Signing players from across the pond in Europe hasn’t led to much success for the Edmonton Oilers in recent memory.

Many remember the team bringing over Gaëtan Haas, Joakim Nygård, and Mikko Koskinen during the early Ken Holland days. While they brought a fine level of hockey to the team, they never pushed the boat to take Edmonton to another level. Though Edmonton hasn’t had much success finding quality talent through scouting pro leagues in Europe, general manager Stan Bowman has a strong history of finding pieces and improving his roster.

Artemi Panarin is the most significant talent Bowman found, though he was sought after by multiple teams. He has become a player who has risen to the top of the NHL’s upper echelon. Panarin controversially won the Calder Trophy after already playing many years as a professional in the KHL. He was never part of a Stanley Cup-winning team in Chicago, but his 30 goals as a rookie helped fill the void left by Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad.

Dominic Kubalik is another player Bowman found in Europe. He was drafted by the LA Kings but didn’t get an entry-level deal until the Blackhawks signed him. His career didn’t pan out like Panarin’s, but 30 goals as a rookie is no joke. Erik Gustafsson, Pius Suter, Kevin Lankinen, Jan Ruuta, Antti Raanta, and David Kampf are all players found playing in Europe during Bowman’s tenure in Chicago and have gone on to have established NHL careers.

That brings us to today. Bowman, now with the Oilers, has brought those same ideas to his new organization. The team announced earlier this week that they had signed German forward Josh Samanski and Czech forward David Tomasek. All reports suggest that Tomasesk, 29, is going to push for an NHL roster spot next season, while Samanski, 23, will begin the year in Bakersfield, establishing himself there first.

Samanski played his junior hockey in the OHL for the Owen Sound Attack and spent a year in the OJHL with Brantford. He’s coming off a career season in the DEL for the Straubing Tigers, where he was an assistant captain, scoring 14 goals and 40 points in 52 games. Samanski also comes with international experience, having played at the World Juniors in Edmonton and in other international events for his country. Coincidentally, the Tigers are coached by Craig Woodcroft, brother of former Oilers coach Jay.

Tomasek is in a much different situation, with a well-established career already behind him. Edmonton is going to need him to bring that offence to the team and become a reliable bottom-six player. Now 29 years old, He’s going to battle for a spot on the NHL roster with players like Noah Philp and Max Jones, which is going to bring a great level of competition at camp next summer. OilersNation prospect analyst Bruce Curlock labelled Tomasesk as a powerful skater but not a quick-transition skater, similar to Noah Philp. He went on to say in another post that Tomasesk is a good low-risk option for Edmonton.

The moves also allow the Oilers to focus on bigger targets in free agency, rather than battling for bottom-six players in the NHL market, which they’ve typically overpaid for in the past couple of years. Additionally, after trading so many draft picks to make the team better today, finding players in areas outside of the draft helps lessen the blow of fewer picks.

Not every European free agent signing is going to wind up becoming a Panarin or even a Kubalik. However, taking chances with Europeans is something Bowman has had success with and should be trusted. Samanski adds more to a thin pool of youthful talent, and Tomasesk has the potential to provide more offence to a bottom-six group that has struggled at times this season. Only time will tell how these moves pan out.