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Oilers prospect Beau Akey looks to continue building pro habits

Photo credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

By Michael Menzies

Jul 13, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 13, 2026, 18:26 EDT

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Beau Akey is the highest draft choice the Edmonton Oilers have selected in the 2020s who remains in the organization.

The former second-rounder taken 56th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft just finished his first season of pro hockey last year, playing 42 games on the Bakersfield Condors blueline. Akey scored two goals and 10 points.

He fought through early injury and began his season with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL before working his way back to the AHL. It’s not been a linear path in Akey’s development, but that’s part of the lessons.

“There are a lot of learning experiences in your first year pro, like any rookie season anywhere you play,” said Akey at Oilers Development Camp. “I thought it went really well. I was really happy with the strides I made in my game, and just being able to learn all that knowledge about what it takes to really be a pro is going to help me moving forward.”

Injury played a big part in his third junior season with the Barrie Colts in 2023-24, forcing him to miss most of the season. However, the puck-moving defenceman made Team Canada at the 2025 World Juniors in his final year of junior.

Akey is under the watchful eye of Condors coach Colin Chaulk and assistant coach Keith McCambridge, who works with the defencemen. He’s thankful for the work they’re spending on helping his game grow.

“He was great,” said Akey about Chaulk. “Keith McCambridge was amazing to me as well. Having him as a D coach was big. Just having that support from your coaches is huge. They’re pushing you every single day at the rink to make you better.”

He’s now a veteran of Oilers development camps, with this latest one his fourth with fellow prospects, and he’s armed knowing the differences that make pro hockey a cut above.

“The speed 100 percent,” said Akey. “Everybody’s passes are clean, there are very little mistakes from guys. They’ve been doing it for at least a couple of years, unless they’re rookies. They know what to expect, so you get used to it about halfway through the year.

“You see these pro-style defensemen, the guys in the NHL, they have all the abilities. They’re so well-rounded. So I’ll definitely be sharpening every tool in the toolbox and then going to try and take a big step in possessing the puck and when you have the puck on your stick, making a really solid play.”

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.

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