EDMONTON, AB – Goalie Devon Levi will get the start, while forward Trent Frederic will move up to the second line on Thursday as the Edmonton Oilers prepare to host the first of a home-and-away set against the Utah Mammoth at Rogers Place.
Levi will make his second straight start after a career-high 39 saves in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton's fifth straight victory to complete an unbeaten three-game California road trip. The 24-year-old is 4-0-0 to start his Oilers career, becoming the first netminder in franchise history to win his first four games.
Head Coach Mike Babcock is elevating Frederic into the top six to play alongside Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen, hoping to see the 28-year-old uses his physicality on the forecheck and earn more confidence after a down year in 2025-26 by his standards. Frederic has recorded an assist, 19 hits and a +1 plus/minus with an average ice time of 9:34 over seven games this season.
"I think Freddie's a good man," Babcock said. "I think his confidence took a beating last year with the injuries, and we got to get his confidence back. It's simple. Play a simple game, straight ahead, forecheck, run people over, get to the net and stop on defence. He's just got to get feeling good about himself so it reflects in his play."
Babcock added that Zach Hyman and Jake Walman remain unavailable for the Oilers due to their respective injuries, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Colton Dach are still on the mend despite participating in Thursday's morning skate along with Hyman.
Evan Bouchard wasn't on the ice for the full morning skate but is expected to be available in his regular spot on the top pairing alongside Mattias Ekholm.
