Top prospects for Edmonton Oilers

NHL.com is providing in-depth prospect analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the top five prospects for the Edmonton Oilers, according to NHL.com.

1. Xavier Bourgault, F

How acquired: Selected with No. 22 pick in 2021 NHL Draft

2022-23 season: Bakersfield (AHL): 62 GP, 13-21-34

Bourgault (6-foot, 172 pounds) had an up-and-down season in 2022-23, his first as a professional. The 20-year-old started off strong with 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in his first 22 games, but his production dipped over the next 23 games (eight points; two goals, six assists) before he came on strong down the stretch, finishing with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in his final 17 games.

Bourgault is expected to spend another season developing in the AHL, but if the Oilers run into injury issues, he could get a look.

"I thought in the first half of the season he made some great strides playing special teams," Bakersfield coach Colin Chaulk said. "The second half of the season, it felt like the wear of playing against men took its toll. Those were some good lessons for him. I think he had his ups and downs in that period, but I think everybody in their first year has ups and downs no matter what it is you do."

Projected NHL arrival: Next season

2. Raphael Lavoie, F

How acquired: Selected with No. 38 pick in 2019 NHL Draft

2022-23 season: Bakersfield (AHL): 61 GP, 25-20-45

Lavoie (6-4, 196) made great strides in his second full season with Bakersfield, nearly doubling his offensive production from 2021-22 (13 goals, 13 assists in 56 games). The 22-year-old power forward is perhaps the most NHL ready of all the players in Edmonton's system and could challenge for a bottom-six spot this season.

Projected NHL arrival: Next season

3. Matvey Petrov, F

How acquired: Selected with No. 180 pick in 2021 NHL Draft

2022-23 season: North Bay (OHL): 65 GP, 27-66-93

Petrov (6-2, 178), who led North Bay and was eighth in the Ontario Hockey League in scoring last season, will make the jump to professional hockey with Bakersfield this season. Although the 20-year-old's talent is evident, with him having put up 183 points (67 goals, 116 assists) in 128 games the past two seasons with North Bay, he said his focus this season is on continuing to become a more well-rounded player.

"I would say I've just played a little bit of a different game," Petrov said. "I talked to Edmonton about that before the season and kind of changed my game a little bit about [playing] the right way."

Projected NHL arrival: 2025-2026

4. Carter Savoie, F

How acquired: Selected with No. 100 pick in 2020 NHL Draft

2022-23 season: Bakersfield (AHL): 44 GP, 8-3-11

Savoie (5-9, 192) experienced a steep learning curve during his first professional season, finishing with 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in 44 AHL games after he had 45 points (23 goals, 22 assists) in 39 games with the University of Denver in 2021-22.

Part of Savoie's struggles were the result of injuries, the first of which he sustained at the Young Stars Classic in September and caused him to miss the first two weeks of the season. The 21-year-old returned in late October and scored two goals in his fourth game, but after scoring a hat trick against San Diego on Jan. 18, he didn't get a point in his final 17 games.

"He had a glimpse there that he went into hard areas, he took hits to make plays," Chaulk said. "I think for him, he needs to try and do that more consistently. The other part was him trying to stay healthy."

Projected NHL arrival: 2025-26

5. Beau Akey, D

How acquired: Selected with No. 56 pick in 2023 NHL Draft

2022-23 season: Barrie (OHL): 66 GP, 11-36-47

Akey (6-foot, 173) was third among Barrie defensemen in scoring last season after he had 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 61 games in 2021-22. The 18-year-old will return to the OHL this season, where he will likely have a much larger role, including on the power play, with Brandt Clarke primed to earn a spot with the Los Angeles Kings.

"We really like him. He's a smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman," said Tyler Wright, Edmonton's director of amateur scouting and player personnel. "He's a guy that put up some numbers in the OHL, so we were really happy that he fell to us (in the draft). We're also lacking in the organization on the right side as well, so we kind of hit two birds with one stone."

Projected NHL arrival: 2026-27