TSN has released its annual NHL team ranking of U-24 players, and, as expected, the Edmonton Oilers show up on the lower end of the list.
Edmonton is ranked 27th of 32 teams on the yearly report, which was compiled by TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button along with FloSports Senior NHL Draft and Prospects analyst Chris Peters.
Button and Peters assessed every NHL team’s collection of assets who were age 23 or younger as of the beginning of the 2024-25 season. Grades were assigned based on current development and projected future development.
The Oilers also did not have a single asset appear among TSN’s top 50 NHL-affiliated players and prospects under age 24. Players are labeled AAA (superstar), AA (elite), A (No. 1 goalie, top-pair defenceman, first-line forward), B (tandem goalie, top-four defenceman, top-six forward), or C (backup goalie, depth defenceman, bottom-six forward).
Their ranking comes as no surprise, given that Edmonton has traded away a lot of draft picks and younger players in recent years. The Oilers have gone all-in on winning now during the prime years of Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid.
“With a vision that they have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, some of the moves they’ve made in trading prospects and draft picks is all about right now: giving the Edmonton Oilers and this group of players every opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup,” Button said. “And with it comes a price, and that price is is you’re not going to have as many prospects.”
Edmonton’s Top Four Under 24
The rankings identified Edmonton’s “core four” of U-24 assets as 19-year-old defenceman Beau Akey, 21-year-old left wing Shane Lachance, 18-year-old right wing Sam O’Reilly, and 20-year-old right wing Matthew Savoie. Akey, Lachance, and Savoie all received B grades, while O’Reilly was graded C.
Notably, not a single member of that quartet is currently in the NHL, and only one is playing pro this season. Savoie is with Edmonton’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, while Lachance is playing NCAA Division 1 hockey at Boston University, and Akey and O’Reilly are in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), with the Barrie Colts and London Knights, respectively.
Highest Hopes for Savoie
Savoie, who hails from St. Albert, was acquired by the Oilers from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio on July 5. Buffalo selected Savoie with the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
“I think it was a terrific trade for the Edmonton Oilers,” said Button, who called Savoie a high-end offensive player, noting his speed and quickness.
Through Bakersfield’s first 15 games, Savoie sits second on the Condors with 10 points, from four goals and six assists. He’s tied for the team lead with a plus/minus rating of plus-5.
Savoie isn’t far off from being able to play in the NHL and be something of a contributor, Button added. “He’s young, he’s going to be around for a number of years, and I think his potential is very good.”
Keep an Eye on O’Reilly
O’Reilly is another prospect that Oilers fans could feel excited about, Button said. At the 2024 NHL Draft, Edmonton traded its 2025 first-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for the 32nd overall pick, which the Oilers then used to select the London forward.
Related: 5 Things to Know About Oilers’ First-Round Draft Pick Sam O’Reilly
“I gush about the London Knights and what a great operation they have, from Dale Hunter coaching and Mark Hunter managing,” Button said. “(Players) learn how to play the game where they can be meaningful contributors, they don’t rush it along.”
So far this season, O’Reilly has four goals and eight assists in 19 games. While the Toronto native can play the wing, Button believes O’Reilly’s future is as a two-way centre.
“He can do a lot of different things: he can play in front of the net on the power-play, he can kill penalties, he can check, he can chip in with some offence, so you’re looking at a well-rounded player,” Button says. “He’s a little bit older, and he’s well-schooled with the London Knights under the tutelage of Dale Hunter.”
Ranking Reflects State of Franchise
As the adage goes, ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too’, and according to TSN’s rankings, that certainly seems to be the case in the NHL.
The top three teams on TSN’s 2024 U-24 ranking of players (Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings) have all failed to make the playoffs in at least three consecutive seasons and are hovering right around the bottom of the standings this season.
Meanwhile, the bottom eight teams (Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, Edmonton, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights) account for seven of the last nine NHL champions and 12 of the last 18 Stanley Cup finalists.
“It’s mutually exclusive to have really good prospects and to be a current Stanley Cup contender” Button said. “That’s the reality. The Edmonton Oilers are in that reality, and when you have (McDavid) and (Draisaitl) on your team, you better be in that reality, because it’s not about the future, it’s about right now.”
