Edmonton Oilers Prospects Roundup: Which prospects are rising or falling

Seasons are starting to wrap up. With the Scandinavian leagues, KHL, and NCAA all heading towards the playoffs, this means Edmonton Oilers prospects either have to lock in or are already done for the season.

With seasons concluding now, it is the perfect time to look at some prospects who have raised or lowered their stock.

Let’s take a look at everything in the Oilers organization from the past week.

Welcome to the TOR Edmonton Oilers prospect update. We have defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games and was born in 2001 or later.

Four prospects that are on the rise

There are a handful of Oilers prospects that have had a breakout season this year so far, so here are four prospects that have impressed us the most here at the Oil Rig this season.

Tommy Lafreniere, Forward, Kamloops Blazers, WHL

Lafreniere has had a great season by all standards. The two-way forward has shattered all of his previous personal bests this season. The defensive play of Lafreniere has also been a consistent area of performance, which bodes well for his skill transfer to higher levels of play.

The third-round selection has proven he can be an offensive finisher with 41 goals on the campaign so far, and has improved puck skills. He looks poised to make the jump to the Western Michigan University Mustangs next year.

David Lewandowski, Forward, Saskatoon Blades, WHL

The main question surrounding the 2025 fourth-rounder was the offensive play driving. Well the German import has certainly proved that he is capable of pushing the pace and creating. This creation blends seamlessly with his hard-nosed skill set.

The power forward looks more and more like a legitimate NHL-level prospect with every passing week, and the Oilers might have just found a diamond in the rough and a possible depth member of their forward core.

Asher Barnett, Defence, University of Michigan, NCAA

Very little was expected of the 2025 fifth rounder, but the Michigan defender impressed on every account. Barnett’s unexpected Team USA WJC appearance and his blueline offensive production, mixed with his defensive nature, bode well for his overall development.

Between him, fellow Oilers draftee Aiden Park, and countless other NHL prospects, Michigan will be hockey to watch if you are an Edmonton fan next season.

Eemil Vinni, Goaltender, Ketterä, Mestis

Vinni’s season was starting to look bleak, as the once-touted second-round pick was floundering in the Mestis with JoKP. After a midseason loan to Ketterä, the 20-year-old goaltender has found his spark again, with quality start after quality start, posting a save percentage north of .940.

If he can build off of this momentum next season and work his way up to Liiga, Oilers fans may get to see him in North America in the next three or so years. The future is bright for one of the many young goaltending prospects within the Oilers system.

Four prospects that are faltering

Alternatively, some prospects have had somewhat disappointing seasons so far. Here are four prospects whose value has dropped along with their less-than-ideal performances.

Petr Hauser, Forward, HC Vitkovice, Czechia

The playmaking Hauser has not executed offensively or defensively this season. At one point, he even earned himself a demotion to the Czechia2. With him largely serving in a depth role with Vitkovice, Hauser would be a long shot to earn an NHL ELC this season.

It’s unlikely that fans will have to get too familiar with the European, as he is a prime candidate to go untenured with his rights expiring this June.

Matvei Petrov, Forward, Bakersfield Condors, AHL

Petrov was a junior hockey star in the MHL and with North Bay in the OHL. His skillset as a sniping, offensively minded forward has not transitioned well to the professional ranks. This has led to decreased ice-time, special teams usage, and production.

Now in his third full season in the AHL with Bakersfield, the soft-skilled Petrov has yet to crack the 20-point mark in the minor leagues. Petrov’s game does not add to the off-puck or defensive areas, so he is relied upon to score.

Petrov could be a candidate to sign in Europe, as his AHL stint has not worked out, and his contract expires at the end of the season.

Beau Akey, Bakersfield Condors, AHL

It has been a rough first professional season for Akey. As the once-highly touted prospect ranked as high as second in our prospect rankings, but has failed to live up to the hype this season. Between his ECHL stint and consistent but unproductive shifts in the AHL, Akey has yet to find his groove.

