Edmonton Oilers are No. 29 in 2025 NHL prospect pool rankings

Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2025 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and insight from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7.

After losing Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway (which was going to happen due to age even if they were still in the organization) and giving up on Xavier Bourgault, Carter Savoie and Ty Tullio, the Edmonton Oilers’ pool looks nothing like it did a year ago. And while the additions of Matt Savoie, Sam O’Reilly, Roby Järventie, Paul Fischer, Eemil Vinni, Dalyn Wakely and James Stefan help to offset those subtractions, Edmonton’s pool lacks high-grade prospects and is now without four of its last five first-round picks (having already moved on from Reid Schaefer on top of Broberg, Holloway and Bourgault).

That’s the cost of chasing the Stanley Cup — the Oilers have been without one of their first three picks in five straight drafts, and without two of them in three of those drafts.

2024 prospect pool rank: No. 25 (change: -4)

1. Matt Savoie, C/RW, 21 (Bakersfield Condors)

One of the most threatening and consistently dangerous players in the CHL in each of his final three years of junior, Savoie’s game has the potential to thrill when he’s at his best. He’s on the smaller side, though, and there have been questions about whether his offense will translate at the NHL level — and if it doesn’t, what his role and position are as a natural center who many believe is an NHL winger.

He’s got quick side-to-side hands that help him beat defenders one-on-one off cuts. He’s got an NHL release (which he can place with pinpoint accuracy from a bad angle and rip by a goalie clean from a distance, but he also loves to change up and slide five-hole). He does an excellent job creating plays to the slot out of traffic. He’s a burning skater with explosiveness and quick three-step acceleration that allows him to win races, separate in transition and put defenders onto their heels, or dash through holes in coverage to the net (or draw a penalty). He’s a good small-area passer who blends deception into his movements.

And then on top of those things, he’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He’s always engaged, he keeps his feet moving and he plays with a ton of energy. He finishes his checks and knocks his fair share of players over despite being on the smaller side. He’s also sturdier on his feet than his listed height (5-foot-9) might suggest, which helps him play between checks. He creates a ton of breakaways for himself. It’s hard for defensemen to track him when he gets into twists and turns. He’s impressive in the shootout with a variety of moves he can go to. He routinely has a half step on the opposition, both in jump and in raw speed whenever he turns on the jets. He plays the game with enough drive that his size usually doesn’t feel like a factor. He seems to pounce on so many pucks when they squirt into holes in coverage.

I remain a believer in him becoming a high-tempo, top-nine forward. He has been prone to injuries over the years, though, and staying healthy is going to be really important. Though the numbers don’t leap off the page in his rookie AHL season, he’s been a top player in all situations for a low-scoring Condors team. I think he’s got some PP upside due to his shooting/skill package and five-on-five upside because of his skating and motor. Even in games where the points don’t fall, he’s usually making something happen — and he’s seldom going to leave you wanting more. His speed might even make him a useful penalty killer and give him all-situations value in the NHL as well.

2. Sam O’Reilly, C, 18 (London Knights)

Though O’Reilly was drafted at the end of the first round and the Oilers weren’t alone in viewing him in that range, I viewed him as more of a mid-to-late second-rounder ahead of last year’s draft, ranking him 52nd on my board. He followed the London Knights’ tried and true path through the GOJHL London Nationals as a 16-year-old and right into an important role as a 17-year-old. And he had a really solid season, producing just below a point per game and contributing to the Knights’ run to an OHL title. He made some big plays on the big stage at the Memorial Cup as well. But I wondered about his offensive ceiling and he hasn’t taken a step offensively this season on another deep Knights team.

O’Reilly does the little things really well, whether that’s making good little plays off the wall, stick lifts, his board work offensively, spinning off a check to create a little bit of space to funnel a play to the slot or defending with detail. He’s also a natural center who is good in the faceoff circle and a plus-level skater and athlete. He’s not the quickest or most talented player but he’s a solid skater and athlete overall, he executes at a high level with the puck, and he has secondary skill and good feel on the puck/around the offensive zone. He projects as a potential well-rounded, complementary pro but I think we might be looking at more of a third-liner than a middle-sixer, if you will.

