Looking back at the 10 best rookie seasons in Oilers history

His 28 victories set a club record for most wins by a rookie at the time, and he also appeared in the NHL All-Star Game. That season, Fuhr finished third in Calder Trophy voting, behind Winnipeg Jets forward Dale Hawerchuk, who recorded 103 points. In addition to his Calder finish, Fuhr placed second in Vezina Trophy voting, losing out to the New York Islanders’ Billy Smith.

Jason Arnott

The Oilers drafted Jason Arnott 7th overall in the 1993 NHL Draft, their highest selection in 12 years at the time. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound centerman finished the 1993–94 season with 68 points (33G, 35A) in 78 games, ranking second on the team behind Doug Weight (74 points), and also racked up 104 penalty minutes. Of his 33 goals, 10 came on the power play and four were game-winners. Arnott became the first Oiler rookie to finish in the top two in Calder Trophy voting, with Martin Brodeur winning the award.

Sam Gagner

Sam Gagner was drafted sixth overall by the Oilers in the 2007 NHL Draft and made an immediate impression as one of the youngest players in the league during the 2007–08 season.

Gagner finished his rookie campaign with 49 points (13G, 36A), ranking third on the Oilers that season. He developed chemistry on ‘The Kid Line’ with fellow rookie Andrew Cogliano, who posted 45 points, and Robert Nilsson. Gagner played in the NHL Young Stars game and was named Rookie of the Month in February after recording 13 points in 12 games. His efforts earned him a 7th-place finish in Calder Trophy voting, with his former London Knights teammate Patrick Kane winning the award that season.

Jordan Eberle

Edmonton drafted Jordan Eberle 22nd overall in the 2008 NHL Draft and made his debut during the 2010–11 season, and what a debut it was. In his first NHL game, he scored a highlight-reel goal against the Calgary Flames, toe-dragging around a defender and roofing a shorthanded backhander over Mikko Kiprusoff.

He recorded 43 points (18G, 25A) in 69 games, and despite missing some time due to an ankle injury, he led the Oilers that season in points, game-winning goals (five), and shorthanded goals. He placed 15th in Calder Trophy voting.

Taylor Hall

The 2010 first overall pick by the Oilers, Taylor Hall, made his NHL debut alongside teammate Eberle during the 2010–11 season. A two-time Memorial Cup champion and MVP with the Windsor Spitfires, Hall was seen as the centrepiece of the rebuild and the future face of the franchise and led the Oilers in his rookie season with 22 goals and finished tied for second with 42 points.

Hall was selected to participate in the NHL All-Star SuperSkills Competition and finished second in the fastest skater event behind Michael Grabner. However, his season ended early after he recorded his first Gordie Howe Hat Trick in March, by scoring a goal, recording an assist, but during a fight with Columbus Blue Jackets’ Derek Dorsett, he suffered a high ankle sprain. Nevertheless, he finished 9th in Calder Trophy voting, with former Oiler Jeff Skinner winning the award.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was selected first overall by the Oilers in 2011 and made an immediate impact. He was named Rookie of the Month for both October and November, and in November, he tied a franchise record for most points in a month by a rookie with 16.

Overall, he finished his rookie campaign with 52 points (18G, 34A) in 62 games, tying for the rookie lead alongside Gabriel Landeskog, who played 20 more games. His season ended early in February due to a shoulder injury. Nugent-Hopkins finished second in Calder Trophy voting that season to Gabriel Landeskog, who played all 82 games and won the award; however, ‘Nuge’ was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.

Connor McDavid

By winning the Connor McDavid sweepstakes, the Oilers secured the first overall pick and selected him in the 2015 NHL Draft, and the rookie phenom took only a few games into the 2015–16 season to record his first multi-point game — doing so in style with a three-point effort during his first Battle of Alberta on Hockey Night in Canada.

