Oilers Activate Colton Dach; Reassign Josh Samanski

According to a team announcement, the Edmonton Oilers have activated forward Colton Dach from the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, the Oilers reassigned forward Josh Samanski to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

Dach isn’t the only player Edmonton will reintroduce to the lineup tonight. Earlier today, defenseman Jake Walman and forward Zach Hyman confirmed they would play tonight. Furthermore, according to Jason Gregor of The Nation Network, forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Dickinson should return during next week’s homestand.

The Oilers have played well considering the number of injuries sustained early in the 2026-27 campaign. After an overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks to begin the year, Edmonton rattled off five consecutive wins before falling to the Utah Mammoth on Thursday.

Dach, 23, has been on injured reserve since October 7th with an undisclosed injury. He’s battled injuries before, though this one has been fairly mild compared to others that he’s suffered. By returning tonight, the former second-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks will have only missed three games. Before the injury, Dach went scoreless in three games with a -4 rating.

Meanwhile, Samanski returns to the AHL after six games with the Oilers. He played relatively well given his ice time, tallying one assist while averaging 7:44 per game. While he may have wanted to stay in the NHL longer, Samanski can now build on his strong performance with the Condors from last season. In 45 games, Samanski scored eight goals and 31 points. He also played in the 2026 Winter Olympics for Team Germany, registering a goal and an assist in five games.