There’s still plenty of time for the 21-year-old defender, but with his second-round selection in 2023, and slight OHL regression, his NHL prospects are looking slightly more concerning.

Nathaniel Day, Fort Wayne Komets, ECHL

Last season, Day was unstoppable in his small ECHL sample size. Now? Not so much. Considering the level he is playing at, Day has been the goaltending prospect who has struggled the most in the Oilers organization.

His movement is still slightly sporadic, and his reaction time needs work. Ideally, if Day can rebound next season in the ECHL, he may earn a call-up to the Condors. One bad season (on a really good team) won’t break his career, but he does need a rebound year in 2026–27.

Edmonton Oilers prospect updates

AHL

• The Condors split their pair of games this past week. They lost to the San Diego Gulls 7–4 on the March 20, but rebounded with a 1–0 shutout win against the Wranglers on the March 21. Bakersfield is back in action on the 27th and 28th when they take on the Texas Stars.
• With only 11 games in the season left for Bakersfield, they are solidly in the hunt for a playoff spot. They are fourth in the Pacific Division with a 32–19–10 record and 74 points. The Pacific Division itself is jammed packed, though, as fourth place and seventh place are separated by only four points.
• Connor Clattenburg is fully back for the Condors from injury. Expect him to be a physical difference maker. Isaac Howard has been inconsistent this season, but continues to show off the scoring touch some games.
• Condors forward Roby Jarventie was an emergency call-up for the Oilers on the 18th. Recently acquired forward Josh Bloom got the corresponding call-up to Bakersfield on the 22nd.

ECHL

• Fort Wayne enters Wednesday on a three-game winning streak. The Komets picked up a pair of 3–2 victories against Cincinnati with a 3–2 over time win on the 20th, and a 3–2 regulation win on the 21st.
• Much like the Condors, the Komets are very much in the ECHL playoff picture. With 12 games left in their season, they are second in the Central Division with 81 points and a 36–15–9 record.
• Fort Wayne continues to battle Toledo for first place, but the third-place Indy Fuel have only 69 points on the season, so it truly is only a two-man dogfight for the Central.
• James Stefan has been out since mid-February. When Stefan returns, expect him to provide a jolt to the Komets’ lineup. In Jonsson’s last two games, he has only allowed two goals on 51 combined shots. It’s safe to say Jonsson is finding his groove again in the ECHL.
• Lots of movement for Fort Wayne this past week. Players who joined the organization include: forward Jens Richard (University of Vermont), William Dufour (Grand Rapids Griffins), and defender Josh Atkinson (Greensboro Swamp Rabbits). Players who left include forwards Josh Bloom (Condors), Connor Milburn (Greensboro Swamp Rabbits), and defender Louka Henault (Tahoe Knight Monsters).

NCAA

• Defender Bauer Berry’s freshman season is now complete. The physical bruiser had a moderately successful season after working his way up the lineup and was even more offensively productive than in his USHL career. He even capped the season off with an assist in his final game against Minnesota State Univ. (Mankato) on the 20th.
• Michigan played its final regularseason game against Ohio State University on the 20th. Barnett has seen a massive improvement in his game and stock this season, with an appearance for Team USA at the WJC and consistent play all season. Park has another developmental season under his belt.

OHL

• William Nicholl is a soft-skilled two-way forward. He is on a three-game goal streak with one in games against the Guelph Storm on the 18th, Windsor Spitfires, and Flint Firebirds. Expect him to build off this momentum as the OHL playoffs are almost here.

WHL

• Blades forward Lewandowski had a three-point outing against the Brandon Wheat Kings on the 18th. The German was a bit quieter in his games on the 20th and 21st. His off-puck play is great with good physicality, awareness, and motor. Lewandowski’s offensive play continues to grow this season.
• Lafreniere reached the 40-goal mark after a three-goal week. He is having a breakout season on the WHL’s most productive line. His transferability to the NCAA next season will be interesting.

