NHL
Quinn Hutson has played four games for the Edmonton Oilers this season. Andy Devlin / NHLI via Getty Images
In the spring of 2024, I looked at the Edmonton Oilers’ development model and concluded that changes needed to be made: “The organization overloaded Bakersfield with veteran forwards this season, and the young forwards did not force their way up the depth chart.”
The Oilers hired Stan Bowman as general manager a couple of months later, and the template for development success changed. Bowman’s innovations have been two-fold: The team added better prospects to the system, and those prospects were given the clean air of major AHL minutes in order to sink or swim.
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The spring of 2025 saw the arrival of high-quality European and college players to the organization. Many landed with the Bakersfield Condors and are pushing for NHL minutes. The turnaround has been quick and impressive, and should yield actual NHL players in the years to come.
Did Bowman solve a 20-year-old problem?
One of the best ways to evaluate progress (and reflect playing time increases) is to split a season in half. New arrivals often struggle early, and then flourish once comfortable in their role. Here’s the group of new arrivals who are considered prospects, with the performance spikes in recent games.
Ike Howard and Quinn Hutson rocked the AHL in their professional debuts, and both have played for the Oilers this season. Howard was a trade acquisition over the summer, while Hutson arrived via college free agency in the spring. Both are on a trajectory where they should enjoy NHL careers.
Howard is currently in the NHL and playing third-line minutes. He’s being deployed just over 11 minutes per game at five-on-five during January. At his peak, he should be a productive top-six winger and a first-shot scorer. Hutson seems destined for a middle-six role and a third-line two-way presence. Both saw immediate feature minutes in Bakersfield.
This is the next group of recalls, and there is an impressive range of skills in the group.
Josh Samanski is a real find. He’s a centre with two-way acumen and enough foot speed to project to an NHL future. He’s also big enough (6-foot-2, 195 pounds ) to survive the rigours of NHL action. Much of his offence comes from even strength (23 points so far to lead the Condors), and he’ll be a player to look for in the fall as a possible opening-night roster addition.
Viljami Marjala arrived with the reputation of being a pure offensive type, and has gotten plenty of time on the power play this season (19 points with the man advantage). In his first 18 games, Marjala posted 1-6-7 numbers at even strength. Since then, he has blossomed (4-8-12) and improved as an outscorer. It’s fair to say he has officially entered the chat when it comes to recall options.
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Roby Jarventie had two items to check off this winter: stay healthy and impact the AHL game. He’s done both and has shown a rambunctious style to go with the passing and scoring skill. He’s a July 2024 acquisition who looks like he could get the next ticket to Edmonton.
Connor Clattenburg has already played in the NHL and offers the team a unique agitator and willing fighter. However, he’s currently injured, having sustained an eye injury and recently required surgery on his left hand. As the Oilers are shy of his player-type across the pro roster, expect to see Clattenburg in Bakersfield and Edmonton when he recovers.
The Condors have two defencemen who are debuting this season in the pro ranks. Both started slowly and have impressed over the last 20 games. Here are the even-strength goal totals this season for Beau Akey and Damien Carfagna:
Akey is a right-handed defenceman, giving him extra value. He’s 20 (turns 21 next month) and undersized (listed at 6 feet, 173 pounds). His strengths include outstanding speed and mobility, and improved reads against the rush. If he does lose a step against a forward, Akey doesn’t have the size or experience to cut off a direct route to the net. He’s improving, as the even-strength goal share indicates. He’s probably a year away from the NHL, although a right-shot defenceman who can pass and transport well is a key need at the NHL level currently.
Damien Carfagna is a left-shot defender of similar size (6 feet, 185 pounds) who came out of college (Ohio State) and is a little older (23). Carfagna’s strength is skating and work ethic. He’s a quality passer and puck mover, but may have a more difficult time making the NHL grade with the Oilers. As a left defenceman, Carfagna is facing an NHL depth chart (Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Jake Walman, Spenser Stastney) that has four men ahead of him. Injuries could make room, but there’s a chance he will follow the path of former Oilers prospect Jordan Oesterle and find himself in another NHL city.
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There are two goalies worth discussing based on performance and their status as prospects. Connor Ungar was money in the ECHL for 11 games (and three teams) before getting the call to Bakersfield. In six games with the Condors, he owns an incredible .955 save percentage. Undrafted, unheralded, he’s emerging as a major story for the organization.
Samuel Jonsson is a gigantic (6-foot-5, 201 pounds) goalie from Sweden. He was the best goalie in that country’s second league (Allsvenskan) in 2024-25 and started well for the Fort Wayne Komets (Edmonton’s ECHL affiliate) at the beginning of this season (three shutouts in his first five games). Jonsson then struggled, but has shown well in recent games and is now running a .907 save percentage for the season.
Bowman has the Oilers organization aggressively signing college and European free agents as well as working to develop the team’s own draft picks. Among the 10 names mentioned here, all of whom are advancing their individual cause this season, just three (Clattenburg, Jonsson, Akey) were drafted by Edmonton. Only Akey, a second-round selection in 2023, has anything close to draft pedigree.
Howard played U.S. college, as did Hutson and Carfagna. Ungar was signed out of Canadian college (Ontario University Athletic Association) and Brock University. The European free agents number is two: Samanski and Marjala. The final name is Jarventie, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators after a season he spent time in both the NHL and AHL.
The Oilers are finally building the AHL farm club the right way. Here’s a year-over-year comparison, using the top-10 points-per-game totals from 2024-25 and this season, prospects highlighted:
Many observers who viewed Edmonton’s draft and development model over the years were baffled by the inability to develop players in the AHL. Coach Colin Chaulk was heavily criticized for not playing the kids. Bowman’s solution, against a backdrop of very few draft picks graduating each fall, was to aim higher in procuring talent for Bakersfield. The pro scouts clearly had an eye on upgrades and finding talent that could eventually matriculate to the NHL.
Edmonton has its best minor league team in at least 20 years, maybe longer. It’s a significant forward step.
Allan Mitchell is a contributor to The Athletic’s Oilers coverage. Veteran radio broadcaster. His blog, Lowetide, has chronicled the team since 2005. Follow Allan on Twitter @Lowetide
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