The No. 14 and 15 prospects on our countdown were both American defencemen in Zack Sharp and Damien Carfagna, and we aren’t done with them yet. At No. 13 in our rankings is Michigan defender Asher Barnett, who is growing into a nice player while gaining international experience.

The Edmonton Oilers selected Barnett in the 2025 NHL draft with their fifth-round pick.

During his draft season, the Illinois native played with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP). In Barnett’s 79 games played with the NDTP and the Juniors in the USHL, he scored 11 goals and totalled 28 points. Barnett suited up for the Americans during the under-18 tournament and captained the team, as well. During his seven games with Team USA in the tournament, he scored two goals and had six points.

This past season, Barnett committed to the University of Michigan for his freshman year. During his 18-year-old season for the Wolverines, Barnett played in 40 games, posting five goals and 18 points. One of Barnett’s more eye-popping statistics is his lack of penalty minutes. For a blueliner playing in the 18-to 22-minute range per night, and mostly starting his shifts in the defensive zone, he only had 14 penalty minutes total.

Barnett was also a massive part of the Michigan penalty kill this year. Once again, the left-handed defender suited up for the United States, but this time it was during the World Junior Championship. The World Juniors are highly regarded as a “19-year-old’s tournament”, but Barnett played in all five games and executed his game effectively.

My first article was on Asher Barnett (if I remember correctly) when the Oilers first selected him. I raved about his defensive prowess, and that only got better during his freshman season.

The six-foot-one defenseman has an advanced defensive game already, and that doesn’t come around often at his age. It’s what makes Barnett a fun player to keep an eye on. In this section, we will talk primarily about his gap control.

In the first clip, Barnett cuts down the angle perfectly at the red line, but I like how wide his base is and how he doesn’t feel the need to cross his feet over to cover the rest of the ground. The Slovenian forward dumped the puck in and changed, but if he made a move to the middle and Barnett crosses his feet to the left, the American defender is burnt.

The second clip will help bring up our next talking point surrounding Barnett’s defensive game. The 196-pound defenseman defends his blueline well and is already on top of the University of Minnesota forward. Once the Golden Gopher forward chips the puck, Barnett forces him away from the corner and gets him off track.

This simple play helps buy time for Barnett’s partner to take a shoulder check, make the right play, and brace for the hit. While simple, it shows a great understanding of how to defend. The next clips will outline his defensive fundamentals.

The defensive defenseman uses his brain and fundamentals to his advantage. The first video is simple: take the hands away. Without their hands, players can’t do anything with the puck. I like how Barnett recognizes that the man he’s covering peels off to the right boards, which allows him to instantly double-team the puck carrier.

The next two clips are similar.

They both showcase something I brought up earlier, and it’s Barnett not crossing his feet in one-on-one situations. In both videos, Barnett angles the forward to the boards, has his stick in great position, and wins the battles. The play against Switzerland is great because the former fifth-rounder braces for contact and makes the play to the forward helping down low. I’m a massive fan of the defensive fundamentals that Barnett showcases every shift.

Michigan was always a great spot for Barnett to land. They emphasize all five skaters getting in on the offence and being able to contribute with the puck on their stick, but they also expect the same defensively. Michigan is allowing the soon-to-be sophomore to test what he can do offensively, and I do believe he was more active and willing to get involved.

They aren’t the “sexy” play, but it is the simple play, and it works. One of the knocks is his offensive game and puck play under pressure, but I believe his defensive acumen makes up for that, plus he shows flashes of Barnett being able to make an excellent first pass. However, to continue climbing to the professional level, it would help if Barnett could continue to advance his puck skills.

One of my main worries is the first two steps of the Wolverines defender. The rest of his skating ability is average to good. If the skating could take another step in his 19-year-old season, I would feel even more comfortable about Barnett as a prospect.

As I said earlier, Barnett is in a great program and is primed for even more minutes as he gets older. The Oilers don’t have to sign him till June 2029, which means he can keep marinating and improving at Michigan University for another three seasons — that’s something to be excited about as an Oilers fan. Realistically, I could see Barnett as a third-pairing defenseman who is willing to take on the tough matchups and play a ton of minutes on your penalty kill.

The highly intelligent defenseman is a long-term play, and I don’t want him in an Oilers jersey till around 2030-2031. Let him develop his puck skills to the full extent, let him continue to perfect his defensive game, and just let him grow in Michigan.

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