According to a new ranking, Isaac Howard is the only thing stopping Edmonton’s prospect pipeline from being completely empty.
This offseason, Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff analyzed all 32 prospect pools, and Edmonton’s turn came this week with a harsh assessment.
“Ellis stated, “The club is boasting one of the worst pipelines in the game today and unlikely to yield high-impact players from their current harvest.
Anybody who has seen Edmonton in action shouldn’t be surprised by that. Evan Bouchard, who was selected in 2018, is the most recent first-round pick still on the team.
Since then, Bouchard has become a true star, tallying 95 points (21 goals and 74 assists) last year.
Instead of accumulating futures, Edmonton has utilized the majority of its first-round capital in trade currency, part of years spent chasing a title.
This specific issue was caused by years of exchanging picks.
Since Stan Bowman took over as general manager, he has relied on free agents from Europe and the NCAA, and the Oilers have only selected one player in the first round over the last four years.
Ellis mentions Samuel Jonsson and Connor Ungar as genuine long-term possibilities, highlighting goaltending and bottom-six centers as real strengths.
One player controls everything else. Isaac Howard is clearly the system’s top prospect, having won the Hobey Baker and being named to the AHL All-Rookie team.
Howard’s debut season in the NHL was unremarkable, as he only managed 2 goals and 5 points in 29 games.
Ellis stated, “If Ike Howard does not work out, the Oilers do not have another forward with top-six potential.”
With little confirmed assistance behind them in the pipeline, that leaves Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid carrying almost the entire offensive load.
It’s worth reading Ellis’ comprehensive study of Edmonton’s system carefully.
With McDavid and Draisaitl, Edmonton is prepared for success today, but such a small pipeline leaves little space for anything that follows.
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