Dylan Holloway was selected 14th overall in the 2020 NHL draft by the Edmonton Oilers. In his two seasons with the University of Wisconsin, Holloway has tallied 52 points in 58 games.
The 19-year-old brought some mixed reactions at the time of the 2020 draft, but has put all of the doubters to rest, and has now become one of the most exciting up-and-coming prospects in the entire league. After returning to Wisconsin for a second season, and averaging 1.52 points per game, he proved to Edmonton fans that they should be pumped for his future, and that first shot in the NHL may come sooner than later.
As per Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal, it sounds like the Oilers see Holloway as someone who is almost ready to make the jump to the NHL, Leavins writes:
"..while I wouldn’t rule out Dylan Holloway making it onto the roster as well, I suspect he is penciled in to start the year in Bakersfield, perhaps in the 1C slot that McLeod held last campaign. I get the strong sense that the Oilers would prefer Holloway to play center. Doing that full-time in the AHL first would be a logical step in terms of proper player development."
With Ryan McLeod likely having a spot on the Oilers roster full time, this could make Holloway’s NHL jump a little delayed, and he’ll likely start the season as the first-line center in Bakersfield. If Holloway plays anything like I expect him to, he won’t be in the minors long, and he’ll be forcing Edmonton to make some moves, so he can have a shot in the big leagues.
If Holloway were to step into the Oilers lineup midseason, and he continues to play center, I can see them running these lines:
Hyman – Mcdavid – Puljujarvi
Nuge – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Foegele – McLeod – Archibald
Shore – Holloway – Kassian
This would leave Derek Ryan as the 13th forward, and Benson on the outside looking in. The nightly lineup battle would be between Devin Shore, Derek Ryan & Tyler Benson, but with Benson back on a two-way contract, he will likely be tearing up the minors for at least one more year, before he earns his spot full time.
Eventually, I can see Holloway working his way up into the top 9, even top 6 depending on how well he plays and how fast he adapts to the NHL, but for this season, I don’t see them trying to rush him into the lineup, they can take their time with this kid, he isn’t going anywhere, but if he shines and proves his worth, then he deserves it.