The Edmonton Oilers did good work in the college free-agent signing season one year ago. Two-way winger Quinn Hutson showed well enough for the AHL Bakersfield Condors this season to earn a recall to the NHL. He’s on management’s radar for a roster spot next season. Hutson has utility and skill. Defenceman Damien Carfagna hasn’t seen the NHL yet this season, but his speed and two-way acumen have him thriving for the Condors. He could make the NHL during his entry-level deal.

Oilers general manager Stan Bowman is facing another quiet NHL Draft weekend in June. The picks, as usual, were dealt at the trade deadline. Using the college free-agent route (and European free agents) will be central to the procurement process this year. NHL free agency, long a staple for Edmonton, is razor-thin in terms of difference-makers in 2026. Edmonton needs its farm team to produce.

Here’s a look at college free agency this season, and where Bowman will be looking for help.

Areas of need

Via college free agency and European signings last spring, Bowman did a fine job in addressing the forward group. However, Carfagna and draft pick Beau Akey are the only young defencemen in the system who are on an NHL trajectory. College defencemen should be an area of focus for the team.

Edmonton is unlikely to find a superstar going the college route, but over the past 15 years, several signings by the team have paid dividends. The most famous might be Justin Schultz, but names like Matt Benning and Vincent Desharnais (who was drafted but signed with Bakersfield out of college) won NHL jobs.

Most of the players signed have an outer marker of NHL role player, and that means third-pairing defence if everything breaks right. Still, these are valuable assets, and sometimes there is a player who spikes. Schultz played 745 NHL games, many in a prominent role. There are quality free agents in college.

Focus on defence

The Oilers have a typical defence pool in Bakersfield this season. Veterans who have spent significant time in the NHL and AHL, AHL contracts who fill in as needed, and the prospects (Carfagna and Akey) who could have an NHL future. Both rookie pros have performed well in Bakersfield. Akey’s even-strength goal share (58 percent) leads the team, and Carfagna (57 percent) is just behind.

Edmonton needs more young defencemen, although the skill set of the two young Condors (Akey and Carfagna are undersized, fleet two-way players with speed) won’t be a priority for the team.

Which brings us to UConn defenceman Viking Gustafsson Nyberg. With a name like that, he would be wildly popular in Edmonton the moment he signs. Nyberg is huge (6-foot-6, 225 pounds, according to Elite Prospects) and physical, although Corey Pronman at The Athletic reports he has foot speed issues and lacks puck-moving ability. The Oilers deployed a similar player (Desharnais) in a third-pair/penalty killing role not so long ago, so Nyberg could be on Bowman’s radar.

Mac Gadowsky from Penn State is an older prospect (24) with some size (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) who has been described as a smart coverage defender. The Oilers need that wrinkle on defence throughout the system, meaning Godowsky would be a worthy target this spring.

Marc Lajoie has been on the Oilers’ radar for years, and played a game for the Condors in 2023-24. He’s a big player (6-foot-6, 223 pounds) and is still young enough (22) to have a pro career. He spent this winter with the University of Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC) and is a good fit for a team looking for size and toughness.

Forwards

The Oilers had a real need one year ago up front, and used opportunity as a strong selling point. Hutson arrived from college in the spring, followed by a large group of forwards from Europe. Josh Samanski and David Tomasek made it to the NHL. Tomasek flushed out of the NHL quickly, but Samanski parlayed a strong start in Bakersfield into a legit opportunity.

The success of Samanski and Viljami Marjala in Bakersfield could inspire more signings this offseason, but the opportunities may not be as prevalent this summer.

One college forward who could be a fit for the organization is Nathan Pilling, who plays for the University of St. Thomas (CCHA). He’s a bigger centre (6-foot-4, 209 pounds) and is 21. He began his freshman season scoring four goals and six points in nine games, and has added 11-12-23 in 27 games since. Bowman has been adding size on the double this year. Pilling would be well known to the organization and could be a plug-and-play in Bakersfield next season.

Another interesting option is TJ Hughes of Michigan (Big Ten). He has been on the radar of NHL teams since arriving four years ago and has posted impressive point totals each season. Hughes is from Hamilton, Ontario, and college free agents from Canada are generally viewed as attractive signing options for Canadian NHL teams. He’s 24, and would be (like Hutson) interested in an NHL fast track.

NHL free agency

Bowman has set up the team well via college signings like Hutson and Carfagna, and the solid European procurement last year. The team needed to have a longer view of the future, and it might have come just in time. The quality of NHL free agency this summer is poor, and may mean the group signed one year ago spends less time in Bakersfield and more time in the NHL during the 2026-27 season.

Bottom line

Expect Bowman to be aggressive in college free agency this season. The organization can still offer opportunities to make the NHL quickly, as the draft picks other clubs have matriculating have been sent away at past trade deadlines.

Scott Wheeler at The Athletic profiled Edmonton’s system earlier this month, and the evidence should be clear. The Oilers are open for business with college free agents ready to turn pro.