The NCAA playoff season is in full force, and the Edmonton Oilers have five prospects navigating the postseason with their respective programs.

Thanks to strong performances over the weekend, three of those five players are now competing for conference championships. While Paul Fischer and Dalyn Wakely saw their seasons come to an end, Bauer Berry, Aidan Park, and Asher Barnett will look to secure conference titles and push toward the NCAA’s Frozen Four. Thanks to strong regular seasons, two of those names have already secured spots in the national tournament, while Berry and St. Thomas will need to earn their way into the big dance.

The Frozen Four tournament will feature the six conference champions, while 10 teams will earn at-large bids to fill out the 16-team field. Those selections are determined by a ranking formula that considers factors such as strength of schedule, home and road performance, and overtime results.

Once the field is finalized, the four regional brackets will be announced on March 22, with regional games scheduled for March 26-29. The Frozen Four will take place on April 9 and April 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Michigan entered the Big Ten playoffs as the No. 2 seed after an impressive 28-7-1 regular season, setting up a favourable path to the conference championship.

Their opening matchup came against seventh-seeded Notre Dame, led by Oilers prospect and standout freshman Paul Fischer. Michigan had already gone 4-0 against the Fighting Irish during the regular season, and that dominance carried into the postseason. The Wolverines cruised to a 6-1 victory to advance.

That win set up a semifinal meeting with Gavin McKenna and the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions. Although McKenna made things interesting with an equalizer in the opening period, Michigan took control in the second and never looked back. They skated to a 5-2 win to advance to the Big Ten championship.

Both Park and Barnett recorded assists in the opening-round victory. Park skated limited minutes in both games, seeing under 10 minutes of ice time and just over five minutes against Penn State. Barnett, meanwhile, remained on Michigan’s third defensive pairing, logging 15:04 and 18:38 in the two contests.

Thanks to an upset elsewhere in the bracket, Michigan will face fifth-seeded Ohio State in the conference final after the Buckeyes defeated Michigan State 3-2 in overtime. Michigan will now look to capture its fourth Big Ten title — and first since 2023 — when the teams meet Saturday, March 21, at Yost Ice Arena. Regardless of the result, Michigan has already secured its place in the NCAA tournament.

Barnett is enjoying an excellent freshman season, leading Michigan’s defence with 18 points in 36 games. Park, also a freshman, has contributed 16 points in 36 games. Both are likely to return to school for their sophomore seasons.

Barnett was drafted by the Oilers in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, while Park was selected two rounds later.

St. Thomas has advanced to the CCHA championship for a second consecutive season after grinding out three playoff wins.

The Tommies opened their postseason with a best-of-three series against Lake Superior State. They edged out Game One with a 4-3 overtime nail-biter before closing the series with a 5-2 victory in Game Two.

Berry, selected by the Oilers in the seventh round of the 2024 draft, logged 22:14 of ice time on the blue line in the opening game and added two secondary assists in Game Two as St. Thomas secured the series victory.

That win set up a semifinal matchup with Augustana, where a mid-third-period goal proved to be the difference in a tightly contested 2-1 victory that pushed St. Thomas into the conference final.

The Tommies will now face Minnesota State on Friday, March 20, in a rematch of last year’s championship game, which Minnesota State won 4-2. Unlike Michigan, St. Thomas must win the conference title to secure a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Berry has recorded 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) and 16 penalty minutes in 36 games during his freshman season.

As mentioned, Notre Dame’s postseason run ended in the opening round of the Big Ten playoffs, bringing Paul Fischer’s junior season to a close.

Despite playing fewer games this year, Fischer enjoyed a career season as Notre Dame’s top offensive and most heavily used defender, recording 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 33 games from the blue line.

Attention now turns to his next step. Fischer can choose to turn professional this spring or return to Notre Dame for his senior season. Over three collegiate seasons with the Fighting Irish, Fischer has recorded 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists) and 85 penalty minutes in 103 games.

Fischer was acquired by the Oilers as part of the Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg offer sheets.

It was a short postseason run for Dalyn Wakely and UMass Lowell.

Facing Merrimack in the opening round, the River Hawks dropped a 5-3 decision, ending their season and Wakely’s freshman campaign.

The 22-year-old, selected by the Oilers in the sixth round of the 2024 draft, put together a respectable first year in the NCAA, recording 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 35 games on a team that struggled to generate offence. The next decision will be whether Wakely chooses to turn professional this offseason or return to UMass Lowell for his sophomore season.