Oilers’ Joshua Samanski Shows Promise in NHL Debut

After an incredible start in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Bakersfield Condors, Samanski was named to the German Olympic team. In 39 games with the Condors this season, he has scored seven goals and added 21 assists for 28 points.

In his first game with the Oilers, he only had 7:43 of ice time, was +2, and was 75% in the faceoff dot. While one game isn’t quite enough of a sample size to decide whether he can keep up at the NHL level, he showed promise as a two-way centre and was making smart decisions in the offensive zone.

Even with limited ice time, his single-game score, according to Hockey Stat Cards on X, was impressive in comparison to the other Oilers forwards.

The Oilers will likely be keeping Samanski around until at least the Olympic break to get him used to the NHL level, and rewarding him for his impressive showing at the AHL level up to this point. He seems to be trying out for the Oilers’ third-line centre role, and if he continues to improve, he may earn that spot permanently and force the Oilers to focus on a different type of addition at the trade deadline.

Samanski’s Defensive Tendencies Are Elite

Even in the short time he played, Samanski proved to be smart defensively. He was always in the right spots in the defensive zone, not allowing players to be left alone in the slot, and not overthinking plays when the puck was on his stick, while keeping it simple in the neutral zone to push the play toward the offensive zone.

Moving forward, it’s fair to assume Samanski will earn the trust of the coaching staff if he continues to show signs of being trustworthy defensively. He will likely be in the lineup for the Oilers when they take on the San Jose Sharks on Thursday (Jan. 29), and if the Oilers can avoid staying out of the penalty box, Samanski could be looking at more ice time in his second game.

Samanski Seems to Fit Alongside Savoie

While I had no complaints about Howard on the third line, Samanski seemed to fit alongside Matthew Savoie and Jack Roslovic really well. Their speed, combined with Samanski’s two-way game and ability to see the ice at an elite level, makes them a strong combination. It will still take some time before they start contributing offensively and are consistently able to be trusted defensively, but for one game, they looked solid.

Some of the underlying stats would indicate they weren’t a solid line, with MoneyPuck showing them as having a -0.26 on-ice Xgoals differential, but it’s one game, and their first one together. As things move forward and they become used to each other as they begin building chemistry, they should turn into a strong third line.

It was one game, but Samanski showed a lot of promise, and if he continues to improve, it wouldn’t surprise me if he earned a permanent spot heading into the postseason.

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