With the 2026–27 NHL preseason underway, that means another NHL season is just around the corner. With a new season comes new prospects in the Edmonton Oilers system as they add five new prospects from the 2026 NHL draft. This late into September, some of those prospects have already started their seasons.
Let’s take a preview at what is in store for the prospect update this 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 2002 or earlier.
Isaac Howard, F, Bakersfield Condors, AHL
Where does Howard stand within the organization?
Howard enters the 2026–27 campaign as the #1 prospect within the Oiler’s system. Despite a fair amount of chances and appearances with the Oilers last season, the American who forced a trade out of Tampa Bay, more or less proved he was not NHL ready. He struggled to keep pace, create offence (when not being fed give-mes), and lacked a 200-foot game off puck.
When he was not scoring he was invisible. It was not all for nothing though as the winger did get named to the AHL-All Rookie team last season.
Here’s hoping for both the organization and fans alike that narrative can be re-done with a fresh season, and the fresh season gives the 22-year-old forward exactly that. A blank canvas.
What Howard needs to be successful
First but foremost, the young prospect needs to elevate his game, habits, and tendencies to the next level. The scoring habits that have found him success at both the NCAA, and AHL level simply don’t fool NHL level talent. Be it clearer offensive instincts, more route deception, or a higher hockey IQ that allows for better puck management and more distinct playmaking opportunities.
A portion of his lack of success could be attributed to his fourth line TOI of 10:18 last season, but at the same time Howard needs to display the transferability of his skillset to the NHL level in order for the youngster to earn more ice time. Something he has yet to do.
Yes Howard’s fluid skating, top-end shoot, and consistent offensive compete level in his game will allow him to be a gamebreaker at the lower levels. Those elements alone are not enough at the NHL level though.
The main areas of growth that need to continue in order for him to in his overall read of the game, defensive commitment, and puck management/placement. His vision has improved slightly, and the American is building more confidence on the puck, but those tendencies need to keep improving in order for him to show tangible NHL quality growth.
Outcome for Howard this season
Option #1 (Best Case): Howard shows real growth from the offseason, and likely does not make the team out of training camp, but makes it hard for the Oilers to ignore his development in the AHL. This would likely lead to a permanent call up a quarter of the way through the season in Novermber. Both Howard and the Oilers never look back.
Option #2 (Neutral Case): Howard spends the majority of the 2026–27 season in the awkward too-good for the AHL, but only a temporary NHL call-up role, before eventually getting packaged with other assets as part of a win-now trade deadline deal by the Oilers front office.
Option #3: (Bad Case): Howard spends the entirety of the 2026–27 campaign in the AHL, with equal point production, and no real tangible growth. The Oilers are put in this position heading into the 2027–28 campaign.
Edmonton Oilers prospect updates
AHL
- AHL preseason is set to begin on September 25, and the Bakersfield Condors have their regular season opener on October 3 against the Henderson Silver Knights.
- Key departures for this season include: Calvin Pickard (G), Cam Dineen (D), James Hamblin (F), Samuel Poulin (F), Matvei Petrov (F).
- New (NHL Affiliated) additions to the team this year include: All goalies minus Tomkins, Thomas Cibulka (D), Owen Michaels (F), William Nicholl (F), Aku Raty (F), and Eduards Tralmaks (F).
- As of the September 23, the Condors have five goalies assigned to the team, (Day, Jonsson, Ungar, Tomkins, and Vinni). Expect this list to be narrowed down to two by October.
- Expect the Oilers to make more roster cuts down to the Condors over the next handful of days.
ECHL
- The Fort Wayne Komets are the Edmonton Oilers ECHL affiliate for the 2026–27 campaign.
Europe
- Former Bakersfield Condors forward, Roby Jarventie, has now signed in the National League in Switzerland. The Oilers have retained his rights. The 24-year-old sniper is off to a blistering start with one goal and five assists across his first four regular season games with HC Ambri Piotta.
- 2026 third-round forward, Malcom Gastrin, has started his season with the U20 Nationell Club at the MoDo Academy. In his first six games the 18-year old forward has netted four goals and one assist. Watch Gastrin’s shooting, and mobility to be central in his skillset and growth as he ages up.
- 2025 sixth-round goalie prospect, Daniel Salonen, is back in the Liiga this season with Lukko. The 20-year-old goaltender has had a mixed bag of games, leading to a .875 across six outings this season. His most recent start was on the 22nd, against HPK, where he stopped 21 of 22 shots. Here’s hoping this is a sign of upward momentum.
NCAA
- 2026 seventh-round selection, Ryan Cameron, started his season this past week with a 4–1 win over the USNTDP Juniors on the 20th. The 6’2” goaltender stopped 25/26 shots in the performance. Camerons mobility, positioning, and play reads all led to his selection this past season.
Russia
- Note: We here at the Oil Rig do not consider Maxim Bereyozkin (despite his ranking earlier in the offseason) a prospect under our criteria this season.
- 2004-born defender, Nikita Yevseyev. is back in the KHL again this season. The speedy puck mover has also wracked up a pair of assists in his first eight games with his new club, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Look for the young defender to work his way up the lineup this season.
*Denotes Playoff Stats
Forwards
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Clattenburg | LW | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | |
| Rudolf Berzkalns | C | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | ||||||
| Isaac Howard | LW/RW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Malcom Gastrin | RW | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.83 | 0 | MoDo U20 | U20 (SWE) |
| Quinn Hutson | RW/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Roby Järventie | LW/RW | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1.50 | 2 | HC Ambri Piotta | NL |
| Tommy Lafreniere | RW/C | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| David Lewandowski | LW | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | ||||||
| Viljami Marjala | LW/C | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| William Nicholl | C/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Aidan Park | C | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of Michigan | NCAA |
| Caden Harvey | F | – | – | – | – | – | – | Windsor Spitfires | OHL |
| Josh Samanski | C/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| James Stefan | RW/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Fort Wayne Komets | ECHL |
| Brady Stonehouse | RW/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Dalyn Wakely | C | – | – | – | – | – | – | UMass-Lowell | NCAA |
| Owen Michaels | W/C | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
Defence
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beau Akey | RD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Asher Barnett | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of Michigan | NCAA |
| Bauer Berry | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of St. Thomas | NCAA |
| Damien Carfagna | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Paul Fischer | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of Notre Dame | NCAA |
| Zack Sharp | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Western Michigan University | NCAA |
| Nikita Yevseyev | LD | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.25 | 0 | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | KHL |
| Tomas Cibulka | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | HC Motor Ceske Budejovice | Czechia |
| Andrew Robinson | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Windsor Spitfires | OHL |
Goaltenders
| Player | GP | GAA | SV% | Record | SO | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel Day | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | |
| Samuel Jonsson | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Connor Ungar | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
| Daniel Salonen | 6 | 2.47 | .875 | 2-3-1 | 0 | Lukko | Liiga |
| Ryan Cameron | 1 | 1.00 | .962 | 1-0-0 | 0 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL |
| Eemil Vinni | – | – | – | – | – | Bakersfield Condors | AHL |