3. Beau Akey, RHD, 19 (Barrie Colts) 

Akey is a beautiful, flowing skater with plus-level mobility in all four directions and impressive balance and edges. He can transition pucks up ice, join in transition, walk the line and fall back onto his heels and edges whenever he needs to. He’s got good hands under pressure. I don’t love the term “hockey sense,” but he’s got that too and reads the game well. I like him defending the rush, where he uses his feet and stick to manage gaps and steer opposing carriers. I like the way he sees the ice and joins the offense. He can run a power play (though he might not in the NHL and probably projects as more of a five-on-five guy) and likes to make himself available as a shot option at five-on-five. He has worked to add detail and polish to his game defensively. There’s a lot to work with and it’s built upon a foundation of mobility. An illness and a trio of injuries have set him back a little after a strong start to his post-draft season last year with a good showing in his first NHL camp, and he missed more time early on this year, but Akey has looked like a top D in the OHL this season, made Team Canada for the World Juniors (though he barely played) and is a B prospect. He could become a useful, skating depth defenseman.

4. Roby Järventie, LW, 22 (Bakersfield Condors)

Though a knee injury suffered last January delayed his start with the Oilers organization and he’s in the last year of his entry-level contract, Järventie is a 22-year-old winger with enough of a track record across multiple pro levels (including a taste of the NHL) to warrant getting re-signed by his new club as an RFA.

The strength of Järventie’s game has typically been his ability to leverage his 6-foot-3 length in puck protection to get to his spots offensively, and then weaponize himself off the puck by getting open for his multi-faceted shot (which includes a good one-timer). But improvements to his acceleration and a more refined game on the perimeter have helped fuel his progression into call-up territory.

He’s got a nifty release for a bigger player and some power to his shot as well (it’s not explosive but he can finish around the slot and creates a lot of big rebounds when he shoots low). He handles the puck with comfort and confidence and can occasionally flash in one-on-one situations, pulling and dragging pucks through defenders or his own feet. I like him on his off-wing on the power play, not just because of that aforementioned one-timer but also because of the way he hits seams as a passer.

Before the knee injury, he’d added a bit of a gear to his stride and didn’t look quite as stilted as he used to. He has developed some finesse over the years as well. If he can continue to improve in those areas, he’ll be a complementary contributor at the NHL level. If not, he’s already good organizational depth.

5. Olivier Rodrigue, G, 24 (Bakersfield Condors)

Rodrigue has had a really respectable run of play in the AHL over the last three years, building enough of a sample that he could be trusted to make his NHL debut tomorrow if the Oilers needed to go to him. I had some concerns about Rodrigue earlier in his career, and I’m still not sure he’s more than a No. 3 guy (which every team needs and isn’t nothing!), but the last three seasons have been really positive for him and he’s going to play NHL games. Rodrigue is composed, compact, quick on his feet and makes good reads so that he gets to his spots early and is set for shots, which helps him make the saves he’s supposed to and control his rebounds to maintain a consistent level of play. He’s on the smaller side (6-foot-1, 175 pounds), he can look small in the net and he lacks explosiveness (different from quickness) but fewer shots are beating him cleanly now, which has made a big difference in his game. His game has grown on me even though I’ve never seen high-end ability. Control, smarts and poise can take a goalie a long way and he has established himself as good organizational depth.

6. Shane Lachance, LW, 21 (Boston University)

After spending two seasons post-draft in the USHL while he figured out how to use his big, heavy, 6-foot-5 body, Lachance became Youngstown’s captain and led the team to a Clark Cup. Now he’s a captain again as a sophomore at BU and it’s really starting to come together for him at the NCAA level. He had a respectable freshman year at BU last year but he has been the Terriers’ most consistent forward this year. He’s a physically daunting player with a good feel around the net, a willingness to go plant himself there, and a knack for getting his stick on tips, redirects and rebounds. He’s showing more comfort on the puck and confidence on the attack as he tries to diversify his game beyond the stereotypical wall/net-front guy. He’s got a late-August birthday, which speaks to some of the runway he was given in junior to develop before going off to college as well. Lachance works hard, he supports play well, he plays off skill guys effectively, he’s good along the wall on the cycle, and there are some who believe he might become a classic big-man role player at the next level eventually. He has shown a little more of the pace/sense I wanted to see out of him this year and there’s a mold to work with there, for sure. He’s a well-liked player who plays with an identity and it’s not hard to imagine him as a bottom-six NHLer.

