2 Edmonton Oilers Prospects Who Could Get Called Up This Season

As the season gets underway, players will begin to suffer injuries as they sacrifice their bodies for the sake of their team, not to mention the ever-present concern of a positive Covid diagnosis. Eventually, there will be players who will need to miss games, and others will need to be called in to replace them in the lineup. Here are two such prospects who could see some playing time on the Edmonton Oilers this season.

Filip Berglund

This is a name that may not have been on many fans' radars coming into training camp, but Berglund made himself known early and often. Making his first appearances on North American ice, Berglund showed his calm poise and smart defensive play on a regular basis. While he didn't score any pre-season points, what he did do is demonstrate that his defensive fundamentals are all present and effective against NHL players. Berglund was knocking attackers off pucks, calmly and consistently clearing the puck out of his own zone, and even showed a keen eye for breakout passes. The 24-year old is starting the season with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors and already has an assist in his first 4 games. Considering the long-term injuries to other defensive prospects like Dmitri Samorukov, Berglund's ease in adapting to North American rinks makes him a strong contender to get some NHL games at some point this year. Fans may think it should be Phillip Broberg who gets the call-up on defence, but the team likely wants that prospect playing bigger minutes than he'd get in Edmonton. Berglund comes with no such caveats.

Ryan McLeod

This pick is somewhat obvious considering McLeod was all but guaranteed a spot on the Oilers' roster after his play last season following a call-up. McLeod lit up the AHL last season, scoring 14 goals and 28 points in 28 games and centering one of the American League's best lines alongside Tyler Benson and Cooper Marody. That production earned him a chance on the Oilers to end the year, playing out the final ten games of the regular season and appearing in 4 playoff games to top it off, recording 1 assist in total. As those numbers might suggest, McLeod's point production didn't immediately translate to the NHL, and when those struggles continued into this year's pre-season and regular season, McLeod's waiver-exempt status caused him to get sent down to Bakersfield over some other players. The good news is, McLeod's offence didn't immediately translate in the AHL either. In 2 games with the Condors this season, McLeod has already tallied 1 goal and 2 points. Fans can expect to see McLeod back on the Oilers' roster at some point this season, and when he returns, there's a good chance he'll be sticking around permanently.

Great work by Brosseau and Schaller to set up McLeod to get us within one. #Condorstown pic.twitter.com/kmbv2RmSKk
— Bakersfield Condors (@Condors) October 23, 2021