The National Hockey League (NHL) 2025-26 season comes closer and closer.
After a 4-0 shutout victory against their Western Canadian rival Winnipeg Jets, the Edmonton Oilers trim down their training camp roster further.
Before the game Friday night, the Oilers announced a round of cuts to their roster, assigning 14 players to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. The Condors will be setting up camp in the coming weeks with their season set to begin next month.
Players like Beau Akey, Connor Clattenburg, Rem Pitlick, and more were demoted. Although not unexpected, Clattenburg had been a major standout in camp while Rem Pitlick has shown well as a depth forward in various NHL stints the last few seasons.
Oilers rookies stand out
The Oilers were forced to make many tough decisions with standout performances from a number of highly touted prospects and depth pieces. The acquisitions of top prospects Ike Howard and Matt Savoie the last two seasons have raised the bar and are expected to win permanent spots in their lineup.
As well, standout performances from forwards like Quinn Hutson as well as European free agents David Tomasek and Josh Samanski have raised the bar.
Finnish defenceman free agent signing Atro Leppanen has also turned heads. His poised play and puck moving ability has impressed the fanbase and Oilers brass.
Oilers make cuts and place multiple on waivers
On Saturday, the team announced further moves cutting depth defenceman Josh Brown and forward Roby Jarventie, placing them on the waiver wire.
The 31 year old right-handed defenceman Brown has been a depth NHL defenceman for years, he spent the majority of last season with the Condors, playing as a call-up option for the Oilers.
Roby Jarventie, 23, is a top prospect in the Oilers system. He has spent the past couple seasons plagued with injury troubles and hoped to bounce back this year.
Although he has not made the opening night lineup, he still shows legitimate NHL potential. If he can spend the season with the Condors furthering his development, he could work into a call-up option throughout the season or fight for a spot next year.
In addition to Jarventie and Brown, the club sent down goaltender Samuel Jonsson and forward Viljami Marjala. All of these moves over the past few days have resulted in the Oilers camp trimming down from 55 players to 37 players.
There will be another flurry of cuts to come over the next week or so before the start of the 2025-26 NHL season.