Can new d-man keep alive Edmonton Oilers' win streak with blueline prospects?

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The Edmonton Oilers have had a Top 4 d-man prospect cooking in their system each year for almost 20 years now. It’s a solid win streak.

That streak starts in 2006 when the Oilers drafted Jeff Petry in the second round, with the torch next passed to Oscar Klefbom in 2011, Justin Schultz, 2012, Darnell Nurse, 2013, John Marino, 2015, Evan Bouchard, 2017, Michael Kesselring (projected Top 4 in Buffalo this year), 2018, and Philip Broberg, 2020. If the Oilers had all those players, and they were all healthy, their roster would be:

Klefbom Bouchard

Nurse Petry

Broberg Marino 

Not bad at all. But not to be.

But that streak is in danger just now, with three of Edmonton’s top six d-man prospects in 2024 now gone from the organization, Max Wanner traded away and Phil Kemp and Luca Munzenberger not signed.

To address that deficit, the Oilers signed 26-year-old Finnish scoring sensation Atro Leppanen and also traded their 2026 fifth round pick so they could draft Asher Barnett out of the U.S. hockey development program 131st overall. The Oilers have had some luck with late round draft picks in the. past decade taking Ethan Bear, 124th, and Marino 154th in 2015, Vincent Desharnais 183rd in 2016 and Michael Kesselring 164th in 2018.

USA draft expert Gabriel Foley said of Barnett, who was captain of the U.S. National Development Team in the USHL: “He’s as well-rounded as they come, controlling from slot-to-slot with a strong understanding of how to defend inside-out and not cede too much ground to opponents. He’s not very physical, but makes up for it with strong stick-checking and fundamentals. They’re all solid traits, albeit none so overwhelming that I guarantee he’ll be a pro. In truth, Barnett hasn’t hit the stride of all-three-zones puck management that I expected he would after a dazzling tenure with the Mission. Instead, he’s a defense-first two-way guy – with the smarts, all-around skills, and positioning to adjust to most levels.”

And Neutral Zone amateur scouting said: “Asher Barnett is a physically mature, responsible two-way defenseman whose game is rooted in structure and reliability. He’s the kind of player you trust to start in the defensive zone and close out games. With a strong base, high-end battle habits, and elite defensive stick detail, Barnett projects as a dependable bottom-pairing NHL defenseman who can log tough minutes and kill penalties. His offensive upside is limited, but his mobility, decision-making, and transition habits are pro-ready… Barnett plays a mistake-free, intelligent brand of hockey… He’s consistently first to pucks, makes calculated reads on retrievals, and defends the rush with poise — tight gaps, strong stick, and lateral mobility to close at the blue line… Barnett has a strong, powerful stride that allows him to separate on puck retrievals and win races.”

But they added: “Barnett is not an offensive driver. His 5 goals and 14 points in 49 games reflect his role and tools — he can get pucks through but won’t walk the blue line with deception, quarterback a power play, or create multi-layered offensive looks… Barnett projects as a third-pairing NHL defenseman and with penalty-killing potential, with the chance to play above that pairing if his offensive puck movement becomes more dynamic and his physical edge develops further.”

Prospects for 2025-26 season: Barnett is joining the University of Michigan, where his goal is to grab a spot in the Top 4 on that roster as soon as possible, and establish himself as a shut-down d-man and PK specialist. If his offensive game picks up, that will be a bonus.

P.S. Hotter than hell hockey talk with Staples and Stauffer, digging into McDavid’s contract and Oil’s salary cap challenge

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