Getting to know Isaac Howard, the prospect the Oilers acquired from the Lightning

Though O’Reilly, the 32nd overall pick in last summer’s draft, is younger than Howard, the latter is closer to NHL-ready, giving the cap-strapped Oilers a much-needed option for their top-nine forward group who can contribute while on an entry-level contract.

The Lightning selected Howard with the 31st overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, one spot ahead of where the Oilers took winger Reid Schaefer. The Buffalo Sabres also selected Matt Savoie with the ninth-overall pick in that year’s draft.

A native of Hudson, Wisconsin, Howard had just wrapped up a strong 2021-22 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program in the USHL, recording 11 goals and 37 points in 27 games. He further boosted his draft stock with a standout performance at the U18 World Championship, where he tied third in tournament scoring and helped Team USA capture a silver medal.

Here’s what Elite Prospects said about Howard in their 2022 draft guide…

“Right away, Howard’s skating stands out. Pushes his knees past his toes, engaged his hips, and maintains his posture in tight, while deking, or on the backcheck. His top hand moves freely around his body, which he turns into incredible stickhandling displays. When handling, he’s scanning. Adjusts body positioning to get pressure on his back, then uses hesitations and changes of pace to slip around the check.”

Howard began his NCAA career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2022-23, recording six goals and 17 points in 35 games for a team that finished with a 16-20-1 record. Following his freshman season, Howard announced his transfer to Michigan State University.

The move paid off for both player and team. Howard tallied 36 points in 36 games during the 2023-24 campaign, helping lead the Spartans to their first-ever Big Ten Championship (and first Conference Championship since 2006) with an overtime win over rival Michigan in the tournament final.

Howard also helped the United States win gold at the 2024 World Juniors in Sweden, finishing tied for the lead in tournament scoring with seven goals in seven games. With the gold medal game tied at 1-1 in the second period, Howard buried two goals in a matter of five minutes. The U.S. added three insurance goals in the third period to defeat the host nation by a score of 6-2.

The 2024-25 campaign brought continued success for Howard at both the collegiate and international levels. He appeared in four games for the United States at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where the team captured its first gold medal at the tournament since 1933.

Howard scored 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games for the Spartans last season, good for fifth in NCAA scoring. Michigan State posted a 26-7-4 record to finish first in the Big Ten during the regular season and then captured their second straight conference title with a double-overtime win over Ohio State, sealed by Howard’s game-winning goal.

While other NCAA juniors and seniors left their teams to go pro in the spring, Howard didn’t ink a deal with the Lightning. Elliotte Friedman explained in an episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast in April that the player and organization “didn’t see eye to eye” about his development.

“I think the Lightning know that the odds are now against them and that he probably is not going to be part of their organization, but nobody said anything bad about him. Basically, what I was told, because nobody really wanted to get into mud slinging, they just didn’t see eye to eye. … Whatever the path Howard saw and the path the Lightning saw, it didn’t line up.”

Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, NHL teams hold the right to drafted NCAA prospects for four seasons, meaning the Lightning had until August of 2026 to move Howard or let him walk as a free agent.

Back in June, Frank Seravalli reported on Sports 1440 that the Oilers believed they had a deal in place to acquire Howard, but it fell through because the Lightning felt they could get more than the late first-round pick Edmonton had offered.

“There’s many people around the league that thought that the Oilers were getting Isaac Howard. I think even people close to Isaac Howard thought that he was going to Edmonton.

I don’t know exactly what the Tampa Bay Lightning are thinking. The Oilers, to my understanding, had told Tampa that they could and would do a late first-round pick in exchange for Howard’s rights, and that apparently wasn’t good enough.

Again, there’s a clock ticking to this. If they lose Howard’s rights if he doesn’t sign next August, they’re going to get a late second-round compensatory pick. So if you’re Julien BriseBois, you want to do a lot better than that, right?

And I don’t know why a late first, because that’s what Howard was to begin with, doesn’t just square you off and make you whole, but it seems like the arrogance of the Tampa Bay Lightning is what’s gotten in the way with this player.”

The Oilers didn’t have a pick in this summer’s draft because they traded it to the Philadelphia Flyers to select Sam O’Reilly with the 32nd overall pick in last year’s draft. Edmonton also doesn’t have a first-round pick in next year’s draft because they dealt it to the San Jose Sharks in the Jake Walman trade.

Given those two previous trades, the earliest first-round pick the Oilers could have sent to the Lightning for Howard would be in the 2027 NHL Draft. As a team that also needs young, close-to-NHL-ready talent like Edmonton, O’Reilly was a more sensible option from Tampa’s perspective. They get a quality prospect they can develop in their system in exchange for a player who likely didn’t want to play for their American Hockey League affiliate.

Though his spot on the team’s season-opening roster come October isn’t necessarily guaranteed, the Oilers believe that Howard is ready for the NHL. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman are usually on Connor McDavid’s wings on Edmonton’s top forward line, but there’s an open spot alongside Draisaitl and either Vasily Podkolzin or Kasperi Kapanen for a skilled winger who can make plays and score goals.

As a player who’s scored some huge goals on championship-winning teams over the past few seasons, Howard is a strong candidate for that role. Remember, no Oiler has ever won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. Could changing that be in the cards for the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner?