Continuing the Oil on Whyte top 10 prospects list, following the No. 9 ranked prospect is 19 year old University of Michigan blueliner, Asher Barnett at No. 8. He is the older brother of 2027 NHL Draft prospect, Abe Barnett.
The Edmonton Oilers originally selected the 6'1, 196lbs left-handed defenceman in the fifth round, 131st overall at the 2025 NHL Draft. He spent the two seasons leading up to his draft with the United States National Team Development Program before joining the University of Michigan in the NCAA last season for his Freshman year.
He joined one of the top NCAA programs and has the potential to blossom and has certainly risen up the ranks in the Oilers system, going from a late round pick to a player who has shown real potential since his draft.
Future outlook
Looking ahead to this season, Barnett will wear the alternate captain's 'A' for one of the strongest NCAA schools, boasting high end drafted players such as; Cam Reid, Michael Hage, Will Horcoff, Jack Nesbitt, and Malcolm Spence. As well as projected 2027 first overall pick, defenceman Landon Dupont.
He is also expected to feature prominently on the American blueline at the 2027 World Junior Championships, along with other fellow Oilers prospects who are expected to represent their respective countries. Barnett has proven himself on the international stage, already playing for his home country at the 2026 World Juniors and the U-17s and U-18s, where he was a captain for the latter.
His defensively responsible two-way game may not make him the most exciting defenceman but it gives him a steadying presence. His maturity on the backend also makes him a natural leader, as evidenced by the amount of times he has worn a letter on his jersey.
As of right now, Barnett's estimated time of arrival for the NHL is likely after the full four years in college. Then, it would not be surprising if he takes one year or more to develop in the American Hockey League with the Oilers' affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. However, if Barnett is able to take big steps in the next couple seasons, this timeline could be expedited.
NHL potential
Now that we have established Barnett's NHL ETA as most likely two or more years away, what could he become once he does hit the show?
For Barnett, the fifth round billing does not give a lot of confidence in his NHL potential but with what he has shown in his time since being selected, he should be seen as more than his draft position. He has proven and has the ability to further prove that he can be an NHL defenceman and with his 200ft game, he could have the ceiling of a middle-pairing defender.
Given what he has shown and how his game projects, it is likely that Barnett can become a smart and defensively responsible bottom-pairing blueliner with the potential to be even more. This is something that would make him a valuable piece of any team's prospect pool and is a projection that could see him rise the organizational depth chart quickly when he turns pro.
The biggest hurdle for Barnett reaching his ceiling will be whether or not he can further develop his offensive game to make him a secondary powerplay quarterback or whether he will be more of a penalty kill specialist as a No. 4 - No. 6 defenceman.
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