It is the time of year when most minor pro and junior teams have reached or about to reach the midway point of their season. So I thought it would be a good time to have a review of the Edmonton Oiler prospects year to date. Yesterday, we talked about prospects No. 20 to 11 with some honourable mentions, and today, we’ll dive into the top 10.

Petrov came into this season on something of a bit of a roll. He had finished his rookie AHL season showing a strong commitment to his defensive play despite modest scoring totals. So I expected his better defensive work to lead to more ice time this year in more high-leverage situations. However, Petrov started the year poorly. He was virtually invisible at the prospects tournament in Penticton. That was followed by a poor training camp which got him sent out to the AHL early. He scored the hat trick by having a very indifferent start to the Bakersfield season.

Petrov finally got into a groove in December and recorded eight points in ten games. He flashed some of the elite scoring capability that he was known for in the OHL.

He also has shown a commitment to use his 6’2″ and 200 lb. frame to score from tough spots.

He certainly has a unique combination of size and skill that projects well professionally. However, Petrov has been inconsistent and needs to really focus on his preparation for each shift regardless of the situation. Petrov is currently on injured reserve after taking a tough headshot a few games ago. When he returns, it is fair to say, a lot of eyes in the organization will be on Petrov to see if he can put in a consistent effort each night.

Vinni was drafted in the second round by the Edmonton Oilers in this past summer’s NHL draft. There were two notable comments about Vinni coming out of the draft: the first was he was the most athletic goaltender in the draft which gave him a very high ceiling and the second was some questioned the pick that high given he was headed for back surgery.

Vinni went through surgery and returned to play in late October with the U20 team of HIFK. Vinni has played seven games recording a .910 save percentage and a 2.02 GAA. Vinni was thrust into one game in the Liiga where he gave up three goals on eight shots. Vinni’s goal this year will be just to get healthy and get his timing back for a run at a full-time Liiga position next season.

Beryozkin is another player whose current role has a more direct path to the NHL. He has a big body and is an offensively strong right-winger. The trouble with Beryozkin is he is a Russian playing in the KHL. It is highly unclear whether Beryozkin would come over at all and likely more questionable whether he would come to Edmonton. The Oilers’ history hasn’t been great with Russian players although Vasily Podkolzin might help.

Nevertheless, Beryozkin is a legitimate NHL prospect, drafted by the team in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. While skating is the part of his game that would be most likely to hold him back, I am relatively certain it is ok. What is not in question is his offence. Beryozkin has already exceeded last year’s total of 30 points in 62 games by scoring 33 points in 48 games.

Now his offence has moderated some lately, but it is still a strong step up over last season. Beryozkin’s contract is up at season’s end and the Oilers will have a decision to make about whether to try and make a deal to get Beryozkin out of Russia. The player has a lot of leverage here and it is as likely he either comes to another NHL team (think an Eastern-based team) or remains in the KHL.

Rodrigue was fully given the reigns coming into this season with Bakersfield. Given his contract status and the Oilers having Calvin Pickard as the backup in Edmonton, it seemed like a very good idea. Rodrigue has played 24 of the 37 Condors’ games this season where he’s been ok, but not spectacular. His save percentage and goals-against average are and while he remains susceptible on the glove hand, the rest of his technical game is very strong. This last half of the season will be a very important one for Rodrigue because there is a path to the NHL.

After kicking down the door last season as a rookie in Bakersfield, Max Wanner has really struggled through a tough sophomore year. Some of that has been injury issues. Wanner has missed 16 games due to injury after taking a puck to the back of the head.

Before that, he looked like a player who read the Oilers depth chart on the right side of the defence and thought he was pretty close. He was forcing plays and trying to create more offence in situations where it wasn’t apparent it was available. The Max Wanner that will make a roster spot with the Oilers plays a simple game that is heavily focused on being a defensive stalwart and a defenceman who can make a strong first pass.

If Wanner can return healthy and focuses on this type of game, he will continue to ascend the depth charts of the Edmonton Oilers.

Akey returned this season after essentially missing all of last year recovering from complicated shoulder surgery. As expected, Akey, the right-shot defenceman, started slow. However, his game has gotten gradually stronger throughout the year. Akey has recorded 23 points in 37 games for a .68 points per game average. This is slightly behind his draft year when he averaged .71 points per game. He still exhibits his unique ability to create offence by subtle movement on the blue line.

He also remains a very gifted passer who has the vision to make plays quickly into areas that help his teammates.

