Now as the 2025-26 season has begun across the world so too has the season in the American Hockey League and ECHL, meaning there are Edmonton Oilers prospects playing regular season games.
The Oilers have affiliates in both the AHL and ECHL, the Bakersfield Condors and Fort Wayne Komets, respectively. The Condors are five games into their season with a 3-2-0 record and the Komets are three games in with a 2-1-0 record.
These are respectable starts to the year for both clubs and as a result, they each have a few players worthy of highlighting to begin the year. There are other players aside from them but if we named every player, it would be upwards of 20 who are under contract to the Oilers.
Here at Oil on Whyte we have already looked at the Oilers 2025 NHL Draft class and how they are performing as well as the Oilers prospects in European leagues.
Roby Jarventie, F
Roby Jarventie was originally drafted in the second round by the Ottawa Senators at the 2020 NHL Draft. He was acquired by the Oilers during the 2024 off season in a swap, trading forward prospects Jake Chiasson and Xavier Bourgault for Jarventie and a 2025 fourth round pick. Jarventie was our No. 8 ranked prospect in our top 10 Oilers prospects list last month.
He has a powerforward build at 6'3, 204lbs but with the hands and puck skills to be a more finesse player. Since his draft, he has proven to be a productive player at the AHL and Liiga levels, even being given a cup of coffee in the NHL with the Senators. However, he has struggled with injuries the past couple seasons, leaving his NHL future in doubts.
So far this season, he has played three games with the Condors, scoring five points (three goals, two assists) and is second on the team in scoring. This is a big season for the 23 year old winger who hopes to continue this momentum throughout and potentially gain a chance to prove his worth with the Oilers.
Viljami Marjala, F
The Oilers signed Viljami Marjala to a two-year entry-level contract earlier this year after the Buffalo Sabres allowed their draft rights to expire on the forward. He was drafted by the Sabres in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He is arguably one of the franchise's most underrated prospects.
The Sabres allowed the 22 year old’s rights to expire after putting up one of the most productive Liiga seasons from a player in his age group this century. He is a speedy and skilled forward who plays with high pace and incredible hands, allowing him to score and set up teammates with ease. He also provides versatility as a winger or centre.
So far with the Condors, he has four points — all assists — in five games. This is incredibly impressive for anybody but especially a player playing in his first pro season in North America. He is a dark horse candidate to fight for a call-up this season with the possibility of battling for a full-time spot on the Oilers next year. He was a late cut at training camp, giving him a good trajectory inside the organization.
Jayden Grubbe, F
The Oilers acquired the rights to Jayden Grubbe back in 2023 from the New York Rangers after they drafted him in the third round at the 2021 NHL Draft. Grubbe was a standout player with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League, wearing the captain's 'C' on his chest for three seasons.
Since joining the Oilers, he has mainly been a bottom-six piece with the Condors, scoring a combined 28 points in 129 games across two seasons. He has now been demoted down to the ECHL's Komets to start the year and has shown much more scoring prowess. Through the first three games he has scored two goals and one assist.
Grubbe's calling card is his two-way game, he has the skill to be a legitimate defensive shutdown centre, logging time on the penalty kill. This alone gives him some value but his demotion likely means that the Oilers or Condors organizations are not pleased with his lack of offensive output. Hopefully he can work his way back up the ranks because a shutdown centre is always a nice thing to have in your organization.
Nathaniel Day, G
The Oilers drafted Nathaniel Day in the sixth round, 184th overall at the 2023 NHL Draft. Since being drafted, Day took over as the starting netminder for the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League and is now entering his full professional season. Before this year, he had been given three games with the Komets to end the 2024-25 ECHL season.
If his first showings between the pipes for the Komets is any indication, Day has already outgrown the league. Through five career games in the ECHL, he has recorded a 3-1-0 record, three shutouts and a .957 save percentage. This season he already has one shutout and a 1-1-0 record and 1.53 goals against average and .927 save percentage.
He is off to a fantastic start with the Oilers ECHL affiliate and if things continue, the team will have no choice but to give him a taste of action at the AHL level as the season moves on. It is still early though and it is important not to get too ahead of ourselves, he is still only 20 years old and progress is usually anything but linear, especially for goalies.