The generational talent put up 12 points in his first 13 games before suffering a clavicle injury after crashing into the end boards against the Philadelphia Flyers in November. He missed nearly three months of action, but returned in February against the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he scored one of his most magical goals of his career. He went on to win Rookie of the Month in his first month back, recording 17 points in 14 games.

He finished his rookie campaign with 48 points (16G, 32A) in 45 games, placing third in Calder Trophy voting. The then 24-year-old Artemi Panarin won the award, despite McDavid having a higher points-per-game average (1.06 compared to Panarin’s 0.96). However, McDavid was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.

Stuart Skinner

After showing promise in limited action during the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons, Stuart Skinner broke out in 2022–23, posting a 29-14-5 record, a 2.73 goals-against average, and a .914 save percentage. Despite some prior NHL experience, he still qualified as a rookie, having played fewer than 25 games and being under 26 years old.

His 29 victories set an Oilers rookie record, surpassing the mark previously held by Fuhr. He became the second Oilers netminder since Fuhr to play in the All-Star Game and was named Rookie of the Month in March of that season. Skinner finished second in Calder Trophy voting, losing out to the Seattle Kraken’s Matty Berniers.

Could Isaac Howard become the first Oiler to win the Calder Trophy?

When I think of players from the list who played in the early stages of the ‘Decade of Darkness’ era — such as Gagner, Hall, Eberle, and Nugent-Hopkins — it feels like their rookie seasons came with immense pressure. Their struggling teams desperately needed them to perform because the Oilers back then lacked star-quality players.

With Howard, there will be an expectation for him to perform, especially if he plays alongside the Oilers’ captain. But unlike the other players from the ‘Decade of Darkness’ era, he won’t have to be “the guy,” since that responsibility already lies with McDavid and Draisaitl, which should take some pressure off him.

Also, a huge positive is that Howard is not an 18-year-old rookie — he’s a 21-year-old coming off one of the best seasons in the NCAA last year. While many Oilers fans are crossing their fingers that he can step in and be McDavid’s linemate from day one, expectations should also be tempered, since playing alongside the captain also means facing the other team’s top defensive matchups.

However,  there’s something about Howard’s attitude that hints he could set himself apart from the pack. He seems to have that mix of confidence and boldness — you don’t wear a statement-making suit to your draft and already have a nickname like “The Ice Man” before playing an NHL game unless you’re built for the spotlight. That kind of personality might be exactly what helps him thrive in a pressure-filled top-six role.

Additionally, according to Jason Gregor, head coach Kris Knoblauch recently said, “Howard is a very offensive player and we’d like to find him a role on the power play, probably on the second unit.” While the Oilers’ second unit doesn’t see a ton of ice time, the fact that the coach is already talking about giving Howard a spot on the man advantage says a lot about how highly they regard his offensive upside. It suggests he’s going to get a chance to excel in an offensive role right from the start.

That said, I’m still leaning toward a modest projection for Howard’s rookie year, somewhere in the ballpark of what Cutter Gauthier — a former teammate of Howard’s with the U.S. National Development Team — achieved last season. Gauthier, who pushed for a trade from the team that drafted him, the Philadelphia Flyers, now plays for the Anaheim Ducks. He recorded 44 points (20G, 24A) in his first NHL season, playing most of his 5-on-5 minutes alongside Mason McTavish and Robby Fabbri, and finished fifth in Calder Trophy voting.

Overall, I’ll project Howard to score slightly more than Gauthier, posting a 23-goal, 24-assist season for 47 points next season. If he sticks with the big club, he’ll get chances to play with McDavid, but I feel there will be some third-line minutes mixed in there as well. For his rookie campaign, I predict he’ll have a better season than former Oilers like Eberle and Hall, but fall just short of Gagner and Nugent-Hopkins’ rookie seasons.

Yet, who knows — if the stars align and the ‘Ice Man’ plays like he’s got ice in his veins next season, and that quick release translates to the NHL right away, it could put the Oilers in position to claim the franchise’s first Calder Trophy.