An Edmonton Oilers prospect update has been long overdue, as teams return from the holiday break. After plenty of moves before the holiday roster freeze many things have since calmed down with new faces finding good stability in new places.
Let’s examine everything post-holiday season.
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 to go along with a feature one one standout prospect in Edmonton’s system. We have defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games, and is born 2001 or earlier.
New Year resolutions for top Oilers prospects
Maxim Beryozkin: A hope to find last season’s form.
Isaac Howard: To round out his game and become as much of a defensive weapon as he is an offensive one, and maybe a sprinkle of higher hockey IQ.
Quinn Hutson: To get a longer-term chance with the Oilers and more than six minutes of ice-time a game in those opportunities.
David Lewandowski: For the momentum in the WHL to continue, and for Germany to avoid relegation next WJC too.
Tommy Lafreniere: To prove that he actually is having a breakout year and that he is not in fact being carried by his teammates JP Hurlbet and Nathan Behm.
William Nicholl: To just return healthy and light up the second half of the OHL season.
Paul Fischer: To prove that his skillset is directly transferable to the NHL, also maybe some extra classes so he can graduate sooner and play professional hockey faster.
Samuel Jonsson: To prove that he is in fact the best goaltending prospect in the Oilers system, and to earn that call-up to Bakersfield.
Edmonton Oilers prospect updates
AHL
- The Bakersfield Condors have only appeared in two games since the last prospect update, where Bakersfield lost to the San Diego Gulls on the 27th, 5–2, and then beat the Coachella Valley Firebirds 7–3 on the 31st.
- The Condors are now 14–10–5, which is good for seventh in the AHL’s Pacific Division.
- Despite Hutson getting called up and down, he still sits fourth in the AHL’s scoring race.
- On January 1, Hutson and Howard both got called up to the Oilers. Max Jones and Connor Clattenburg were reassigned to the Condors in a following roster transaction.
ECHL
- The ECHL players strike ended right before the New Year’s, as the sides ratified a new players’ agreement.
- Fort Wayne has only played one game since the strike has been lifted. This game was a 4–3 loss to the Bloomington Bisons on the 31st.
- The Komets are now tied for first with the Toledo Walleye, with a 16–7–4 record. This is one of the first times Fort Wayne has been tied with a team for first with their 36 points all season.
- With James Stefan being called up to the Condors, the next leading Oilers affiliated prospect is Jayden Grubbe, who has four goals and nine assists across 20 games played.
- Recently acquired defenceman Tyson Fiest was called up to the Condors on the 29th. This comes after the defender was part of the Pitlick trade last week. Forward Odeen Tufto left the Komets for an opportunity with the ECHL team Adirondack Thunder on the 31st.
Europe
- Petr Hauser returned to action this past week, with two games. He played Mountfield HK on the 28th, and played against Motor Ceske Budejovice in a thrilling 3–2 SOW on the 30th. In the latter Hauser also found the back of the net for the 3rd time this season.
NCAA
- Expect NCAA action to start up this weekend again as players return from the holidays.
OHL
- 2024 seventh rounder, William Nicholl, made his season debut on New Years eve in a 5–1 loss to the Sarnia Sting. Expect the 2006-born prospect to bring high energy, good pressure exertion, and pace to every game this season.
WHL
- One positive for not being at the World Juniors? You get to rack up points when many of the leading scorers are away. At least this is what Oilers 2025 third-rounder, Tommy Lafreniere is learning as he totalled six points in his last three games post-Christmas. This includes a five point outing against the Hitmen on the 27th, a 7–3 loss to the Giants on the 28th, and 5–3 win with an assist against the Prince George Cougars on the 30th.
Russia
- Defender Nikita Yevseyev has been busy holiday season or not. He’s appeared in three games since Christmas, averaging around 18 minutes a game, and even scored his third goal of the season in his latest game on the 30th against Sibir Novosibirsk. Senses and mobility remain his strongest assets, but he struggles in physical situations and against high pace opponents.
- Beryozkin has appeared in two games since Christmas as well, a 2–0 loss to Dynamo Moskva on the 25th, and a 1–0 victory against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on the 30th, where he scored his team’s lone goal.
Forwards
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maxim Beryozkin | RW | 40 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 0.40 | 10 | Yaroslavl Lokomitiv | KHL |
| Connor Clattenburg | LW | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.13 | 71 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Jayden Grubbe | C/RW | 20 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 0.65 | 17 | Fort Wayne Komets | ECHL |
| Isaac Howard | LW/RW | 16 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 1.44 | 2 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Petr Hauser | RW | 29 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0.25 | 14 | HC Vitkovice | Czechia |
| Quinn Hutson | RW/LW | 26 | 19 | 13 | 32 | 1.23 | 28 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Roby Järventie | LW/RW | 25 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 0.80 | 16 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Tommy Lafreniere | RW/C | 35 | 24 | 21 | 45 | 1.29 | 14 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL |
| David Lewandowski | LW | 28 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 1.14 | 20 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL |
| Viljami Marjala | LW/C | 29 | 7 | 16 | 25 | 0.86 | 6 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| William Nicholl | C/LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | London Knights | OHL |
| Aidan Park | C | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0.50 | 18 | University of Michigan | NCAA |
| Matvei Petrov | LW/RW | 15 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0.27 | 2 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Josh Samanski | C/LW | 29 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 0.79 | 32 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| James Stefan | RW/LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Brady Stonehouse | RW/LW | 27 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.71 | 16 | Fort Wayne Komets | ECHL |
| Dalyn Wakely | C | 17 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.71 | 16 | UMass-Lowell | NCAA |
Defence
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beau Akey | RD | 16 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0.38 | 8 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Asher Barnett | LD | 20 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0.40 | 8 | University of Michigan | NCAA |
| Bauer Berry | LD | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0.22 | 10 | University of St. Thomas | NCAA |
| Damien Carfagna | LD | 23 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0.30 | 6 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Paul Fischer | LD | 16 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 0.94 | 20 | University of Notre Dame | NCAA |
| Albin Sundin | RD | 30 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0.20 | 10 | Timra IK | SHL |
| Nikita Yevseyev | LD | 39 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 0.28 | 24 | Amur Khabarovsk | KHL |
Goaltenders
| Player | GP | GAA | SV% | Record | SO | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel Day | 15 | 2.53 | .895 | 9-4-2 | 2 | Fort Wayne Komets | ECHL |
| Samuel Jonsson | 10 | 2.55 | .896 | 5–3–2 | 3 | Fort Wayne Komets | ECHL |
| Connor Ungar | 2 | 2.50 | .926 | 2–0-0 | 0 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Daniel Salonen | 17 | 2.65 | .876 | 8-5–2 | 2 | Lukko | Liiga |
| Eemil Vinni | 16 | 2.92 | .886 | 8-4-4 | 1 | JoKP | Mestis |
