Edmonton Oilers: 2 Prospects Who Will Make The Team Next Season

Having a strong prospect pool is such an important thing, as it helps determine the future success of all NHL franchises. Although it is always nice to be competitive now, things changes rapidly and it truly is a young man's league. Therefore, it feels right to start a 32-team segment covering them. During it, we will be looking at two prospects from every NHL franchise who could become NHLers next season.

The Edmonton Oilers will be the focus of this article. After a busy off-season full of a new additions, it may be easy to forget that they have some prospects who seem to be ready to make an impact, too. These two each have some NHL experience, but have yet to stay up with the team for any real significant amount of time. This should be the year that finally changes.

Evan Bouchard D: Evan Bouchard played in 14 games this past season with the Oilers and did well. He ended up scoring two goals and recording five points. In 2019-20 with the Bakersfield Condors, he also had success offensively, as he had seven goals and 36 points in 54 games. With all of this, he will likely be on their bottom-pair for the upcoming season. He was their first-round pick in 2018 and now it's time to give him his real prolonged chance in the league.

Tyler Benson LW: Tyler Benson should be given a substantial opportunity this upcoming season. He has been a solid point-producer in the AHL for three seasons now. This year with the Condors was his best one to date, as he scored 10 goals and had 36 points in 36 games. He also started the season on a loan with GCK Lions of the SL and had 19 points in 15 games. He has not played in the NHL since the 2019-20 and that sample size was very small. He suited up in seven games and had an assist. Expect that to change this upcoming season, as the 23-year-old winger seems ready.