On Friday, the Edmonton Oilers announced a pair of roster moves. They loaned rookie winger Isaac Howard to the American Hockey League's Bakersfield Condors and placed veteran defenceman Troy Stecher on waivers.
The #Oilers have placed defenceman Troy Stecher on waivers & loaned forward Isaac Howard to the @Condors. https://t.co/8kzVajd7xi
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 14, 2025
The moves come as a result of the team activating top line winger Zach Hyman off of long term injured reserve following wrist surgery over the summer. Stemming from a wrist injury he sustained during the Western Conference Final series versus the Dallas Stars.
Hyman is expected to make his 2025-26 season debut on Saturday as the Oilers face the Carolina Hurricanes on their season high seven game road trip.
Howard has faced early season struggles in his rookie campaign
The 21 year old Howard came into the season as one of the most highly touted prospects in the NHL after winning the 2025 Hobey Baker award as the NCAA MVP. Many expected him to be just what the Oilers need -- a young complimentary scorer.
Since making his debut, he has played 17 games with the Oilers, scoring three points (two goals, one assist) while averaging 9:30 of time on ice per game. It is no secret that the team has had struggles with their depth scoring, especially amongst their top rookies Howard and Matt Savoie.
However, Savoie has found success in recent games scoring one goal and two assists in his last two games, while securing a top line promotion. Howard has been stuck mainly in a fourth line role and has even found himself the subject as a healthy scratch at points this year.
AHL demotion could help him find his game
It is unclear how long the Oilers anticipate Howard will spend down with the Condors, could be a short stint or it could last the rest of the season. Either way, this is nowhere near the end of the road for the 21 year old, he is still inarguably one of the Oilers top prospects.
Sending him to the AHL gives Howard a unique opportunity to go from playing under 10 minutes a night in a bottom six role, to what will likely be a top line role with the Condors. He will likely be tasked with playing special teams and a lot of crucial minutes for the club, putting him in a good position to score and hopefully find his confidence.
There is an argument to be made that the position Howard has been put in is not good for his development so far but there is a need for him to find a way to impress. It is a double-edged sword because you do not just want to hand a rookie valuable minutes, especially if they have not earned it which Howard has not.
He ranks amongst the lowest on the team in 5-on-5 expected goals, corsi, and goals differential. He is well below breaking even in any of these statistics according to evolving-hockey.com.
If he is kept down in the AHL, he will hopefully be given the chance to find his confidence and game.