After four long months, Edmonton Oilers hockey has returned at long last.

The club’s top prospects took down the Calgary Flames 6-1 in their annual NextGen Showcase on Monday, putting a neat bow on this season’s rookie camp.

It was a great showing for a number of Oilers prospects. All three goalies looked solid, Tomas Cibulka played a composed game on the blue line, and recent sixth-round pick Caden Harvey was dangerous throughout the night. In this piece, however, I’ll be focusing on the top line.

Edmonton’s trio of Josh Samanski, Quinn Hutson, and Isaac Howard were sharp, showing exactly why they’re pushing for spots with the big club this season. Let’s go to the tape.

Hutson started his professional career on the right foot last season, leading all AHL rookies in goals and ranking second in points. He was exceptional on the power play, and that ability was on full display against the Flames, as he picked up a couple of points with the man advantage.

Hutson opened the scoring with a short-side snipe up over the shoulder of Flames goalie Arseni Sergeev. You don’t score 30 goals in the AHL without knowing how to rip the puck.

While I like his shot, Hutson’s greatest strength is his IQ. He consistently makes sound decisions with the puck, rarely makes mistakes, and knows how to play away from the puck. Here’s an example of him being in the right position and not allowing an easy entry for the Flames’ power play.

Hutson denies the entry on the penalty kill with a good defensive stick — reliable two-way play as usual.

At 5-foot-11, 176 pounds, Hutson doesn’t have the physical attributes or athleticism that most of the best prospects have, which gives him little margin for error. His details have to be on point to have a chance at playing in the NHL, and in this game, they were. Time will tell if his physical limitations are too much to overcome, but I liked his game in this one.

Samanski isn’t flashy, but his habits should make him a reliable bottom-six player in the NHL.

He won battles, supported the puck well all night, and did the connective work that keeps possessions moving in the right direction. A classic Samanski performance. To start, let’s take a look at his positioning on the forecheck, where he stays disciplined as F3.

Samanski stays above the puck in the offensive zone and above his check as the play transitions to neutral ice, allowing him to break up the Calgary rush. He likes to operate high in the offensive zone like this to prevent odd-man rushes the other way. Another thing he likes to do is provide close support to his defencemen during breakouts.

In both clips, he provides a short outlet option for his defencemen. In the second example, Bookman is able to make the simple pass so Samanski can wind up and move the puck to a streaking Howard on the weak side.

I’m not sure where Samanski’s ceiling is offensively, but in terms of defence and positioning away from the puck, he’s already more responsible than most NHLers. If he can build on this game in main camp and chip in some offence, he could become a favourite of Mike Babcock’s.

As the most high-upside skater in the Oilers’ prospect pool, all eyes were on Howard tonight.

If I had to use one word to describe Howard’s performance, it would be energetic. He may be known for his skill, but in this game, he put the hard hat on and went to work in the corners. Just relentless on the puck in the offensive zone.

This was my favourite moment from Howard in the game. He outbattled Abram Wiebe and set up Hutson for a Grade-A chance. The Oilers went to the power play right after, and Howard kept cooking.

After making his route to the back post, he tapped home a goal on a quick one-touch pass from Viljami Marjala.

In this game, all three players on the top line showed why they have the best chance to see NHL action this season out of the Oilers’ forward prospects. Their games are all different, but useful in their own ways. It should be a spirited battle for roster spots when this year’s shortened pre-season gets underway this weekend.

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