The first defenceman of the Edmonton Oilers 2025-26 top 10 prospects list comes at No. 4 and it is Beau Akey.
Drafted in the Second round, 56th overall at the 2023 NHL Draft by the Oilers , the right-handed defender Akey spent his entire junior career with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
When he was drafted, Akey was seen as a player poised to breakout offensively, possessing solid puck moving ability and incredible mobility. Unfortunately, after only 14 games into the 2023-24 season he had to sit out the remainder of his post-draft year undergoing shoulder surgery.
Last year, he struggled offensively but was able to represent Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, failing to capture a medal with the team.
Future outlook
Looking ahead to the imminent future, Akey is set to play in his first season of professional hockey, likely with the Oilers American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. He was recently named to the Oilers training camp roster after being a standout at the team's rookie camp matchups against their rival, the Calgary Flames.
Earlier in the summer, Oilers director of player development, Kalle Larsson, did an interview with NHL.com and spoke about the Oilers top prospects, Akey being one. Larsson said "In junior hockey he was a two-way defenseman, leaning a little bit more towards offense. I think in pro, he'll be a two-way defenseman that will need to be more reliable defensively."
He has shown flashes of this ability and it is something that I think he is very capable of moving forward. However, this is still a good indication of what the Oilers will be looking to do with Akey and provides great insight into how they plan to develop him and how they expect he will be most utilized moving forward -- from the man who will be in charge of just that.
The article also stated that Akey's expected NHL arrival is in 2027-28, which would be two seasons from now and seems like a reasonable expectation, following a fairly normal trajectory. This is especially true with the injury issues that have plagued Akey thus far in his young career.
There is also the fact that three defencemen currently on the NHL roster have at least two more seasons on their deal. This is in addition to the distinct possibility of players like Jake Walman and Mattias Ekholm to be re-signed, leaving very limited room for new players to win NHL jobs without injuries.
NHL potential
Akey is a very interesting player with a unique skillset. He is an incredible skater which gives him a leg-up -- no pun intended -- on his peers and with his puck moving ability, especially in transition, it hints at him having a fairly high ceiling compared to his draft position.
Although, he possesses average size at 6'0 and 174lbs which may be a limiting factor to some extent, with the NHL having a clear push towards size in recent years, especially on the backend. This will also make Larsson's expectation for him to become more defensively responsible much more vital. Though, we have seen players with good mobility use it to make up for physical deficiencies.
If Akey can find a good blend between his offensive and defensive skills, he could be a true top-four right-handed defenceman at the next level. I could also see a world where he does not quite hit this projection and becomes more of a puck moving third-pair defender, used to chip in on secondary offence and capable of moving up due to injuries.