Oilers climb Daily Faceoff’s latest prospect pool rankings

After back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, there’s no denying that the Edmonton Oilers are squarely focused on winning right now. But that doesn’t mean they can’t also keep an eye on the future.

On Thursday, Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis published his annual ranking of the NHL’s prospect pools. This year, the Oilers have climbed to 23rd, six places higher than their near-to-last 29th in 2024. Despite being markedly in a win-now window, Edmonton have still managed to improve their future, writes Ellis:

“Shoutout to the Oilers. Over the past two summers, they’ve made a pair of moves to acquire Matthew Savoie and Ike Howard, making their pipeline a bit more formidable. That’s not a high bar – and they still lack depth significantly. They’re focused on winning now and the future has taken a hit as a result. That’s normal. But adding one of the most dominant CHLers in recent years, and now the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, is a nice haul without having to give up too much to get it.”

Unquestionably, Savoie and Howard are the headline-grabbing names here. Drafted ninth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2022, Savoie was dealt to the Oilers last July in exchange for Ryan McLeod and Ty Tullio. He was quickly dubbed by Oilersnation as Edmonton’s number one prospect, and earned the honour again this summer, with Cam Lewis writing:

The St. Albert product has been a blue-chip talent for years, and after a strong first pro season with the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League, the next step is earning a top-six wing role in Edmonton. He’ll enter training camp as a frontrunner to skate with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl when the 2025-26 season opens in October.

The 21-year-old Albertan already has four NHL starts with the Oilers to his name, earning his first point on an assist to Leon Draisaitl in February against the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s certainly one to watch this September as he fights for a permanent roster spot.

Howard meanwhile was perhaps the splash of the summer for the Oilers when he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning and signed to a three-year entry-level contract. The 21-year-old has spent the last two seasons at Michigan State Univeristy, winning the Hobey Baker Award last season. He has also impressed in the US national team development system over the past half decade, including seven goals and nine points in seven games played at last year’s World Juniors. Considering the accolades to his name, Howard could very well find his way to the Oilers’ roster this season as well.

21-year-old Samuel Jonsson was also named by Ellis as one of Edmonton’s top prospects. The young goaltender is poised to start the year with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors after an impressive season in Sweden. While goaltending prospects can be unpredictable, he has the chance to put up a big year and prove there’s hope for the future in between the pipes for the Oilers.

While Edmonton perhaps lacks depth in their prospect pool, there’s easily reason to get excited about the injection of youth coming their way this season and beyond. With training camp set to get underway in just under a month, keep an eye out for Savoie and Howard to carve a path to the big leagues.