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What a successful season looks like for Ike Howard

Bakersfield Condors Isaac Howard Edmonton Oilers

Photo credit: Flickr/Bakersfield Condors

By Liam Horrobin

Aug 18, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 18, 2026, 13:48 EDT

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Expectations for the Edmonton Oilers are high heading into the new season. The disappointment of last season’s first-round exit still looms, plus there’s the lingering question of what the future holds for Connor McDavid. Does another disappointing campaign lead to his departure? Hopefully we don’t find out.

While the bulk of the pressure is on the top players, there’s also a strange aura around Ike Howard. He’s made headlines numerous times since being drafted into the NHL. It started with the all-white suit at the draft and then the whole saga of wanting to play for the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the most successful NHL franchises this decade.

Since being acquired by the Oilers for Sam O’Reilly, the noise has quieted on the media front, and Howard seems like a humble kid. The biggest stir he’s brought is that he wants to be known as Ike instead of Isaac.

However, with the previous noise, expectations are high for the former 31st overall pick. Certain fans are expecting a high-scoring season from him, while others have already given up on the idea. So what are the expectations for the second-year pro?

We should start with his spot in the lineup. Last season, Howard played 29 games in the NHL but spent the bulk of his time with the Bakersfield Condors, where he was successful: 24 goals and 50 points in 47 games. Unfortunately, he didn’t turn that into success in the NHL, with only five points in 29 games. The circumstances were much different, though.

The majority of Howard’s time in the NHL was spent in the bottom six, averaging 10:19 time on ice. His most common linemates were Jack Roslovic and Matthew Savoie. That doesn’t seem bad on paper, until you remember Roslovic isn’t a natural centre and Savoie was also still finding his way in the NHL.

The trio played fine together, working hard and creating the odd chance. Over 70 minutes together at 5-on-5, they posted a 60.56 per cent SF% and a 50 per cent GF%. They did well for what they were. If he wasn’t with those two, then it was Adam Henrique and David Tomasek. The trio did not score or allow a goal together.

The Oilers could run into a similar problem with Howard this season, too. Where do you play him?

Where does Ike Howard fit in the Edmonton Oilers’ lineup?

Do you slot him alongside Jason Dickinson on the third line, knowing Howard likely needs an offence-minded centre to maximize his offensive potential? That seems like a difficult fit and places too much responsibility on a player who has yet to prove himself at the NHL level. Or do you move either Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Vasily Podkolzin into your bottom six, despite finding success in top six roles?

Where Howard begins the season will likely depend on how he performs during training camp and the preseason. He’s a really hard player to slot into the lineup, but he certainly has the offensive ability to play higher up the lineup.

Howard’s rookie season in the AHL shouldn’t be overshadowed either. Fifty-four rookies have scored 20-plus goals in the AHL since the 2021-22 season. Howard ranks fourth in goals scored per game with 24 goals in 47 games (0.51 G/GP). Jack Quinn led the group at 0.578 goals per game after scoring 26 goals in 45 games with the Rochester Americans.

	Season	Goals	Games Played		Age
Jack Quinn	2022	26	45	0.578	21
Sam Colangelo	2025	22	40	0.550	24
Ethen Frank	2023	30	57	0.526	25
Ike Howard	2026	24	47	0.511	22
Logan Stankoven	2024	24	47	0.511	21
Bradly Nadeau	2025	32	64	0.500	20
Alexander Holtz	2022	26	52	0.500	20
Jani Nyman	2025	28	58	0.483	21
Sammy Walker	2023	27	56	0.482	24
Wilmer Skoog	2024	22	49	0.449	25

Among the younger players on the list, several translated their AHL production into respectable NHL seasons the following year. Jack Quinn, Logan Stankoven, and Alexander Holtz each scored around 30 points. Stankoven and Holtz were playing on teams vying for a playoff spot, similar to the situation Howard will find himself in.

	GP	G	A	PTS	PTS/GP
Jack Quinn	75	14	23	37	0.493
Logan Stankoven	59	9	20	29	0.492
Alexander Holtz	82	16	12	28	0.341

A 25- to 30-point season feels like a reasonable expectation for Howard. He’ll have limited, if any, time on the power play, which surely brings down his production. That’s also assuming that Howard plays the majority of the games.

Staying in the lineup may be Howard’s biggest challenge. Since the start of the Connor McDavid era, Matthew Savoie is the only Oilers rookie to play all 82 games in a season. Savoie struggled to score at the start of last season, but rallied together a good campaign after the Olympic break. If Howard has a slow start, he’ll need to adopt Savoie’s work ethic to stay in the lineup.

Howard doesn’t need to score 50 points or immediately become a top six winger for this season to be considered a success. If he can establish himself as an everyday NHL player, stay in the lineup and produce somewhere in the 25 to 30 point range, the Oilers should feel encouraged about his development.

The offensive talent is there. His AHL production proved that. Now the challenge is converting that at the NHL level.

Howard has spent much of his young career creating headlines for one reason or another. This season, the Oilers will be hoping he starts making them for what he does on the ice.

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