Isaac Howard is back with the Edmonton Oilers. Six weeks in Bakersfield, and now he's got another shot.

The 21-year-old won the Hobey Baker Award last season at Michigan State—26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games. Edmonton grabbed him from Tampa Bay in July, signed him to a three-year deal, and let him compete for a roster spot.

He got 17 NHL games to start the season. Two goals and an assist. Not bad for a rookie jumping from college hockey. But the Oilers needed more from their depth forwards, so down to Bakersfield he went in mid-November.

"I was just excited to get down there and start a different chapter in my pro career," Howard said. "And I think it was great. Everyone down in that locker room was awesome. The coaching staff made it pretty easy to mesh with that group quickly. And you know, it was awesome."

Nobody wants to get sent to the AHL. But Howard needed what Bakersfield could give him—ice time, power play minutes, and the space to figure out professional hockey without the pressure of Connor McDavid looking over his shoulder (if that was ever happening).

He put up 10 goals and 13 assists in 16 games. Two goals and four assists in his last four games alone. Those are the numbers that get you recalled.

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"It's a great development league," Howard said. "Obviously, I was getting a lot more ice time, a lot of looks on special teams, things like that which is what I wanted. And I think it's a great league. And spending like, five or six weeks there was a great experience."

More ice time meant actually playing instead of watching. More power play minutes meant working on his offensive instincts. Bakersfield gave him what he couldn't get in Edmonton—consistent minutes where he could make mistakes and learn from them.

"It feels like I'm more experienced now and maybe more calmness coming back up," Howard said.

More experienced. More calm. Six weeks will do that when you're dominating the AHL and figuring out what works.

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"I think a big thing was just getting in the flow of pro hockey down there and playing games consistently," Howard said. "Learning to hold on to the puck more, find more of my game, and making little plays, passing, shooting, (being) more calm with the puck, and maybe even more confident."

That's what the AHL is supposed to do. Howard went down, figured out he needed to be more patient with the puck, worked on it, and came back better. Development working exactly how it should.

Quinn Hutson came up with him—19 goals and 13 assists in 26 AHL games this season. Both players earned their recalls by producing.

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Now comes the tricky part. Howard won't play 18-20 minutes a night like he did in Bakersfield. He'll be a bottom-six forward getting 8-12 minutes, trying to make things happen in shorter bursts. That's a different skill.

"It's different," Howard said about NHL ice time. "That's where you got to stay engaged, because you don't get the regular flow of the game, but I think I'll be better tested for that this time around. And however it shakes up, I'll be ready."

He knows what to expect this time. First go-around, everything was new. Now he's been through it. He spent six weeks in Bakersfield figuring things out. 

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The Oilers don't need Howard to be a star. They need him to be a useful depth forward. Play his minutes. Don't hurt the team. Chip in offensively when the opportunity comes. If he learned how to be smarter with the puck and stay calm under pressure, he'll get his chance to stick.

His first stint showed he belongs at this level—two goals in 17 games from a young guy that isn't first overall proves that. His time in Bakersfield showed he can dominate when given the opportunity—23 points in 16 games proves that. Now his second stint will show whether he's figured out how to bridge the gap between those two things.

Howard got recalled Friday because he earned it. He went to Bakersfield, worked on his game, put up numbers, and came back ready. That's how it's supposed to work. Whether it translates to NHL success is the next question, but he's done everything right so far.

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