His early season results were enough for Akey to get invited to the Canadian World Junior tryouts. He made the team as the seventh defenceman and essentially was stuck in that role despite showing some skills sorely lacking with the Canadian defence group.

Akey still leaves something to be desired in his urgency of play, but given that he missed almost an entire season, Akheey needs to be given some runway this year. Akey is a prospect that could fit the Oilers well, but he has some minor pro-development time in his future.

Lavoie is no longer with the Oilers organization after a bizarre game of waiver tag between the Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights at the start of the season. Vegas claimed Lavoie and promptly put him back on waivers where he was claimed by Edmonton. When Edmonton tried to send him down for the AHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights re-claimed him and sent him to their AHL affiliate.

Lavoie has struggled immensely in Henderson registering only nine goals and 16 points in 29 games. There were some injury issues, but Lavoie simply looks to be lost in the shuffle in Henderson and is likely facing some career decisions at year-end.

He was recalled and made his Golden Knights debut Tuesday, playing 8:28 taking four shot attempts, none of which were on goal.

When Jarventie came to the Oilers in a trade for Xavier Bourgault, there was no question he had the tools to play in the NHL. For starters, he played seven games with the Ottawa Senators last season, so he had a taste of the NHL.

In addition, Jarventie is big, standing at 6’3” and 210 lbs., and is a skilled left winger. The wing position for the Oilers is an area of need especially offensively. Unfortunately what also came with Jarventie was injury history. Since the start of the 2022/23 season, Jarventie has played a total of 71 hockey games. This equates to less than half of the available games to play.

The problem has been a bad knee that has required two major knee surgeries and unfortunately, that same issue has arisen again. In the second game of the year, Jarventie aggravated the injury and has not played since. It’s a shame because in those games, he had two points and he and Matthew Savoie had developed some chemistry.

There has been very little by the way of information on Jarventie, but safe to say the aggravation to the knee was serious. Whether it jeopardizes his career is unknown. If it does, it would be a shame given his size, ability and the Oilers’ needs in this area.

Bourgault, meanwhile, has five goals and 13 points in 35 games with Ottawa’s AHL affiliate Belleville Senators, maintaining the disappointing scoring pace he had last year with the Condors.

O’Reilly came to the Oilers with the last pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL draft. This came after the Oilers acquired the first-round pick from Philadelphia. Clearly the Oilers targeted this player and it is easy to see why. O’Reilly is a right-shot centre with strong defensive capabilities.

What was unknown was whether O’Reilly could score enough to justify this pick in the first round. The bet by the Oilers management was that O’Reilly played for a deep OHL team in London last season and he would see more time on ice this season and with higher quality linemates.

The assumption was that this would lead to better offensive totals and the early returns have been relatively successful. O’Reilly is scoring at a .98 points per game clip compared to .82 points per game last season. In addition, O’Reilly is shooting an average of half a shot per game more than last season. Certainly, the video evidence does validate these statistics.

O’Reilly is playing with more offensive confidence this season. This is encouraging as it is the area that requires focus.

What was certain going into the season was O’Reilly’s defensive game. O’Reilly only became a centre just over three years ago. Prior to that, O’Reilly was a defenceman. No question O’Reilly honed his defensive skills in part from that time and his defensive conscience has also bled into his offensive game this season, which is very encouraging.

O’Reilly is likely a few years away from the Oilers’ roster, but the bet by management has provided very favourable early returns.

Savoie started a little on the slow side offensively. He’s played mostly on right wing which will be his natural spot in the NHL. He did play some centre when Bakersfield went through some struggles with injuries. Savoie is 11-17—28 in 38 games this year. His totals may seem modest, but he stands second in rookie scoring in the AHL.

The only player ahead of him plays for a team that has scored 25 percent more goals than Bakersfield, who ranks 29th of 32 teams in the AHL. His offensive skills are not in question. What makes him a strong candidate for a long NHL career is his processing of the game. Every play he makes is quick.

The projectable part of Savoie’s game is that when he plays with higher-skill players, he will have even more success because his offensive decision-making is NHL level.

What’s been modestly surprising, but wholly encouraging has been his defensive play. Savoie leads the team with a plus-10 rating and is second among all rookies as well. Savoie excels both in maintaining structure in all three zones and at winning puck battles to transition the puck. Here are a couple of examples of his work.

It’s this part of the game that makes him the most exciting prospect in the Oilers organization. He has high-end offensive skills, but also a defensive game that NHL coaches can rely upon. When Matthew Savoie plays NHL games is the question, not if.