7. Paul Fischer, LHD, 19 (University of Notre Dame)

Fischer started off strong with the national program and generated some second-round consideration early on in his draft year on a USA blue line that took some time to sort out its roles and top players. From there, he’s been a good player in college and has played in two World Juniors (though he struggled in Ottawa this year and lost his place in the lineup), but hasn’t really taken a step beyond C-plus/B-minus prospect status. His game is just average-to-above-average across the board and that makes him a good player but it is hard to identify a clear role for him up levels.

He played 18 minutes in the gold medal game at U18 worlds when the chips were on the table, fourth among the national program’s seven defensemen, and proved a supportive partner for an active partner in Zeev Buium, adjusting the way he played coming up. He made the U20 team. He had a good freshman year at Notre Dame and is playing big minutes (often 22-24 per game) as a sophomore. Though he was one of the final cuts for my top 100 ahead of the draft, he has played in line with his fifth-round selection (No. 138), producing at a respectable rate and to good two-way results for a young D in college hockey.

Again: He’s a good player. I expect the Oilers will sign him in the next year or two. I’m just not sure what his game will look like beyond becoming a solid AHL defenseman. Sometimes guys with his profile do make it, but often they struggle to distinguish themselves. He plays a heady, controlled game. There’s some offense there that should continue to come out. Maybe he makes it as a No. 6/7 type with the right development. I think he has realized that while he plays a comfortable game with the puck, he’s not going to be a PP guy up levels like he may have thought when he was a top player in minor hockey. The adjustments he has made to his game over the last couple of years have been positive and might give him a better chance.

Vinni was one of the better goalies in Europe in the 2024 class, and while I wouldn’t have used a second-round pick on him (I’ve always found him a little leaky and viewed him more as a mid-rounder), he’s a fine prospect. He’s a 6-foot-2/3 goalie who plays an aggressive, challenging, active and at times busy game, shuffling his feet around the net and moving a lot to either get out on shooters or stick with them on dekes. He moves and tracks well, but his control can let him down at times.

9. Samuel Jonsson, G, 20 (BIK Karlskoga)

Jonsson has had a really positive season in Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. Last year was a difficult one for Jonsson who, between injuries and poor play, played just eight games (three in HockeyAllsvenskan and five in the third-tier HockeyEttan). He has bounced back in a big way, though, starting the season on a months-long unbeaten streak that included a three-game shutout streak in November. He’s a massive goalie (6-foot-5/6 depending on who you ask) who has refined his coordination and control, footwork and habits to complement his natural ability for his size. Karlskoga is trying to get promoted to the SHL and despite his excellent results, Jonsson is still sharing the net with veteran tandem partner Lars Volden. But this season has been a step in the right direction and with good coaching and the right amount of patience, he still has some upside to tap into. I’ll be interested to see if the Oilers sign him.

10. Maximus Wanner, RHD, 21 (Bakersfield Condors)

Wanner had a strong rookie season in the AHL last year, playing top-four minutes (18-19 per game). He has continued to play an important role this season as well, though he hasn’t taken a step per se. He’s very much a part of the picture for the Oilers organization now as they try to build him into a depth defenseman. Wanner’s a 6-foot-3, right-shot D who defends hard and plays a physical, competitive, hard-to-play-against style. He’s a strong athlete who moves well and plays an honest, what-you-see-is-what-you-get game. I thought about ranking him a couple of spots higher here. He’s more of a high-floor, low-ceiling player, though. There isn’t a lot of offense to his game and he projects as more of a third-pairing option or a No. 7/8.

11. Dalyn Wakely, C, 20 (Barrie Colts)

The OHL’s third-leading scorer last season (behind his linemate and Vancouver Canucks draftee Anthony Romani), Wakely now has a 100-point season, three 20-goal seasons and two 30-goal seasons despite losing his 16-year-old campaign to COVID-19 cancellations. Now in his final year of junior, he’s an important part of a Barrie team that is trying to contend.

When I watched North Bay and now Barrie over the last three years, I’ve often wondered if he’s less a late bloomer and actually just a decent prospect who was among the many in Ontario impacted by the pandemic. He’s a good athlete and a strong kid. He has good skill. He has a motor. He can shoot it. He has great instincts and anticipation on and off the puck, which has made him a top penalty killer. He’s a go-to guy in the faceoff circle and has been dominant at even strength the last two years (among the league’s leading scorers, he did the largest percentage of his damage at five-on-five with 81 of his 104 points last year). He might end up as an AHL middle-sixer but I thought he was a worthwhile late-rounder and would consider signing him. He doesn’t have dynamic elements but he’s a gamer.

