Edmonton Oilers Prospects Roundup: Dalyn Wakely, a wake up call for the Oilers system

The trade deadline has now passed, and the Edmonton Oilers’ system saw zero prospects get traded. Some European leagues, like the Mestis, have entered playoff mode. Additionally the KHL begins their playoffs in about two weeks.

Let us take a look at the past week in the Edmonton Oilers system.

Welcome to the TOR Edmonton Oilers prospect update. We have defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games and was born in 2001 or earlier.

Dalyn Wakely, Forward, UMass Lowell, NCAA

The 2004-born forward was initially drafted as a 19-year-old in his draft plus one year by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL draft. This selection came after a breakout season with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion after a 104-point season.

Wakely then spent his overage season with the Barrie Colts of the OHL in 2024–2025, where we got to catch up with him earlier last year. Wakely then became one of the first CHL players to make the full-time jump to the NCAA this season with UMass Lowell.

Wakely’s season so far

Wakely is playing in his freshman season in the NCAA, and as a former OHL forward who went nearly a point per game across his five-season CHL career. Despite this CHL production, Wakely currently has a 0.56 PPG at the NCAA level in 16:04 of average TOI.

Wakely remains a highly capable two-way forward, with quality senses, noticeable physicality, and decent passing ability at the NCAA level.

Going against more mature talent has certainly reduced his physical effectiveness, with him now winning just 45% of his puck battles and his hit effectiveness to just 0.76 hits per game. Wakely’s hitting form still projects above average, but also does not have the same crushing effect it had at the OHL level.

The forward’s skating remains problematic and is even more evident at the NCAA level, as most opponents have generally better skating. These problems of Wakely are largely due to his short stride/extension, power generation, and overall lack of explosiveness. He is not a rush asset this season.

This skating and Wakely’s selectively low-pace gameplay blend to expose his speed issues at the NCAA level more.

At the NCAA level, Wakely faces better forecheckers who exert higher-quality defensive pressure, and when mixed with the Oiler draftee’s handling/control issues, it makes him prone to 5.8 turnovers per game.

What Wakely does well includes puck skills (poise, stable decision making/puck placement, vision, and playmaking efforts), compete (play engagement, motor, and relentlessness), and hockey sense (hockey IQ, positioning, creativity, and defensive plus offensive instincts/awareness).

All of these elements are directly transferable from his OHL game.

The 2024 sixth-rounder is finding success facilitating plays because the freshman communicates well on the ice and is a consistent lane identifier with the passing skill to execute. This passing ability and command on the ice explain his 2:39 of power play time per game and his 82% pass accuracy.

His offensive instincts and awareness remain pillars of his game, as he generates 1.24 scoring chances a game and has a solid 14% conversion rate. With his smart pass timing, pass diversity, and deception, the forward’s less-than-ideal 0.56 PPG is due to the higher-skilled goalies at the NCAA level.

Defensively, the 6’1” forward has found his two-way game has also transitioned quite well this season. From Wakely’s role on the forecheck, where he employs relentless stick checks, good defensive pressure, and a decent enough motor, to his risk awareness, stick lifts, and pace mitigation in the defensive zone.

Where does Wakely fit Into the Oilers system?

Wakely is more of a raw, long-term project for the Oilers as most sixth-rounders are, but if everything goes right, there certainly is a spot for him on either the Condors or the Oilers.

Right now, the Canadian likely projects as bottom-six depth at the NHL level or a top-six AHL three-zone forward. If Wakely’s skating improves and further develops his offensive hockey IQ/puck control, there could be more certainty in an NHL projection. In either case, Wakely still has three years left in the NCAA.

Edmonton Oilers prospect updates

AHL

• The Bakersfield Condors went 2–0–1 this past week, collecting at least a point in each game. Bakersfield started the week beating the Colorado Eagles 5–4 in a SOW on the 3rd. The AHL affiliate then split a pair of games with Tucson, with a 3–2 OTL on the 6th, and a 2–0 victory the following day.
• Bakersfield’s record improved to 30–17–10 on the campaign, and currently sits fourth in the AHL’s Pacific Division.
• Former Oiler Calvin Pickard is backing up Matt Tomkins in the AHL, and has posted a .903 across three games to go along with a 2.96 GAA.
• Defender Alec Regula was reassigned to the Condors on the 3rd. Forward Josh Samanski was called up to the Oilers on the 8th.

ECHL

• Fort Wayne played no games this past week and resumes action on March 11, against the Iowa Heartlanders.

Europe

• 20-year-old goaltending prospect Eemil Vinni has been absolutely lights out for Kettera in the Mestis playoffs. Vinni has started all five games and has not let in more than two goals a game while posting a .946 save percentage across the series so far.
• Petr Hauser has reached the ten-point mark on his campaign, after netting an assist in his game on the 4th against HC Dynamo Pardubice. He also played a second game of the week against HC Plzen on the 6th.

NCAA

• 2024 seventh-ound defender, Bauer Berry, played a pair of games against Lake Superior State University on the 5th and 7th. In the latter game, the physical bruiser netted his ninth assist of the campaign. He also set a season high in TOI in the first matchup with 22:14.
• Notre Dame rearguard, Paul Fischer, had one of the best weeks of his season in games against Ohio State on the 5th and 6th. In the first game, Fischer had two assists in the first game. In the second, he scored and assisted. The two-way aspects of his game haven’t regressed as much as we thought after all.
• Wakely played Merrimack College on the 5th, where the two-way forward netted his seventh goal of the season. He also played against Boston University the following day.

OHL

• William Nicholl and the Knights had a stellar last week, going 3–0–0. In his first game he played the Guelph Storm and secured an assist in a 5–2 victory. In games two and three, the Knights outscored the Erie Otters a combined 13–3, where the high-pace forward went +3 and had an assist and a goal. Nicholl enters Wednesday on a three game point streak.

WHL

• Although 2025 fourth-round forward David Lewandowski’s point streak ended last week, he potted two points across his two games this week, and now has 60 points on the campaign, shattering his previous high of 39 from his draft season.
• Lafreniere had another strong week, with two three-point outings, putting up two goals and four assists across his three games. The 2025 third-rounder continues to play on one of the most productive lines in the entire CHL, and it will be interesting if this momentum continues when he makes the jump to the NCAA next season.

Russia

• 2020 draftee, Maxim Beryozkin played in two games this past week. Beryozkin generated an assist in both his club’s 3–2 win against HK Sochi on the 4th and 4–3 OTW against Severstal Cherepovets on the 9th. The 6’4” power forward enters Wednesday on a three-game point streak, and needs to have a strong end to his season and playoffs to earn an NHL contract this season.

* Denotes playoff stats

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