2026 Edmonton Oilers draftee profile: Rudolfs Berzkalns

Position	Handedness	Height	Weight	2025–2026 TOI
Center	Left	6’04	203LBS	16:18

Berzkalns’s on-ice production

The Cesis-born product grew up within the Valmiera hockey system in Latvia, before eventually moving to the United States. In the United States, the second-round draftee would go on to play for the Bishop Kearney Selects U14, U15, and U18 programs. Berzkalns would then go on to gain the attention of the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL, whom he would sign with in 2023.

After a modest rookie campaign that saw him post eight points across 43 games in the 2024–25 regular season. Entering the 2025–26 season, Berzkalns built his game around defensive reliability, physicality, and stable puck movement. Despite limited production, his efforts would not be in vain and led to the Latvian being ranked within the #30- #99 prospect for the 2026 NHL draft.

Year	League	Team	GP	G	A	P	Playoff GP	Playoff G	Playoff A	Playoff P
2024–25	USHL	Muskegon Lumberjacks	43	5	3	8	–	–	–	–
2024–25	WJC-U20	Latvia	5	0	0	0	–	–	–	–
2025–26	USHL	Muskegon Lumberjacks	48	13	12	25	16	4	6	10
2025–26	WJC-U20	Latvia	5	1	0	1	–	–	–	–

Berzkalns full game is hard to judge based purely on the scoresheet, as the 2026 draftee’s value primarily comes from what he does away from the puck.

Berzkalns’s player profile

Berzkalns plays the game of a responsible two-way forward’s game with strong physicality and moderate upside in all three zones of play. The Latvian’s skill set is best highlighted by budding physicality, passable skating, and capable passing. This combination allows the 2008-born forward to shine as a down-low play supporter and play connector, while also having untapped special-teams potential.

The main areas of growth that will help elevate Berzkalns’ game include a more evident compete level every shift, greater offensive poise—which should amplify his creativity—and improvements to his shooting mechanics helping his production at both the junior A and college levels.

This past season, the European largely served as a middle-six forward in Muskegon, where he was a consistent secondary attacker and allotted 16:18 of TOI per game, with 1:28 on the power play and 1:31 on the penalty kill. Berzkalns was one of the most improved players throughout the 2025–26 campaign.

Despite being a more raw prospect right now, the 6’4” player could be a dark horse NHL prospect, and has a straightforward path to the NHL with his complementary blend of physicality, skating, and habits.

Berzkalns’ strengths

Skating

This base is further complimented by adequate depth, a clean(ish) extension, and lower-body/ankle flexion. The 58th overall pick has a runway for skating growth, especially when considering his lanky (slightly awkward) mechanics in September compared to cleaner skating throughout the USHL playoffs.

What this base translates to is capable crossover generations (allowing him to keep pace in transitional play), some solid bursts of acceleration upon zone entries, and clean(ish) edgework hinting at future growth in agility. Once the forward improves his muscle mass and fills out his bigger frame, expect his skating power to also take another step forward.

This skating means he rarely falls behind in plays, and can adequately maintain his positioning throughout all 60 minutes of play.

Puck management

Berzkalns is a pure-play supporter, and this comes through consistent passing placement, off-puck positioning, and defensive habits.

Berzkalns displays good defensive positioning, a frequently active stick, and minor defensive pressure exertion. This makes his defensive puck management a game of safe defensive decisions, smart angles of attack, and above-average lane awareness, which translates to an effective but quiet three-zone game.

These safe but under-the-radar defensive habits contribute to a low 0.15 errors leading to a goal, and an almost equal measurement of 4.3 giveaways to 3.9 takeaways per game.

The 18-year-old forward plays a capable secondary forechecking role in transition, and a reasonably responsible but lower-play engagement-fueled high forward in his own zone. This defensive responsibility is especially potent on the penalty kill as Berzkalns stands out as a puck-clearing machine

Offensively Berzkalns mirrors these same puck management decisions with good lane awareness, smooth passing, and consistent puck protection mechanics that keep his blade close to his body and prove extra effective in board play situations. This leads to extension on plays in deep.

Berzkalns thrives as an overall offensive play connector for his team.

Berzkalns is at his best when he is playing the give and go game. With quick option ID, smooth passing lanes, and capable enough vision, the Latvian can use his advanced skating pace to his advantage and administer some lightning quick plays when they become available on his first play reads. The Oilers draftee dishes out 13 passes per game, with a moderate 83% accuracy.

The 2026 draftee does have negative offensive habits with limitations in awareness leading to overhandling pucks or charging into pressure. However, when the Latvian is at his best is a facilitator and hard-skill supporter moderate success follows.

Physicality

Physicality is the bread and butter of Berzkalns’ game, and there is no doubt about it. From physical engagement, high-end grit, and consistent smart physicality Berzkalns shines in everything hard-skill. In established zone play and in transition, Berzkalns is more than willing to take a hit to make a play; in fact, the second rounder has an uncanny ability to sucker opponents in only to distribute the puck.

