Josh Samanski’s path back to the NHL has been anything but linear, but the Oilers prospect has kept forcing his way into the conversation.
The 24-year-old German center checks in at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, a frame that gives him a chance to handle the grind against men. He arrived as an undrafted player and signed a two-year entry-level contract before the 2025-26 season, then climbed quickly through the system and the Oilers prospect rankings.
His route has been a fast one: from the German DEL with the Straubing Tigers, to the Bakersfield Condors, to finishing last season with Edmonton, and now to an emergency recall back to the NHL.
Before the Oilers signed him, Samanski put together a strong year with Straubing, playing 52 games and posting 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points. That production led the entire DEL in points for a U-23 player. He then came to North America and spent last season with Bakersfield, where he played 45 games and scored eight goals and 23 assists for 31 points while serving as the club’s top pivot.
That work earned him another NHL look. Samanski appeared in 24 games with the Oilers and recorded four points, with two goals and two assists. He also picked up a place with the German National team for the 2026 Olympic Winter games and the Men's World Championships.
He did not actually crack Edmonton’s season-opening roster. Samanski was a late cut when the club settled on its 23-man group. But when Zach Hyman went down and the injuries kept stacking up, Edmonton brought him back on an emergency recall to fill the opening.
That gives him a real window, even if it may not last forever. If he can make enough of an impression, he could stay with the club and work his way into a role.
There is a path where he pushes past some players on the roster and earns back the trust of Mike Babcock and the coaching staff. If that happens, his road to the NHL opens up quickly, and he could be a bona fide NHL player by season’s end.
If he does get sent back down, the message is clear. Babcock said, "You have to become an elite face-off guy, elite penalty killer, a great two-way defensive center to play here,"
That assignment fits the player Samanski has already shown he can be. He has the look of a responsible center with strong two-way habits and some slick playmaking, and by the end of last season he was starting to look like a possible shutdown center of the future for Edmonton.
At the NHL level, the floor is pretty straightforward: a bottom-six shutdown center who can compete physically and use his brain to shut down chances against. For an undrafted European free agent, that alone would be a major win.
But his scoring track record at every stop suggests there may be more there. His ceiling, as it stands, looks like a third-line or middle-six center who can handle different situations, in the mold of Phillip Danault or Anthony Cirelli, though as a poorer version.
Nothing is guaranteed with his NHL projection, especially from where he stands right now. Still, the skill set is obvious, and so is the experience.
That makes him useful to the Oilers, and potentially to another team as well. At minimum, he looks like the kind of call-up option who can step in down the middle if needed, even if he never becomes a full-time NHL fixture.
In Other News...
Oilers Suddenly Have A Goalie Opportunity Fans Did Not Expect
The rematch with Vancouver comes quickly for Edmonton, and it arrives with a different look in net than many fans expected. After the season-opening loss, the Oilers are turning to Devon Levi, who is set to make his debut and earn his first start of the 2026-27 season as the club tries to steady itself against the same Canucks team that handed it the opening-night setback.
The crease change comes amid a longer injury shuffle for Edmonton, with Tristan Jarry having struggled and Frederik Andersen sidelined, while the forward group is also taking hits. Zach Hyman will miss the game, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been moved to injured reserve, forcing the Oilers to call up Josh Samanski from the AHL to help fill out the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Huge Night Still Left Fans Worried About One Problem
The goals came fast and the points piled up in a wild 9-7 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Edmontons second game of the 2026-27 season, the kind of night that showed why this roster can still overwhelm opponents when its best players are rolling. Connor McDavid finished with five points, Leon Draisaitl added two goals and Evan Bouchard kept driving the attack from the back end, giving the Oilers the sort of offensive burst that can make almost any early-season concern feel secondary.
Still, the unease around this start is hard to miss when the scoreline gets that messy. The Oilers were asked to win a track meet, and while they did it, the kind of defensive and goaltending stability this group usually needs never really settled in, leaving fans with plenty to celebrate and one lingering question about how sustainable nights like this can be. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers' Hot Start Already Puts Bowman In A Tough Spot
Edmontons first two games have already created a familiar kind of pressure for the front office: the kind that starts with plenty of offense and quickly turns into questions about whether the back end can keep up. General manager Stan Bowman went into the season with one clear roster need in mind, but the early returns have made the Oilers look like a team that may need help in more than one area if it wants to avoid spending the fall playing catch-up.
The concern is not just that the goals against have piled up, but that the goaltending and defensive play have been uneven enough to force an early reassessment of priorities. Head coach Mike Babcock has urged patience and talked about improvement rather than reaction, but two games in, Bowman is already in the kind of spot every GM wants to avoid: waiting to see whether the problem sorts itself out, or whether it gets urgent fast. [Read more 🡒]