Edmonton Oilers News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Paul Fischer, University of Notre Dame (Photo credit: ND Athletics)

Oilers’ NCAA Prospects: Tracking Their Early-Season Performance

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Brian Swane | Last updated Nov 7, 2025 10:20 AM ET

The 2025-26 NCAA Division 1 men’s hockey season is now five weeks old. Almost all teams have played at least half a dozen games, while some have already competed in 10 or more contests.

With five Edmonton Oilers prospects playing NCAA D1 hockey this season, fans in Oil Country are keeping a very close eye on the collegiate action south of the border. Here’s a look at how Edmonton’s prospects are performing so far.

Asher Barnett, Michigan Wolverines

Asher Barnett is one of two Oilers prospects playing for the University of Michigan men’s hockey team, which has started the season with a 9-1-0 record and is currently slotted at No. 2 in the NCAA men’s hockey rankings.

The 6-foot-1 freshman blueliner, who Edmonton selected with the 131^st overall pick at the NHL Draft in June, has appeared in all 10 games thus far for the Wolverines. While he has totalled only three points, all assists, Barnett is tied for second on the team with a plus/minus rating of plus-9.

Bauer Berry, St. Thomas Tommies

Another defenceman in his first year of NCAA hockey is Bauer Berry, who Edmonton selected 218^th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. Berry won the Clark Cup in the United States Hockey League (USHL) as a member of the Muskegon Lumberjacks last season, before enrolling at the University of St. Thomas.

In eight games with the Tommies thus far, Berry has registered one goal and one assist, while totalling eight penalty minutes. He has a plus/minus rating of plus-2, which is tied for second on the team.

Paul Fischer, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Edmonton’s most experienced prospect in U.S. college hockey is 20-year-old defenceman Paul Fischer, who is now in his junior season with the University of Notre Dame’s men’s hockey team. Fischer was selected 138^th overall by the St. Louis Blues at the 2023 NHL Draft before being traded to the Oilers in August 2024.

Through eight games, Fischer has seven points, which is tied for second most on the Fighting Irish. He’s already equalled his NCAA career high with two goals, including his first college power-play marker.

Aidan Park, Michigan Wolverines

Aidan Park became the feel-good story of the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles when Edmonton selected the SoCal kid with the second-to-last pick, 223rd overall. Now, the 19-year-old forward is continuing his narrative as the underdog that exceeds expectations as a freshman teammate of Barnett at the University of Michigan.

In 10 games with the Wolverines, Park already has three goals and three assists and boasts a plus/minus rating of plus-7. He scored the game-winner in a 5-3 road victory over Fischer’s Fighting Irish on Oct. 31.

Dalyn Wakely, UMass Lowell River Hawks

While 21-year-old Dalyn Wakely is Edmonton’s oldest prospect currently playing NCAA hockey, he’s only in freshman campaign at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The 192^nd pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Wakely wrapped up a four-year career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last spring.

Wakely hasn’t scored a goal yet, but through eight games, he’s racked up six assists to tie for the team lead in points. The centre is taking almost 13 faceoffs per game and winning just under 45% of his draws (46/103).

Three of the NCAA teams with Oilers prospects will be in action this weekend: Michigan plays No. 10 Wisconsin at home on Friday (Nov. 7) and Saturday (Nov. 8); Notre Dame hosts Minnesota for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday; and UMass Lowell plays New Hampshire twice, at home on Friday and in Durham, NH on Saturday.