EDMONTON – Every July 1st, the NHL calendar resets.
The Edmonton Oilers are preparing for the new year by making improvements to the team in several areas. Stan Bowman is hard at work, ensuring the team maximizes every dollar spent in the best possible way.
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Achieving that goal is easier said than done. That goal is easier to accomplish when you have young, inexpensive players who can contribute to a team’s success.
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If this offseason has taught us anything about the philosophy of Bowman and his management group, it’s that they will not overpay for depth players. Gone are the days of spending $2-$3 million on fourth-line forwards.
Enter the youth movement.
Bowman had a busy April, signing college players to entry-level contracts (ELCs) and Europeans to inexpensive standard contracts. This list is constructed of players who are 23-years-old or younger who could surprise people and push for a spot on the opening night roster for the Oilers.
Quinn Hutson
Lane Hutson’s older brother, Quinn Hutson, signed with the Oilers as a free agent on April 14th. After signing his deal with he played in two regular season games to close out the regular season.
Quinn was able to play two games because of all the injuries the Oilers had at the time. Because of this, we shouldn’t read too much into who his linemates were.
Adam Henrique and Max Jones were Quinn’s most common linemates. This suggests that there is a possibility that he could work himself into a third-line role with the team. He is a young player who plays a great defensive game. He also earned some time on the powerplay, suggesting that the coaching staff have confidence in his offensive skills as well.
Quinn is the biggest longshot to play for the Oilers on this list, but don’t count him out. His defensive game is a great baseline to have, while his offensive game will help him take advantage of turnovers.
Sam O’Reilly
Sam O’Reilly is a prospect that the Oilers have a lot of belief in. After all, they traded into the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft to select him. He plays a great defensive game, which is something this management group and coaching staff are placing extra emphasis on.
O’Reilly had the best offensive year of his OHL career this past season. In 62 games, he set personal highs in goals (28), assists (43), and points (71). This was a 15-point increase over his previous career high the year prior.
The Oilers aren’t going to rush O’Reilly into NHL action. However, they selected him because they believe he can be an effective two-way NHLer.
O’Reilly is almost guaranteed to get a nine-game audition in the NHL this year. Depending on how great of a summer he has, he can push for the third-line or fourth-line center position. Depending on how he fairs, it could make other players expendable, or push those players into different roles.
One way or another, keep your eyes on O’Reilly at main camp this year.
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Samuel Jonsson
Much ink has been spilled on the Oilers' goaltending situation. However, the Oilers could have a potential solution in net within the organization.
Samuel Jonsson could push for the back-up position, if another suitable goaltender cannot be acquired to push Calvin Pickard down the depth chart. He’s a goaltender with good size (6-foot-5, 201 lbs) who is fast on his feet, according to one scout.
It’s possible that he plays another season in Sweden before plying his trade to North America. However, he’ll have an opportunity to impress the organization once training camp rolls around. If he makes a good impression, he might force the Oilers to make a difficult decision.
Matt Savoie
The final prospect on this list is Matt Savoie. Savoie split his time between the NHL and AHL in the 2024-25 season. He played big minutes for the Bakersfield Condors in all situations.
Savoie’s time in the NHL was brief, yet impressive. He displayed great offensive skills, proving he can gel with the likes of Leon Draisaitl.
Savoie is a forward who has a strong work ethic and a high motor. The smaller forward has the ability to evade oncoming forecheckers. This is a handy talent to have, that will be tested at the NHL level.
All in all, these four Oilers prospects could surprise hockey pundits by staking their claim to a roster position for opening night this season.
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