2026 Edmonton Oilers Prospect Rankings: #9 Paul Fischer

A fifth round pick of the St. Louis Blues in the 2023 draft, Fischer is a left shot defenceman. Listed at 6’0”, Fischer is known for his skating and defensive stick. He will be entering his senior year at the University of Notre Dame, and turning 22 in January 2027.

Fischer’s development so far

Fischer was drafted without much fanfare after two seasons with the USNTDP. Since then he has been rock steady for Notre Dame, featuring as their highest scoring defenceman the last two seasons. While his offensive totals do not dazzle, clearly he has been a key contributor to his team’s offence.

Notre Dame has authored a horrendous record since Fischer has been part of the program. This fact has its own set of challenges and opportunities. Fischer has taken advantage, to an extent, gaining a lot of experience. At the same time, Fischer has not often had much support from his teammates, which might hinder him in other ways.

It is worth noting that Fischer will become a free agent if he remains unsigned come June 2027. He will need time in the AHL after his college career is done. To an extent the decision might be between burning a year off of his entry-level deal by signing with the Oilers after the NCAA season, or becoming a free agent.

Fischer’s strengths

Fischer is often lauded for some strong work in transition. Defensively he is able to defend against rush attacks, using his skating and his active stick to push opponents outside. Offensively he has enough skating and passing skills to advance the puck up the ice.

While Fischer does not project as a dynamic power play option at higher levels, he is smart enough to find dangerous passing lanes from the point. The offensive contributions will come more often from clean breakouts. His reputation as a reliable defender, especially on such an overmatched team, is notable.

Fischer’s growth opportunities

On top of building up his strength and conditioning for the professional ranks, Fischer might have a lot to prove this season. Naturally, seeing some progress from the Notre Dame program as a whole might be valuable for Fischer. He will undoubtedly be a big part of their team this coming season.

Outside of that it might be difficult to gauge improvements from Fischer from the scoresheet. He has already been a focal point of his team’s offence, and scared at a high rate considering his team’s deficiencies.

The bigger test might come later in the season, when Fischer might join the AHL. Granted, expecting a top role as a late season addition is a bit optimistic. There will certainly be some intrigue on how Fischer plays as an AHL rookie in the 2027–28 season. It would be huge for Fischer to evolve into a top pairing AHL option over his first two professional seasons.

Without any truly high end traits, it will be on Fischer to play a smart and mature game. Experience, guile, and savvy will be vital to projecting him to higher levels. In other words, he will need to be a penalty killing option to get a chance in the NHL. His skating will need to be strong, and his decision making with the puck will have to be crisp.

Big picture

While there does not seem to be a high upside for Fischer, he can become a very useful NHL option. An upside resembling Ryan Shea is possible, as there are certainly some parallels between the two defencemen. It took Shea a long time to simmer in the AHL before getting an NHL audition. Oiler fans will hope that Fischer might develop more quickly, and in fewer locations.

Still, Fischer does seem to be hitting some important checkpoints. He is young enough that growth is to be expected. He has consistently improved over his college career as well. Though he did play two games in the 2025 U20 World Junior Championship, he has maintained a fairly low profile. Fans around the league are not likely to think about Fischer, and quite frankly it might just be Notre Dame loyalists that appreciate his talents at this point.

All the same, Fischer is an interesting prospect for Oilers fans to know. He is in a similar age range to Beau Akey, Zack Sharp, and Tomas Cibulka. It will be something to watch how the Bakersfield Condors deploy them on the same blueline. It is possible that the depth sorts itself out, but there is also a distinct possibility that the Oilers look to move off of one of them come the 2027–28 season.