The Edmonton Oilers’ best approach to the 2026 NHL Draft

At last year’s draft, the Edmonton Oilers didn’t make a selection until the third round, No. 83 overall. This summer, the team is scheduled to choose No. 52 overall. Considering the depth of talent available in the class, general manager Stan Bowman and his scouts should be looking at a quality addition. Corey Pronman at The Athletic published his rankings this week and has big skill winger Kayden Lemire of the Prince George Cougars at No. 52. The Oilers are fond of the WHL, and Lemire would fit many of the team’s priorities (although foot speed will be a focus for Edmonton). In early May, Scott Wheeler at The Athletic delivered his rankings of the top two rounds. The No. 52 player is Egor Barabanov, a centre who is an overager. Wheeler is impressed by his skills and smarts, two things the club values. For the Oilers, the selection might best be used to improve the NHL club immediately. A second-round pick, packaged with the club’s top prospect (Ike Howard), might be enough to add a foundation piece to the current roster in time for fall. If the club uses that pick, is there a position of need that stands out? The Oilers have a table at the draft, but typically don’t need it for Day 1 and much of Day 2. Bowman has earned credit for stocking the shelves with capable support players who could have NHL careers. He has signed several impressive college and European players to fill organizational gaps. The scouts have done fine work with depth selections as well. Here’s a quick look at the best prospect at each position: The only lock for an NHL career over 100 games is Howard. He’s already at 29 games and should graduate as a prospect during the 2026-27 season. He has electric skills as a shooter with fine passing and the ability to make plays, all positives. Plus speed and an improved two-way game are also part of the resume. Bowman dealt for Howard shortly after the draft last summer. He’s also responsible for signing Damien Carfagna, Josh Samanski and Quinn Hutson as free agents. Only two players who were drafted (Samuel Jonsson and Beau Akey) are on the list. Aside from Howard, the strongest position could be in net. Jonsson was the goalie of the year in the Allsvenskan in 2024-25 and has followed it up with a stellar season for the ECHL Fort Wayne Komets. His playoff performance (1.00 goals-against average and a .968 save percentage) is a strong indicator he’s ready for the next level. Expect him to be in Bakersfield with the Condors this fall, with an NHL look possible in 2026-27. Areas of need include defence (all 32 NHL teams will tell you they need defence) and some offensive torque from the centre position. The Oilers didn’t have a chance at the top skill players in the draft, but did add three players who could be useful contributors several years from now. Tommy Lafreniere was chosen in the third round. He’s an average-sized winger with good speed and a plus shot. Encouraging in those areas, much of his future depends on how well he develops in the two-way side of the game. David Lewandowski is a big winger who likes to hit and can make smooth passes with the puck. Both men looked good in small auditions in the AHL late in the season. Asher Barnett was chosen in the fifth round and blossomed in the Big Ten with Michigan last winter. A fine skater, he plays a physical game and can help offensively. If he can develop outlet passing skills, Barnett could develop into a productive defenceman at a high level. Possible draft picks for need If we can agree that the Oilers need to build up the middle at defence and centre, there are three interesting names that should be on the draft board when the team picks at No. 52 in the second round. Ethan MacKenzie of the Edmonton Oil Kings owns a resume that is close to a perfect match for what the Oilers need. He’s an excellent skater who can play well in coverage and loves the physical game. He is a third-year draft eligible but has spiked on draft lists. The worry was puck passing and contributing to the game offensively, but a strong year for the Edmonton junior team may have him on the Oilers’ radar. Alessandro Di Iorio is a right-handed centre with good speed who played for the OHL Sarnia Sting last season. Despite an injury that held him back, Di Iorio showed high-end skill and the ability to impact the game offensively. He might be undervalued due to losing time due to injury, and a team like the Oilers could take a chance on a player with speed and skill in the late portion of the second round. Rudolfs Berzkalns of the USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks is a big left-handed centre from Latvia. Pronman, a hard-marker on foot speed, wrote “a big, strong center with good foot speed,” and that’s the kind of middle-six option the Oilers could use in the years to come. Is it best to trade the pick? You can make the case that Bowman would be better off dealing the second-round pick, but really, that selection won’t move the needle on a trade in a material way. A team may call in the minutes before the pick is made on the draft floor, but it isn’t something management can game plan. The club has signed some interesting players this spring. College man Owen Michaels is the most notable free agent from the spring signing season, and he could address the organization’s centre situation. The righty pivot has a range of skills and could compete for an NHL job sometime in the 2026-27 season if he shows well in Bakersfield. He has size and is considered a plus across 200 feet, with discussion of foot speed being the biggest unknown. If he can make it to plays in pro hockey, it will be a major lift for Bowman and his hockey ops staff. Players like Michaels could buy some time until the draft picks develop and can compete for NHL work. Bowman should use his four draft selections this summer. The team owns a second-, third-, sixth- and seventh-round pick, and the scouts did a fine job bringing in Lafreniere, Lewandowski and Barnett last year. The big assets on draft day are first-round picks, but astute drafting in later rounds can be a major factor. Bowman’s signing of Michaels — and Samanski, Carfagna and Hutson last spring — represent the strongest option for the team to backfill all of those traded draft picks. Best to give the scouts a chance to find lightning in a bottle and hit a late home run. The last time the Oilers did it was John Marino in the sixth round of the 2015 draft. Perhaps another Marino is available this summer. It’s worth a shot.