The Edmonton Oilers bounced back from an atrocious start and are now in a strong position heading toward the postseason with just 10 games to go in the regular season. After some major decisions that altered the team in 2023-24 — including a change behind the bench that saw Kris Knoblauch named head coach, as well as sending Jack Campbell to the American Hockey League (AHL) after a horrible start and replacing him with Calvin Pickard — the Oilers are on a path to success. While they are focused on building momentum as they finish off the season, one player in the AHL has been making his presence known.
Related: Oilers’ Warren Foegele Pricing Himself Out of Edmonton
Bakersfield Condors forward Raphael Lavoie has been one of the Oilers’ top prospects since they drafted him in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at 38th overall. He earned a chance in the NHL this season, though his tenure was short-lived, with seven games and no points in a mainly fourth-line role. However, with 45 points in 61 games last season with the Condors, Lavoie’s expectations were high coming into this season, and he has lived up to them.
This season with the Condors, Lavoie has been turning heads with 27 goals and 46 points through 58 games, establishing himself as an offensive weapon in the AHL. He could earn a full-time shot in the NHL as early as 2024-25, as he has earned an opportunity in Edmonton. With a strong two-way game on top of his strong offensive production, he could be in for a massive rookie NHL campaign next season.
Lavoie’s Career So Far
The Oilers selected Lavoie after a solid showing in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL, which was then named the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) with the Halifax Mooseheads, where he scored 32 goals and 73 points through 62 games in his draft season. Over parts of four seasons in the QMJHL, he scored 106 goals and 121 assists through 217 games, which comes out to a 1.05 points-per-game average.
Before making the jump to the QMJHL, Lavoie played at the Quebec AAA (QMAAA) level with Antoine-Girouard Gaulois, where he scored 19 goals and 44 points through 57 games, which comes out to a 0.77 points-per-game average. Lavoie has since been able to translate his offensive production to the AHL level and has reaped the rewards from his hard work and improvements to the defensive side of his game.
As of this writing, Lavoie has scored 70 goals and 127 points through 194 games with the Condors over parts of four seasons, which comes out to a 0.65 points-per-game average. He was named an AHL All-Star this season and has been slowly proving he is worthy of being considered one of the NHL’s top prospects.
Lavoie Has Bright Future Ahead
Lavoie has been praised for his skating ability and maintaining a two-way game while being a taller player at 6-foot-4. With his ability to provide offensively and do the little things right, he has a chance to become one of the Oilers’ go-to forwards of the future if he continues on his current trajectory. If he makes the team out of training camp next season and is put in a role where he can succeed, I can see him becoming a middle-six winger and putting up 30-35 points in his rookie season. He has the potential to be a consistent 50-60 point player, as long as he’s given the chance and continues improving.
The Oilers are back in action tonight (April 1) in a matchup against the St. Louis Blues as they look to continue climbing up the Pacific Division standings. The team is expected to have a deep playoff run, but hopefully, they can make room for Lavoie on the roster next season and allow him to shine with more playing time.
For now, he will finish the season with the Condors and continue dominating at the AHL level. The Condors currently six sixth the the AHL’s Pacific Division with a 35-25-2-2 record and eight games to go. The top seven teams in the Pacific make the Calder Cup Playoffs, and while the Condors are tied for points with the Abbotsford Canucks with 74 points, both teams are 15 points ahead of the eighth-place Henderson Silver Knights.