Russia

• After the conclusion of the KHL regular season for Amur Khabarovsk on the 19th, Oilers prospect Nikita Yevseyev is expected to return to AK Bars Kazan for the 2026–27 season, now that his season-long loan is complete.
• Maxim Beryozkin enters the playoffs on a seven-game point streak after scoring a goal in his final regular season game of the campaign against Metallurg Magnitogorsk on the 20th. Beryozkin and team are playing against Spartak Moskva in the KHL quarterfinals.

*Denotes Playoff Stats

Forwards

Player	Position	GP	G	A	P	P/GP	PIM	Team	League
Maxim Beryozkin	RW	64	7	25	32	0.50	18	Yaroslavl Lokomitiv	KHL
Samuel Poulin	W/C	60	16	24	40	0.67	36	Bakersfield Condors	AHL
Connor Clattenburg	LW	24	2	1	3	0.13	106	Bakersfield Condors	AHL
Josh Bloom	LW/RW	22	15	14	29	1.31	10	Fort Wayne Komets	ECHL
Petr Hauser	RW	41	3	7	10	0.24	16	HC Vitkovice	Czechia
Quinn Hutson	RW/LW	56	27	26	53	0.95	78	Bakersfield Condors	AHL
Roby Järventie	LW/RW	52	17	19	36	0.69	24	Bakersfield Condors	AHL
Tommy Lafreniere	RW/C	67	41	36	77	1.15	22	Kamloops Blazers	WHL
David Lewandowski	LW	57	17	48	65	1.14	42	Saskatoon Blades	WHL
Viljami Marjala	LW/C	61	13	35	48	0.79	20	Bakersfield Condors	AHL
William Nicholl	C/LW	32	15	11	26	0.81	14	London Knights	OHL
Aidan Park	C	37	8	8	16	0.43	28	University of Michigan	NCAA
Matvei Petrov	LW/RW	29	5	2	7	0.24	4	Bakersfield Condors	AHL
Josh Samanski	C/LW	45	8	23	31	0.69	40	Bakersfield Condors	AHL
James Stefan	RW/LW	38	17	17	34	0.89	10	Fort Wayne Komets	ECHL
Brady Stonehouse	RW/LW	43	6	11	17	0.40	33	Fort Wayne Komets	ECHL
Dalyn Wakely	C	35	7	12	19	0.54	34	UMass-Lowell	NCAA
Isaac Howard	LW/RW	37	17	21	38	1.03	8	Bakersfield Condors	AHL

Defence

Player	Position	GP	G	A	P	P/GP	PIM	Team	League
Beau Akey	RD	40	2	8	10	0.25	18	Bakersfield Condors	AHL
Asher Barnett	LD	37	5	13	18	0.49	12	University of Michigan	NCAA
Bauer Berry	LD	37	3	11	14	0.38	18	University of St. Thomas	NCAA
Damien Carfagna	LD	55	7	11	18	0.33	20	Bakersfield Condors	AHL
Paul Fischer	LD	33	6	17	23	0.70	39	University of Notre Dame	NCAA
Albin Sundin	RD	51	4	5	9	0.18	20	Timra IK	SHL
Nikita Yevseyev	LD	61	4	12	16	0.26	43	Amur Khabarovsk	KHL

Goaltenders

Player	GP	GAA	SV%	Record	SO	Team	League
Nathaniel Day	32	2.80	.891	17-8-7	3	Fort Wayne Komets	ECHL
Samuel Jonsson	27	2.24	.914	17-7-2	5	Fort Wayne Komets	ECHL
Connor Ungar	13	2.81	.908	3-6-3	1	Orlando Solar Bears	ECHL
Daniel Salonen	30	2.40	.887	14-7-7	3	Lukko	Liiga
Eemil Vinni*	6	1.52	.943	4-2-0	0	Ketterä	Mestis