The Edmonton Oilers’ prospect pool is shallow in comparison to the rest of the NHL. Their top prospects in Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg have made their way into the NHL and are fighting to stay in a stacked Oilers lineup. Broberg played a big role near the end of the season and going into the postseason, while Holloway got his first taste of NHL action last season and should get another opportunity in 2023-24.
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It’ll be tough for any young guns to crack the opening night roster, but these are three prospects that deserve a call-up at some point during the season.
Raphael Lavoie, Center/Right Wing
The number one prospect in the Oilers’ system that hasn’t received a call-up yet is Raphael Lavoie. It’ll be tough for him to crack the opening right roster with the tight cap situation the Oilers are currently in, but he should be the first forward the team looks to in the event of any injuries. If he has a solid camp, he could steal the fourth-line center position from Lane Pederson.
Lavoie is coming off a solid second season with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) where he scored 25 goals and added 20 assists for 45 points through 61 games. He finished the season first on the Condors in goals, second in points, and third in assists.
At 22 years old and listed at 6-foot-4, 216 pounds, Lavoie is a big player that could make an impact both offensively and physically. He recently accepted his qualifying offer to continue playing within the Oilers organization, so he may get an opportunity at some point during the season based on his consistency and constant improvement to his offensive production and two-way game. The biggest challenge will be translating his dominance at the AHL level to the NHL, but he’s young enough that the Oilers can still afford to be patient with him.
Tyler Tullio, Center/Right Wing
Another solid prospect that has shown signs of being a potential top-six forward is Tyler Tullio. The 2022-23 season was his first year of professional hockey and it was an impressive showing for the 2020 fifth-round draft pick. He scored 13 goals and added 13 assists for 26 points through 63 games with the Condors which comes out to a 0.41 points per-game average. As a rookie, he had a really solid showing coming out of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) where he dominated with the Oshawa Generals. Over three seasons in the OHL, Tullio scored 84 goals and added 110 assists for 194 points through 187 games.
“Undersized center who pairs a high-motor with a strong offensive skillset. Top-six upside who can play any forward position.”
– Tony Ferrari (Tyler Tullio – DobberProspects Profile) – 2022
Just like Lavoie, it’ll be tough for Tullio to make the opening night roster going into the 2023-24 season. He’s a skilled forward that needs to spend the majority of the season in the minors to continue fine-tuning the small areas of his game. However, he deserves to get a look at the NHL level if the Oilers begin getting hit with the injury bug, or the team needs a small shakeup.
Carter Savoie, Left Wing
Carter Savoie was drafted by the Oilers in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and ever since, has continued growing into a potential bottom-six forward that could provide offense at the NHL level. He is coming off his first full season of professional hockey with the Condors, where he scored eight goals and added three assists for 11 points through 44 games. He was dominant at the NCAA level with the University of Denver and will be looking to take the next step in his development as a potential NHL star.
I’m personally a huge fan of Savoie. His younger brother, Matthew Savoie, is the Buffalo Sabres’ top prospect and will get some NHL action as early as this season. Carter on the other hand still has a way to go before he makes it to the NHL as a full-time player. He has the two-way game to be able to compete at the NHL level, and the Oilers could, and should look his way if they’re looking for another forward to give an opportunity to.
Oilers Have A Strong Team, Do Prospects Get Shafted?
The Oilers have a Stanley Cup-contending team heading into the 2023-24 season. That doesn’t mean there’s no opportunity for their young guns to get a chance at some point during the year. We saw Klim Kostin get his opportunity following an injury to Evander Kane, and after he showed he could play at the NHL level, earned a two-year, $2 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
There are a few veterans in the minors surrounding the young guys, but the Oilers will almost certainly call up their prospects first. If it’s only a few games that the rookies have to cover, it doesn’t hurt to stick them on the fourth line and see how they do. It’ll be a small sample size, but these three players have earned an opportunity to show they can play in the NHL and gives them an idea of the level they have to reach to stay there full-time.