And just like that, as mysteriously as he arrived, he was gone.
Edmonton Oilers prospect Roby Jarventie won’t remain with the organization for much longer, according to a report in Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, who published earlier this week that he would be signing to play in his home country.
His new deal will see him join Tappara, the same organization where his younger brothers are currently playing. Emil, 19, has split his time between the u20 team and the Liiga team, while brother Max, 16, has played for the u18 team.
The 22-year-old Roby, meanwhile, joined the Oilers last summer from the Ottawa Senators alongside a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for prospects Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson. Jarventie was recovering from a knee injury that halted a breakout season with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, scoring nine goals and 20 points in 22 games. Drafted by the Senators in the second round of the 2020 draft, he is in the final year of his three-year entry level contract.
It took some time for Jarventie to get into AHL games with the Bakersfield Condors this year, but when he did in early November, he didn’t last long doing so, appearing in just two games, taking six shots and notching two assists. He did, however, look good in those games.
Jarventie entered the season as Oilersnation’s third ranked prospect, with Bruce Curlock theorizing he could’ve played NHL games this season.
For Jarventie to make an impact with the Oilers this season, the coaches will need to be able to count on him to make plays that don’t put his team in trouble. He will be a bottom-six forward on this roster, and the hard expectation of these forwards is not to get scored. If Jarventie can focus on this area of his game, I expect him to have a presence on the Oilers roster this season. That would be a welcome outcome for a player acquired for a failed first-rounder in Xavier Bourgault. If that happens, the praise for the work of Jeff Jackson will only grow this summer.
While the Oilers may not be a fan of losing the young prospect, Bourgault’s game has only continued to regress with Ottawa’s AHL affiliate, scoring just six goals and 14 points in 45 games for Belleville this season. Chiasson, meanwhile has split time between Ottawa’s AHL and ECHL affiliate, scoring no points in 17 AHL games and one goal and six points in 15 ECHL games.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
