Isaac Howard is heading into Oilers training camp with something he didn’t really have a year ago: a real opening.
The 2025 Hobey Baker Award winner spent most of last season doing his damage in Bakersfield, not Edmonton. After coming over from the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer, Howard couldn’t stick as a regular NHL presence and wound up playing the bulk of the year with the AHL’s Condors.
That assignment came with plenty of production. In 47 AHL games, he scored 24 goals and finished with 50 points, good for fourth in rookie scoring.
In Edmonton, the numbers were far quieter - two goals and five points in 29 games.
Now the conversation is different. Howard, 22, is trying to turn that AHL scoring touch into a permanent job with the Oilers, and the door has opened a little wider because of Matt Savoie’s injury. Savoie, who was expected to be a fixture in Edmonton’s top six, is expected to miss all of training camp and most of October after getting hurt this offseason.
That changes the picture around the Oilers’ forward group. Before the injury, the top six looked set to feature some mix of Savoie, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Vasily Podkolzin and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. With Savoie out, Howard is no longer staring at a lineup that feels closed off to him.
As camp begins later this month, he could even have a path to working beside McDavid or Draisaitl.
That said, nothing is being handed to him. Howard still has to win over new head coach Mike Babcock, and there are other forwards in the mix.
Kasperi Kapanen stands out as the biggest obstacle. The Finnish winger is healthy again and comes off a strong playoff run last season, when he led the Oilers with four goals in six games against the Anaheim Ducks.
Kapanen also already has some chemistry with Draisaitl and Podkolzin, which gives him a head start. Howard will have to earn every inch.
But the appeal is obvious. His game is built on sharp offensive instincts, a dangerous shot and a feel for arriving in the right spots at the right time. That skill set didn’t translate cleanly to the NHL right away, but a full season in the AHL could help smooth out the transition.
At the very least, Howard looks likely to get some top-six looks in preseason. Those reps may end up telling the story of whether he starts the season as a hopeful prospect or a real part of Edmonton’s lineup.
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