James Stefan has a lot of impressive assets but doesn’t project as an everyday NHLer. (Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)

12. James Stefan, RW/LW, 21 (Bakersfield Condors)

Stefan broke the 50-goal and 100-point plateaus with a deep Portland team, leading it in goals and finishing second on the team and tied for ninth in the league in points. He also led the CHL in shots on goal with 354 (5.3 per game), which caught the attention of NHL clubs and earned him an entry-level contract with the Oilers. Some wondered whether he was just another overager having a big year on a top team, though, and the pro game has looked like an adjustment for him in my viewings in the AHL. The assets that allowed Stefan to excel last year were his nose for the net, his work ethic, his sticktoitiveness, his off-puck timing, his opportunism, his good overall skill and a good hard shot. But he has never been the biggest, fastest, smartest or most skilled player and while I expect him to become a good top-nine contributor in the AHL on his three-year deal, I’m not convinced we’re talking about an everyday NHLer.

13. Matt Copponi, C, 21 (Boston University)

Copponi, who just turned 21 in the offseason, is already in his senior year of college. He was Merrimack’s second-leading scorer as a sophomore and the leading scorer as a junior last year before transferring to BU this season. With the Terriers, he has actually centered Lachance as well and has played at about a point per game in a top-six role.

He took a AAA-to-prep path, which bypassed the USHL altogether, and wasn’t on my draft radar until he was picked as an overager but has slowly come into his own. He’s a competitive, hardworking, lead-by-example player who has shown up in big moments and been consistently impactful at ages 19-21 in college. I like the way he gets after it, he has gotten stronger, he reads and reacts quickly out there and he plays off his linemates well. He has some talent and he’s just a gamer. I’m not sure whether it’s going to be enough but he’s on a path to potentially earning a pro contract and giving it a go, and he’s the type of player, even with his average size (he was listed at 6 feet at Merrimack but BU has him at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds), that coaches like.

14. Matvey Petrov, RW/LW, 21 (Bakersfield Condors)

In the lead-up to the 2021 NHL Draft, when I did my annual look at 10 intriguing prospects who didn’t make my top 100, I highlighted Petrov as one of those players, detailing an impressive offensive-zone player who had real potential if he could clean up his skating, which bent too much from the knees and broke down too easily through his patterns. Then, Petrov, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, exploded as one of the OHL’s top scorers with North Bay, registering 67 goals and 183 points in 128 games (fourth among U19 players in OHL scoring in his first year and fifth among U20 ones in his second). Most importantly, though, he did it without looking slow.

Quirks in his skating mechanics have proven to be a barrier in his jump to the AHL, though, first last year in a very limited role as a rookie and still this year as a sophomore. He hasn’t looked out of place in either and has actually been more effective in some ways than I expected, but the skill and scoring haven’t translated quite like you’d hope given the type of player he was in the OHL. He can hang in races and if that continues to improve, he might, in time, develop into a call-up option because there are other tools there — but the clock is now ticking and he’s going to have to take a big step next year on the final year of his ELC to get re-signed. He’s a 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-shot winger who has added 20 pounds in the last couple of years to fill out his frame (which has I think maybe slowed the progress with his skating that he was making). He has an NHL shot that unloads from his hip (his best attribute) and comes off his stick hard from a wrister or a one-timer, which made him a real power-play threat from the point or the flank in junior and should make him one in the AHL in time. He has some comfort on the attack with the puck in his hands. And he has slowly developed his playmaking intuition. I expect that with time and opportunity he’ll develop into a top-six player at the AHL level if the Oilers stick with him but his path to the NHL is murky. I felt he was worth another mention, though this may be the last if he doesn’t take a step.

The Tiers

As always, each prospect pool ranking is broken down into team-specific tiers in order to give you a better sense of the proximity from one player — or group of players — to the next.

The Oilers’ pool is divided into four tiers: 1, 2-7, 8-10, 11-14.

(Top photo of Matt Savoie: Leila Devlin / Getty Images)