Oilers Prospect Update: Dalyn Wakely leading the way for UMass-Lowell

Both plays above are beautiful primary assists for different reasons — and both give me hope for different reasons. Last year, while tracking WHL prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft, I noted Lafrenière’s ability to forecheck, find quiet ice, and lead a rush in transition. This season, the biggest step in his development has been his playmaking ability.

In the first clip, Lafrenière breaks from the system (he’s usually one of the puck carriers accepting the drop pass from the defenceman) and finds a new lane to make a play. In the second clip, the speedy Blazer pushes the defenceman all the way back below the dots before one simple cutback opens up the slot for an easy, picture-perfect assist. I didn’t see this level of playmaking from Lafrenière last year — this is a massive step forward.

Dalyn Wakely — Centre — UMass Lowell River Hawks

The UMass Lowell River Hawks have a new leading scorer, and his name is Dalyn Wakely. He moved into the team lead with two assists this weekend, bringing his total to six points (0G, 6A) in six games. The former OHL 100-point scorer is the only player on his team scoring at a point-per-game pace.

The River Hawks are averaging just 2.3 goals per game, with only six of their 14 goals coming at even strength. As his stat line shows, Wakely is a playmaking centre first and everything else second. At times, you want him more involved, staying off the perimeter, making his shot a threat, or supporting more defensively.

The power play is where Wakely shines. His strong playmaking ability thrives with extra time and space, and the clip below illustrates that as he hammers a one-timer (one of his eight shots this season) on net, creating a rebound and a wide-open cage for his teammate to bury. Would love to see him use that shot more.

The next clip perfectly shows how being a shooting threat can open up passing lanes. In almost the same scenario, Wakely accepts a one-timer pass but instead delivers a perfect slap-pass for the primary assist.

A beautiful display of in-game recognition from Wakely. This type of processing translates well to higher levels. A strong weekend from the River Hawks’ leading scorer.

Paul Fischer — Defenceman — Notre Dame University

Paul Fischer’s point streak came to an unfortunate end. Not seeing him on the box score was disappointing, but he still showed plenty on film. The Fighting Irish defenceman sits at five points in six games after Notre Dame’s back-to-back against Robert Morris University, which resulted in a 6-3 win and a 2-2 tie.

Still playing in every situation, Fischer continues to impress with his ability to create offence. This weekend, he made two great plays that led to high-danger chances, though neither found the back of the net. The two-way defenceman remains confident offensively while maintaining strong defensive play.

My main concern for Fischer is his retrievals under pressure. When the play is in front of him, he dictates the pace well, but when forechecked aggressively, he tends to rely too heavily on skating away rather than using body position. His skating will need another step if he doesn’t clean up those habits, but that’s being nitpicky.

Now for the positives. In the first clip, Fischer makes a stretch pass into an incredibly tight window from near his goal line, banking it perfectly to spring him forward on a breakaway.

It doesn’t show up on the scoresheet, but that’s a tough pass to pull off. Just one bad hop and it’s icing.

He followed that up with another gem on the power play, drawing attention before sending a perfect saucer pass to the high slot. The shot hit the post and stayed out, but it’s another example of Fischer’s elite passing touch.

I say it every week, but Fischer’s ability to create offence from his own zone with his hands and feet — and his confidence to lead or join the rush — makes him one of the most intriguing prospects in the Oilers’ system.

Quick Notes…

Those were the three performances that stood out from the past week. David Lewandowski continues to lead the Saskatoon Blades in scoring and had a beautiful assist off a set play to Hunter Laing.

Both Aidan Park and Asher Barnett are part of the second-ranked team in the NCAA, as the Michigan Wolverines jumped over Western Michigan after splitting their two games this weekend. Park and Barnett aren’t logging heavy minutes, but Barnett continues to feature on the penalty kill, while Park gets some secondary power play time. Park also moved up to the third line for the second game against Western Michigan.

In other NCAA news, Bauer Berry scored his first goal and continues to play bottom-of-the-lineup minutes for St. Thomas University.

That’s all for now. Some good signs from both the NCAA and WHL sides of the Oilers’ pipeline. Come back later this week for another report on the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League.