This is the deepest prospect pool the Edmonton Oilers have had in some time now during the Connor McDavid era.

From signings like Josh Samanski to draft selections like Tommy Lafrenière, and even through trades acquiring Paul Fischer, the Oilers have some prospects progressing positively in their respective leagues. No better time than under a week to the trade deadline for your prospects to show some potential, especially if you’re a team looking to contend for a Stanley Cup.

However, you can’t clear out the whole cupboard, and it remains extremely important that the Oilers find a way to develop some of these prospects into cheap NHL contracts down the line. Let’s talk about some players who have stood out recently.

My admiration and appreciation for what Paul Fischer does on the ice is well documented. I continue to watch former fifth-round selection’s game and can’t help but get excited for when he turns pro. At the time of writing this, Paul Fischer is at 30 games played with five goals and 19 total points. That puts the left-shot defender tied for fifth in team scoring and first in defenceman scoring for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish, unfortunately, have struggled to generate offence this year as their top scorer sits at under a point-per-game with 29 points in 34 games. Our first clip below showcases some of the offence the top pairing defenceman for Notre Dame can bring as he’s rewarded with a primary assist on the excellent shot pass.

Fischer is waiting for that lane to open up when he loads the puck into his hip pocket, his blade and body looks like he is going to shoot and the Michigan State goalie is lost looking for the puck as the perfect pass combined with the screen in front fools the goalie. The minor offensive zone plays like this at 5-on-5 is a reason why I’m excited to see his game at the AHL level.

With the amount of offence in Bakersfield right now and in the future, Fischer should help add fuel to the fire. Another reason why I’m optimistic about the American defender is just how tight he plays up on the opposing forwards. I love a defenceman that takes the game to the opposition and doesn’t allow them any time or space, Fischer does this consistently and a perfect example is clipped below.

It’s magnificent. The former St. Louis Blues draft pick hovers around the top of the circles and angles the winger off onto his backside, then he completes the backhand pass through the middle that leads to a carried zone entry. It’s the small plays like the two clips above that leave me optimistic about Fischer every time I watch a game. If the skating can take another step I’m confident you have a very useful NHL player with Fischer. That’s why the his numbers don’t concern me. If anything good is happening on the ice for Notre Dame Fischer usually has a hand in it.

David Lewandowski was out for Saturday’s game due to an illness and on Friday he was held pointless, but before that the German forward was on an eight-game point streak, scoring three goals and eight assists. Now Lewandowski sits at 57 points in 50 games and he is the only Blades player that is over a point-per-game. The power forward has progressed his one timer to a better weapon than it already was last year; in the first clip below it shows the amount of power and precision Lewandowski possesses now.

That pass is made with some zip behind it and the Blades leading scorer is easily able to time it up sending it over the goalies glove side. Now developing the one timer into an even deadlier weapon can come with its perks in the playmaking game. If a player has a good one timer they are going to garner a lot more respect when that pass is coming and sometimes faking it is the best option. In the next clip below, Lewandowski is set up on the right side wall ready for a potential one timer. When you don’t need a big windup to get power behind your shot, defenders tend to play more towards the shot leading to passing lanes opening up.

The deadliest player on the ice for Saskatoon is Lewandowski and he has all eyes on him as he rips the pass cross ice for a great chance on the powerplay. In the same game as the above clip, the six-foot-one winger continues to show off his vision on the power play and it leads to a secondary assist on the insurance marker against Penticton.

The playmaking for me has always been Lewandowski’s calling card. Whether its putting pressure on his back finding somebody back door or taking a puck off the wall and getting it into the middle of the ice, he has a knack for finding the open man. But as the one timer has progressed, Lewandowski has also used the respect his shot has gained to further advance his playmaking ability. However more so than Paul Fischer, the dual offensive threat needs to refine his skating ability and up his pace of play a bit if he wants to progress into an every day NHL player. The good news? Lewandowski has a ton of time to work on it.

Playing as a full-time centre in my viewings, William Nicholl has looked great coming off of shoulder surgery that kept him out till New Years Eve. The London Knights are a playoff team, but are no means a powerhouse like they have been in the past. The offence hasn’t been easy to come by for the Knights and Nicholl is sitting at ten goals and 19 points in 23 games played.

The mobile centre is currently riding a three game point streak that has seen him score two goals and assist on another two more. Now the box score stats don’t look amazing, but below is a clip that I was impressed with and thankfully it resulted in a primary assist.

Nicholl completely seals off the opposing defender along the wall allowing him to gather the puck with a bit of space behind the net. With a bit of pressure on his backside the seventh-rounder lays a perfect backhand pass to an awaiting teammate in front. It was an excellent job by Nicholl to completely take the defender out of the play and to keep his feet moving throughout the entire battle. Since we’re on the topic of backhand passes leading to primary assists, below is a clip of him put one on a platter to 2026 NHL Draft eligible Jaxon Cover who finished the play off.

Nicholl is always hovering around ready to pounce on a loose puck and he takes advantage of one above. The left-shot forward has a great foundational base to work with; Nicholl’s extremely mobile, excellent work ethic in all three zones, defensively aware, and now he’s starting to glue plays together even more consistently. For a seventh round pick Nicholl has been mighty impressive and continues to add layers to his game. As I said earlier London is locked into a playoff spot and that means there is even more meaningful games for Nicholl to play in and his team will be relying on his two-way game and experience if they want to go on a run.

There is a lot to like from the Oilers prospect pool. Tommy Lafrenière remains a top scorer on the Kamloops Blazers with 33 goals and 66 points in 58 games, Asher Barnett just picked up a goal and an assist on Saturday versus Minnesota, and since being sent on loan to Kettera from JoKP Eemil Vinni in four games has two wins with a 1.23 goals against average, a 0.951% save percentage, and a shutout. Lots of good going on right now with the Oiler prospects, now its time to see who survives the trade deadline.

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