Physicality and pace management are Berzkalns core elements.

Berzkalns also uses every inch of his 6’4” frame well. He constantly fights for strong body positioning, wedges his body into the boards in puck battles, absorbs hits cleanly, and is a disruptive screen for any goalie at the USHL level. His previously mentioned skating further complements his physicality as his balance, agility, and grit allow him to get into every nook in the offensive zone.

Berzkalns dishes out 0.91 hits per game, and takes 0.76 hits against, but never hesitates to physically engage or mitigate risk along the boards. As the second-year forward gains more experience, expect his 13 puck battles and 47% win rate to increase.

The Oilers draftee’s biggest skill upside is the way that Berzkalns smartly engages his physicality to slow down opponents’ attacks and mitigate their pace-disrupting cycles, and genuinely just be a pest on the defensive side of the puck.

Offensively, this physicality also shines through Berzkalns’ ability to generate 3.9 zone entries with his freight train-like pushes into the O-zone. Additionally, Berzkalns will ruthlessly secure inside body positioning, restricting any of his opponent’s defensive momentum and reach, while opening his teammates up for smartly placed slip passes and cross-crease opportunities alike.

Berzkalns’s physicality alone should allow the 18-year-old to eventually see NHL games, even if it is as just a fourth-line defensive checker.

Berzkalns’s areas of improvement

Where Berzkalns has proven he could be a quality supporting element through his mobility, puck management, and physicality, the Latvian-born prospect faces a steep hill in terms of diversifying his skill set.

The main areas of improvement that Berzkalns needs growth in the next five years before he sees NHL action include a more dynamic compete level, amplification of his offensive senses, and more deception within his shot. If even one or two of these elements can improve its possible that the USHL product could see more mobility in his lineup spot.

Compete level, senses, and shooting

The Muskegon forward’s compete level remains quite raw, despite his ability to physically dictate the pace of play. Throughout his game there are hints of limited intensity, be it from puck watching, slow hustle, or his selective motor. These elements of a lower compete level reduce his pace control ability and if fixed could make his shutdown game even more effective than it already is.

Further compounding Berzkalns’ issues is a below-average hockey sense. These concerns in offensive instincts were best articulated by the Latvian’s play processing, where it’s evident that the first play read he makes is the one he chooses. This hints at concerns around play reading, option awareness, and poise/decision making.

This decision-making is further exemplified by his 1.27 dekes per game, despite only having a 59% success rate on them. Berzkalns offensive pressure awareness projects below average as well, as instead of scanning for more offensive options, the 18-year-old will rather charge opponents outnumbered or still attempt carries up the boards.

These hockey sense issues are further shown through his over-handling, which communicates concerns around his offensive creativity, IQ, and clutch factor. In every single viewing of Berzkalns, he was rarely out within the last three or so minutes of any game Muskegon was down in as well, which further highlights the offensive growth needed for him to elevate his entire game.

A partial explanation for limited offensive usage is simply that the second-rounder has a slightly predictable release point, a limited weight transfer, and lacks overall accuracy and deception within his shot. Despite 2.9 close-range shots per game, Berzkalns has just 59% accuracy and an 18% conversion rate on scoring chances, hinting at a slightly inflated points total from this past season.

Offensively, Berzkalns needs a lot of growth to be a true do-it-all two-way forward at the professional level. Time is very much on his side, though, with one more season within the USHL and an expected four-year NCAA career before he transitions to the professional ranks.

Berzkalns’s next steps

Berzkalns is expected to return to the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks for the 2026–27 season, so expect him to have a true breakout year this upcoming campaign. It would not be surprising to see the raw prospect become a dual special teams threat and drive the Muskegon power play and penalty kill this upcoming season.

Also expect Berzkalns to take a top-line spot with the organization and play significantly more every game as the 2008-born forward enters his last season with the organization before heading to Boston College for 27/28. The Lumberjacks forward will likely make Team Latvia for the WJC-U20 this December as well, which could be an interesting viewing for Oilers fans.

Projection with the Oilers

Berzkalns fits the Josh Samanski archetype of physical two-way forwards who provide responsibility and physicality in all three zones. That being said the forward requires quite a bit more development to refine his full physicality, offensive game, and compete level, so Oilers fans should not be expecting to see the second rounder anytime soon.

The USHL forward has no pressure on him to rush his development as he’s taking one more year of junior then going the four-year route at college with the prestigious Boston College program. If everything goes according to plan and Berzkalns elevates his offensive game, the 2026 draftee could realistically compete for an Oilers roster spot in five to six years.

If the European fails to figure out the offensive side of his game, it is quite possible Berzkalns still competes in the NHL as a fourth-line checking presence.

NHL ETA: five to six years

NHL potential: Bottom-six forward, with possible third-line ability if he rounds out his game