NHL Prospect Watch: Edmonton Oilers

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL’s criteria for rookie status.

Today, we’re getting greasy with the Edmonton Oilers.

Tommy Lafreniere

The Quebec-born, B.C.-raised forward made waves with 41 goals and 36 assists for 77 points in 67 games. Lafreniere, 19, tied for sixth in goals among all WHLers while helping the Kamloops Blazers clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2023. After logging two goals and an assist in the WHL postseason, the 6-foot, 183-pound winger made his professional debut with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors on an amateur tryout and notched a goal and two assists in eight regular-season and playoff games. He’s currently representing Canada at the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase in hopes of hitting Edmonton for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. Edmonton selected Lafreniere with the 83rd overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft.

David Lewandowski

The speedy German import paced the Saskatoon Blades with 65 points (17G-48A) in 57 regular-season matches. Lewandowski, 19, also tied for the team playoff scoring lead as the sixth-seed Blades knocked off the third-seed Edmonton Oil Kings in their first-round series, including the primary assist on Rowan Calvert’s Game 7 overtime winner. The 2025 fourth-round NHL pick (117th overall) also got the tap to suit up for the Condors in one game near the end of the AHL’s regular season, where he picked up an assist. On the international stage, the 6-foot-2, 176-pound winger tied for third in scoring for Germany at the 2026 World Juniors with a goal and three helpers in five tilts.

Aidan Park

Twenty-year-old Aidan Park just had a cup of coffee in the WHL, suiting up for three playoff games with the Calgary Hitmen in the 2025 WHL Playoffs. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound forward tallied eight goals and eight assists for 16 points and 28 penalty minutes in 40 games with the University of Michigan in 2025-26. Park, from Hermosa Beach, Calif., left a lasting impression at the 2025 NHL Draft when he rolled up to support his friends and ended up being drafted by Edmonton with the 223rd overall pick in the seventh round, taking the stage in shorts and sandals.

James Stefan

Laguna Beach, Calif.’s James Stefan spent the bulk of his second professional season with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets, where he nabbed 34 points (17G-17A) in 38 appearances and earned six games in the AHL with the Condors. The 6-foot, 185-pound winger will look to take a big step forward in 2026-27 as he enters the third year of his entry-level contract. Stefan, 23, spent parts of five seasons with the Portland Winterhawks, amassing 256 points (111G-145A) over 254 regular-season games. He broke out with a 101-point (50G-51A) run in 2023-24, where he helped the Hawks battle all the way to the 2024 WHL Championship Series.

Connor Ungar

A wild season saw 24-year-old Connor Ungar suit up for four different teams and work his way up from ECHL third-stringer to surefire AHLer. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound puckstopper was a combined 4-1-1 with the Fort Wayne Komets and Greensboro Gargoyles before landing with the Orlando Solar Bears, where he went 7-8-3 with a 2.66 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage and three shutouts. That was enough to launch him to Bakersfield, where the Calgarian posted a 9-2-2 record, a 2.51 GAA, a .923 save percentage and a shutout. He averaged above a .913 save percentage with all four teams and earned a one-year, two-way deal with the Oilers as a result. He earned his first contract back in 2024 out of Brock University, where he was named the U SPORTS Rookie of the Year. Ungar played five seasons in the Western League with the Brandon Wheat Kings, Red Deer Rebels and Moose Jaw Warriors, stringing together a 53-20-2-3 record, a 2.57 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage and three shutouts.