Oilers’ Isaac Howard Having Hot Start With AHL’s Bakersfield Condors

The Edmonton Oilers made waves in the offseason when they decided to make a move for a youngster in forward Isaac Howard, acquiring him from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Sam O’Reilly. As a previous Hobey Baker Award winner, Howard had some high expectations coming into the 2025-26 season, but it seemed as though the Oilers were willing to be patient with him as he got used to the professional level of hockey.

Related: Oilers News & Rumours: Slow Start, Roslovic, Goalie Speculation

Howard made the Oilers’ opening-night roster, but it was clear from the beginning that he had some issues he needed to clean up before he could become a permanent fixture in their lineup. He played 17 games with the Oilers, scoring two goals and adding one assist for three points, before they chose to assign him to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Before joining the Oilers, Howard was drafted by the Lightning in the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft at 31st overall after a strong season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the U.S. National Development Team, where he scored 11 goals and added 26 assists for 37 points through 27 games.

He joined the University of Minnesota-Duluth for the 2022-23 season, where he scored six goals and added 11 assists for 17 points through 35 games. He would then transfer to Michigan State University, where over the next two seasons, he played in 73 games, scoring 34 goals and adding 54 assists for 78 points, maintaining just over a point-per-game average.

In the 2024 U20 World Junior Championship, he scored seven goals and added two assists for nine points through seven games. In the 2024-25 season, he won the Hobey Baker Award, which is awarded to the top collegiate hockey player in the NCAA.

Howard’s Hot Start in AHL Turning Heads

Some fans questioned Howard’s usage at the NHL level from Oilers’ head coach Kris Knoblauch, considering he had minimal ice time and was utilized as a fourth-line player for the majority of his stint before being sent down. He definitely looked a step behind, and it was clear his confidence was lacking, so a stint in the minors doesn’t hurt him, and it allows him to fine-tune his game. In all likelihood, he earns a call-up later in the season.

Since going down to the Condors, Howard has been nothing short of dominant at both ends of the ice. In two games, he has scored two goals and added two assists for four points, maintaining an impressive two points-per-game average.

Obviously, it’s still early on in his campaign, and the main goal for the Oilers is to continue to allow him to develop as he works his way back to the NHL level. His defensive game seems to be the main thing the organization wants him to work on before he gets the chance to play for the Oilers again, but his hot start has to have turned some heads already.

We will see if he can continue to fine-tune his game at both ends of the ice and can eventually become the top-six forward that the Oilers want him to be. Howard has proven in previous seasons that he can be a difference maker in terms of offensive production, so if he keeps putting up points and dominating the AHL, the Oilers won’t have a choice but to call him up sooner rather than later.

As the 2025-26 season moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news, updates, and more from around the NHL and the hockey world.