The Edmonton Oilers delivered quality in the 2025 NHL Draft despite not having a first- or second-round selection. Tommy Lafreniere (third round), David Lewandowski (fourth round) and Asher Barnett (fifth round) all produced performance spikes in 2025-26 and are currently on a trajectory to eventually play in the NHL.
Only time will tell whether the Oilers scouts did it again, but we have first-blush impressions of the five selections made on Saturday.
58. Rudolfs Berzkalns
The Oilers drafted a big centre with shutdown skills in the second round. Berzkalns is 6-foot-4, 205 pounds and has a tremendous reputation as a faceoff performer. The Latvian turned heads at the World Juniors and held his own offensively with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. He scored 13-12-25 in the regular season (48 games), but finished fifth in team scoring (4-6-10 in 16 games) during the playoffs. He should be considered a reach pick, though, in an area of the draft where (risky) high-end skill was available.
The Athletic scouting gurus ranked Berzkalns as a player who could make the NHL. Corey Pronman (No. 70) wrote, “Berzkalns is a clear NHL-caliber athlete. He’s a big, strong center with good foot speed and the ability to overpower junior defenders. He has direct skill and can beat opponents one-on-one.”
Scott Wheeler ranked him No. 89, saying, “He’s a center who stays around the puck, took a lot of draws for the Lumberjacks this year and featured prominently on their penalty kill. His offensive game is pretty straightforward, but he can take pucks to the net and will find guys off the cycle/from below the dots.”
84. Malcom Gästrin
One of the youngest players in the draft, Gästrin is an August 2008 birthday and has plenty of time to develop. A thin winger (6-foot, 184 pounds), scouting reports have him as a skill player with two-way ability. At MoDo in the Swedish junior league last season, Gästrin scored 9-16-25 in 24 games, and played four games in the nation’s top league. Gästrin’s offensive potential suits the range he was drafted, but he should be considered a long shot.
133. Andrew Robinson
Robinson has average size (6-foot, 190 pounds) and is a January 2008 birthday. His speed will be a major positive in his pursuit of an NHL career. Robinson’s boots could become an even bigger asset in defensive coverage; he is already among the best outscorers on his team. He doesn’t bring a large skill set offensively, but is a plus outlet passer. Robinson played for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires last season. The OHL is the strongest junior league in the world (although the USHL is in the conversation). Robinson is heading for Providence College in the fall of 2027, so he’s on a long-range development timeline.
180. Caden Harvey
Another OHL bet, Harvey has some power-forward elements in his toolbox, but has yet to put it all together. Brock Otten at OHL Prospects wrote, “He looks like a borderline power forward at times with his ability to drive the net and work the wall. However, the physical consistency really wavers. His play away from the puck lacks consistency too. He shows flashes of being a very capable offensive support player. He protects the puck well and has good playmaking vision. But, there are other times where he simply fades to the background.”
212. Ryan Cameron
The Oilers usually take a goaltender, and used the final pick of the day on Cameron. He’s tall (6-foot-2) but slender (185 pounds) and at 18 has room to grow. Cameron’s USHL numbers are mediocre, but goaltenders never develop in a straight line, and (like much of Edmonton’s draft in 2026), Cameron is a “draft and follow” that fans will be able to track for the next several years.
Matriculating prospects in the system
Samuel Jonsson, the No. 3 prospect in the system last winter, flourished this season in the ECHL. In 33 regular-season games with the Fort Wayne Komets, he posted a .910 save percentage and followed it up with a scintillating .925 save percentage in 10 playoff games. For an organization badly in need of strong goaltending across the pro level, Jonsson is an emerging star in the organization. Less heralded but no less impressive, Connor Ungar thrived with various ECHL teams and even showed well in the AHL with the Condors. The organization would be wise to run Jonsson and Ungar in tandem next season in Bakersfield.
Damien Carfagna, ranked No. 6 in early December, flourished in Bakersfield during his first pro season. Despite being undersized, his skating and defensive acumen represent real NHL potential. His even-strength goal percentage (57 percent) rocked steady all year; he was the only consistent contributor on the blue line all season. He can transport and pass the puck well, and his skating is a major plus. Oilers fans fretting over the lack of defencemen picked early in the 2026 draft by Edmonton will love what they see from Carfagna when he arrives in Edmonton.
Three prospects arrived in the AHL late in the year for the Bakersfield Condors. Lafreniere played in five games, scored a goal and added an assist, and was 2-1 goals at even strength. He looked like he belonged, and his speed added to an aggressive style that played well at that level. The same could be said for William Nicholl, who will turn pro with the Condors this fall. In his five games with the team, Nicholl scored a goal and was also 2-1 goals on ice at even strength. Lewandowski saw action in one game, picking up an assist.
Pushing for the NHL
Oilers fans were introduced to several young players who made the leap from Bakersfield to the big club last season. Ike Howard (29 games with Edmonton), Josh Samanski (24), Connor Clattenburg (four) and Quinn Hutson (four) all showed well enough to get a look. Expect Carfagna to get an extended look sometime this coming season if he continues the high-quality play of one year ago. You never know with goalies, but Jonsson and Ungar are building strong resumes.
Bottom line
None of the players chosen by Edmonton at the 2026 NHL Draft will be close to the top of the prospect list in the fall. The 2025 list saw Lafreniere debut at No. 8, Lewandowski No. 9 and Barnett No. 20. Depending on other moves that take place in the next few months, it’s unlikely any of this weekend’s selections will rank as high as Lafreniere and Lewandowski last summer.
The Oilers faded skill with the first selection at the 2026 draft. Players like Berzkalns rarely emerge as NHL players who play in the heart of the game. Berzkalns at 17 in the USHL last season scored 0.52 points per game. In 2005-06, Chris VandeVelde, then 18, posted 0.64 points per game for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL. The two players, as teenagers, are offensive comparables with much in common across the rest of the game.
VandeVelde did go on to play 278 NHL games as a fourth-line defensive specialist. The Oilers may find a way for Berzkalns to impact the game more offensively, but draft history suggests selecting skill players at that point in the draft is a better bet. Tobias Rieder, chosen No. 114 in 2011 and destined to play in 478 NHL games, is an example.
The highest upside from the weekend’s haul is the Swedish winger Gästrin. That will be reflected in the new Oilers top 20, which will appear in the next week.
