Entering the first in what looks to be the new norm for the National Hockey League draft format, the 2025 NHL Draft was held in Los Angeles, California in a 'decentralized format'. The Edmonton Oilers made five selections this past June and so far, all have impressed.
Typically, when NHL Drafts took place, all 32 NHL clubs would meet at a central location inside an arena. Fans would fill the seats inside the stadium while teams would be on the floor with tables for all clubs, usually filled with high ranking executives like general managers, owners, coaches, and scouts.
As each team would make a selection, the players in attendance would walk down and get their jersey, going up on stage, at least for the entire first round. They would then go off to other parts of the arena where they would do media, meet with their families and their new team and fellow draft picks.
This year, teams stayed put in their home cities and were on a video call where they would announce their picks with fans, the players, and the NHL commissioner Gary Bettman being at the actual draft location. This was met with plenty of criticism by fans and media alike for the slow pace and at times technical difficulties that arised.
The Oilers 2025 NHL Draft class
Despite these issues, the Oilers seem to have come away with a good haul. They held five selections in total with a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh round selections. Their class was in order of selection; Forward Tommy Lafreniere, David Lewandowski, defenceman Asher Barnett, goaltender Daniel Salonen, and forward Aidan Park.
Although we are less than a quarter into the season, all of these prospects have started their years and all have played quite well so far.
October prospect update
Barring injury, every league has started up at this point with most European leagues kicking off in early September and the CHL in mid-late September and finally the NCAA last. Luckily, there is a decent sample size for each player in the Oilers class so we can have a good gauge at their post draft season (DY+1).
Tommy Lafreniere, F - Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
The Oilers first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Tommy Lafreniere was sent back to the Kamloops Blazers in the Western Hockey League. In his second season with the club, he has been playing mainly top-six minutes on either of the top two lines.
So far this season his goal scoring prowess has been on full display, scoring eight goals and two assists in 10 games. Although offence is more of a secondary to his strong forechecking and high motor game, it is a good sign to see him increase his scoring rate already.
This is to be expected playing on a much stronger team this with top 2026 NHL Draft choice, J.P. Hurlbert. It will remain to be seen if he can continue to score at a solid clip throughout the season and beyond. He was ranked No. 5 on our top 10 prospects list for a reason, he is one of the most underrated in the system.
David Lewandowski, LW - Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
Speaking of upticks in production, Oilers fourth round pick and second selection at the 2025 NHL Draft, David Lewandowski is off to a hot start with the Blades in the Western Hockey League. The German-born winger is one of the club's most interest prospects. He was ranked No. 9 last month on our top 10 prospects list and has the potential to be a big steal for the Oilers.
His combination of energetic and physical powerforward game with his offensive skillset is really intriguing from a prospect standpoint. Being able to have a projectable base to your game, combined with the potential upside to move up in the lineup is valuable, especially in the later rounds.
So far, he has five goals and 10 assists in 10 games and projects to be a real breakout star in the WHL. If he can continue at or near this level of production, he will surely climb up prospect rankings lists and generate a lot of hype within the pool.
Asher Barnett, LD - University of Michigan (NCAA)
The Oilers fifth round pick and their only defenceman selected at the draft, Asher Barnett was taken out of the US National Team Development Program. He has since joined one of the top NCAA programs in the University of Michigan.
Barnett is a strong defensive defender at 6'1 201lbs. He is unafraid to use his bulky frame and despite his billing, he does possess some basic two-way abilities required for a modern stay-at-home defenceman.
Although his three assists in six games do not indicate much, it is nice to see that as a defenceman in his mould, he has not struggled to notch a few points early on.
Daniel Salonen, G - Lukko (Liiga)
The Oilers took the southpaw 19 year old Daniel Salonen in the sixth round and was the only goalie the club selected in 2025. He possesses the size required for a modern day NHL goalie at 6'3 and 185lbs and has quickly moved up the ranks in his home country of Finland.
In 10 games played, Salonen has a 5-3-1 record with a 2.52 goals against average and a .883 save percentage. While these numbers do not pop off the page, it is extremely rare for a teenage netminder to take over as a starting goalie, especially for a Champions League club.
Salonen is in a good spot in Lukko as he is currently sharing the crease with NHL veteran Antti Raanta. If he can improve on his numbers, it would be nice but given the experience he is gaining from playing such a big role in a top tier men's league, it is not as important.
Aidan Park, F - University of Michigan (NCAA)
The Oilers selecting Aidan Park with their final pick of the 2025 NHL Draft was a good story with Park attending the event but was unaware he would even be selected. He is an overage player being selected at 19 years old but boasts good size at 6'1 187lbs and the ability to play both wings and centre.
He has a strong energy based game with some powerforward elements as well. He is good defensively as well, giving him a good projection as he works towards the next level. So far with the University of Michigan, Park has scored two goals and three points through six games, playing a primarily bottom six role.
The Oilers 2025 Draft class is off to a hot start in October, hopefully they can continue this momentum going throughout the 2025-26 season.