Continuing our 'prospects' theme week we are highlighting four Edmonton Oilers prospects who took steps in their development this past year and saw their stock rise as a result. Recently, we touched on the exact opposite, speaking on three prospects whose stock has fallen as a result of some struggles with their play. We also took a look at three prospects who are primed to breakout this upcoming season.
The Oilers prospect pool is not flourishing but it is normal for teams in their position to have a relatively slim pipeline and that is the case in Edmonton. There have been moves made to try and supplement the pool and upgrade it, which has worked according to some draft experts but still, it ranks lower amongst other National Hockey League (NHL) teams.
Despite this, there have been some solid steps forward internally that hints at possibly some more NHL potential throughout the pool. That is the case with a few players included below.
Maxim Beryozkin
The 2024-25 season was one to remember for Maxim Beryozkin, setting career highs and winning the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) championship -- the Gargarin Cup. He was drafted in the Fifth round, 138th overall at the 2020 NHL Draft by the Oilers and has been taking consistent steps in his development year-over-year. Last year was the culmination of that development, seeing him score 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 66 games and another 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 21 games during the playoffs.
Oilers Senior Director of Player Development -- Kalle Larsson -- seems to feel that Beryozkin can make a real impact. When interviewed by NHL.com about the Oilers top prospects, he said about Beryozkin "He's already playing pro so if he comes in, he would be a potential top-nine forward." Clearly the club thinks highly of the 23 year old and thinks he could step in and be an impact player. It makes sense that he could, he is 6'4, 212lbs and plays a power game, with many qualities that could make him useful in one of their top three lines.
Now, heading into his fourth full season at the KHL level, Beryozkin is hoping to win a second straight championship before coming over to North America. All signs point to him coming over next spring, which means he will be 24 when he does sign, making him eligible for a one-year entry-level contract (ELC).
Matthew Savoie
It seems silly to even write that a player like Matthew Savoie, who has been a highly coveted player for years being drafted Ninth overall by the Buffalo Sabres at the 2022 NHL Draft and with the Oilers trading an NHL roster player for him but last year he took a big step. He has always been a high end offensive player but the level of production at the American Hockey League (AHL) level with the Oilers affiliate, Bakersfield Condors was validating.
In 66 games with the Condors, he scored 19 goals and 35 assists for 54 points, being named to the AHL All-Star game -- a fantastic pro rookie season. Beyond just his offensive output, he showed the Oilers brass what they wanted as Larsson sung his praises saying "I think with his first year in pro, he showed that he's not just a one-trick pony, he's not just an offensive guy and I think that versatility in his game, allows him to compete for more spots on the team."
This level of praise from an executive at the level that Larsson is at within the organization is great and bodes well for Savoie's prospects of making the NHL this season. Although many felt positive about the move for the Oilers when they trade for him, there were some naysayers who took the Sabres moving on from Savoie in favour of Ryan McLeod -- a third-line/middle-six center -- as a sign that the club did not see an NHL potential in him. However, one year later that is clearly not the case.
Samuel Jonsson
An underrated part of the Oilers prospect pool is in net and a good example of that is Samuel Jonsson. Drafted in the Fifth round, 158th overall at the 2022 NHL Draft, Jonsson was playing in the top junior league in Sweden, the J20 where he posted some very poor numbers. In 2021-22, he played 31 games holding a 9-20-0 record with an .883 save percentage and a 3.25 goals against average (GAA).
Over the past few seasons since being drafted, he has steadily moved up the ranks to the tier two professional league in Sweden, the Hockey Allsvenskan where he put together his best season yet between the pipes ths past year with BIK Karlskoga. In 24 games, he held a 17-6-0 record with a .922 save percentage and a 1.88 GAA.
Now, Jonsson has signed his entry-level contract (ELC) and is expected to compete for a spot in the crease within the Oilers farm system, either in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors or in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets. Jonsson is an intriguing prospect possesses good size at 6'5 and 200lbs, which is right in the wheelhouse of a modern day NHL netminder. At only 21 years old, he still has plenty of runway to develop as a goaltender and he helps to bolster a pipeline which might bear fruit in the coming seasons.