One Edmonton Oilers player who has not really been talked about this year is their 24-year-old Russian winger, Vasily Podkolzin. Yes, we know that the start to the 2025–26 campaign for Edmonton has been pretty rocky at times and sometimes even just bad overall; while it takes the Oilers a month or two into the season to get in their groove, there have been some elite and quiet players who have started the season off strong with great production. Podkolzin has been one of those players.
Currently, one of the youngest players in the Edmonton Oilers lineup, Podkolzin has started the season off strong, with four goals and six assists, for a total of 10 points in his first 26 games this year. What I think is pretty interesting to note is that Podkolzin’s best season happened during his rookie season, 2021–22, where he produced 14 goals and 12 assists, for a total of 26 points in his first 79 games.
How realistic is a career-best season for Podkolzin?
With the season that Vasily Podkolzin is already having, how realistic is a career-best season for him? When you consider that he has played 26 games so far and has 10 points, he could play 56 more games, which means that he would have played the entire 82-game season. If he can stay healthy and avoid any injuries/illnesses, not missing a game this season is definitely possible. If Podkolzin manages to play every game this season, that will be the biggest key factor in determining how realistic a career-best season for him actually is.
Vasily has currently been playing on the second line with Leon Draisaitl and Andrew Mangiapane. The fact that he can earn second-line minutes is very beneficial to him, finishing the season with a career high in goals, assists, and points. Right now, Podkolzin is averaging 15:11 of time on ice per game (last season, he was earning approximately 13:13 per game). Playing almost two minutes longer every game compared to where he was at last season will help his career season chase in a big way. When you get the chance to play with arguably the second-best player in the world, the chances of you getting goals or assists will drastically improve.
Can he produce at this rate until the end of the season?
One of, if not the hardest thing for Vasily Podkolzin to do, will be to either continue or improve his rate of production until the end of the season. As of writing, Vasily is currently averaging approximately 0.38 points per game. If he can continue to produce at this pace for the final 56 games, he will earn approximately 21.3 points based on that stat line. By the end of the season, that would put him at around 31 total points and would give him five more points than his previous best.
In terms of Podkolzin’s goals and assist rates, he is currently averaging 0.15 goals per game and 0.23 assists per game. If this were able to continue, he would earn approximately 8.4 more goals and 12.9 more assists based on the rates he already has. These numbers would put him at a total of 12 goals, 19 assists by the end of the season, and 31 points—as I had mentioned earlier. Obviously, if Podkolzin can improve these averages and stay consistent, he will more than likely shatter his career best of 26 points.
Why is Podkolzin considered a sleeper to the NHL, Media, and organization?
With the season that Vasily Podkolzin is currently having and the way that the entire NHL season has played out so far, he is, in my opinion, considered a sleeper to not just the league, but to the media and the Oilers organization as well. There are other names of players and teams that are currently being talked about more than the Oilers and Podkolzin. Hopefully, more people realize that Vasily is quietly having a very solid season.
Podkolzin is only 24 years old and is not even in his “NHL Prime” yet. Stats have said that the average age for a league player in their prime is 27. I do not know how accurate that statement is at this moment, but I have heard it said before. Based on the season that Podkolzin is having and when you consider that the Edmonton Oilers are most likely going to improve their gameplay and find their rhythm, I think that Podkolzin is going to shatter his career best.
I predict that he is going to finish with 20 goals and 20 assists, for a season total of 40 points and a career best across the board. He would have to average approximately 0.54 points per game, without missing a game, for the final 56 games of the season.
Oilers Fans! What do you think of Vasily Podkolzin’s season so far? Do you think that he will have a career-best season? Let us know in the comments.
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