season with Bakersfield and will be hoping to make a bigger impact. Expect a breakout year from the Russian.
Sam O’Reilly
The Oilers traded up to get Sam O’Reilly in the first round of the 2024 Draft and he has impressed so far. The forward will be back in London with the Knights this season.
Noah Philp
After not playing last season, the former University of Alberta Golden Bear could be in the Oilers’ lineup this season. He will probably bounce between the AHL and NHL, with the hope that he sticks it out in the latter this year.
Matthew Savoie
After a very impressive junior hockey career, Matthew Savoie will be in the AHL this year with Bakersfield. Expect him to have a bit of a transition as he gets used to the speed of the league, but then to really impress as the year goes on.
Connor Clattenburg
A human wrecking ball, Clattenberg was very impressive at the Penticton Young Stars Classic and at training camp. He is back in the OHL with the Flint Firebirds as their captain.
William Nicholl
The Oilers’ most recent seventh round pick had a fine year with the London Knights last year with 20 points in 65 games. He is back with the team for his 19-year-old season this year and hoping for a point-per-game year.
Raphael Lavoie
Now entering his fourth year in the AHL, this is a make-or-break season for Lavoie. He has seen improvement in his production since joining the league, but hasn’t done enough to show he deserves a permanent role. This has to be a year that he earns and keeps a spot in the NHL.
Roby Jarventie
Currently injured, Jarventie will be in the AHL this year to start the season. This will be his first year in the league, and should be a good one.
Shane Lachance
Lachance is going into his second season in the NCAA with Boston University and it should be a big one for him. After putting up 27 points in 40 games, Lachance will be hoping to be a point-per-game player this year as he takes on the captaincy of the team.
Paul Fischer
The 2023 fifth-round pick will be back at Notre Dame again this year. He had an outstanding rookie campaign, putting up 16 points in 34 games as a defenceman. He will be looking to take another step forward this coming season with the Fighting Irish.
Tomas Mazura
The centreman will be back in the NCAA again this year with St. Lawrence University. He had 20 points in 34 games last year and will be hoping to improve on that.
Dalyn Wakely
One of the standouts from last year’s draft, Wakely will be back in the OHL for his 20-year-old season with the North Bay Battalion. He had 104 points in 66 games last year, good for third in the league, and should be pushing to be the top scorer in the league.
Max Wanner
Going into his second season in the AHL, Wanner will be hoping to take a big step forward in his development. He was very good in Penticton this year and will be pushing for a call up to the big club this season.
James Stefan
The undrafted forward was signed last season after putting up 101 points in 67 games for the Portland Winterhawks. He will start this season in Bakersfield as a rookie in the AHL.
Brady Stonehouse
Another undrafted forward, the Oilers signed the former Ottawa 67 to a contract. Stonehouse had 44 points in 64 games this past season and will join the Condors this year.
Jayden Grubbe
The Oilers acquired Grubbe from the New York Rangers for a fifth-round pick a couple years back. He finished his first season in the AHL with 14 points in 67 games, and will be back with the Condors again this year.
Olivier Rodrigue
Rodrigue was very good for the Condors last year, putting up a 0.916 save percentage in 37 games. Expect him to bounce between the AHL and NHL this year if injuries occur to Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard.
Connor Ungar
The undrafted netminder was signed last year after an outstanding season with Brock University in USports. He will likely take the backup job in Bakersfield, but will fight with Rodrigue and 30-year-old Collin Delia for that job.
Eemil Vinni
The Oilers’ second-round pick this past year, Vinni was one of the top goalie prospects in the draft. He spent last season in the Finnish Mestis (second highest league) as a 17-year-old, and has been loaned again to JoKP in that league for the time being. He should hopefully spend some time in Liiga this year as well.
Prospects all over
Definitely not the best prospect group that the Oilers have ever had, but there are a number of players who show real promise in the lineup. If the top prospects, like O’Reilly, Savoie, Akey, and more can have big years, it could extend the Oilers’ win-window even further than expected. Only time will tell.
