The Edmonton Oilers may have an internal solution to help improve their play between the pipes.

Samuel Jonsson, whom the Oilers selected in the fifth round in 2022, began catching eyeballs during the 2024-25 season.

While playing for Bofors IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-highest professional league, he put up a 1.88 GAA and a .922 SV% in 24 appearances.

The strong season didn’t go unnoticed by Oilers management, who rewarded him with a three-year, entry-level contract in April.

Given that the Oilers also signed two older goalies in Matt Tomkins and Connor Ingram, Jonsson has started the 2025-26 season in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets. Based on his play in the early going, however, it may not be long before he gets his first opportunity with the Bakersfield Condors.

Jonsson has started four of the Komets’ seven games this season. He’s not only won all four games, but has racked up three shutouts, giving him a sublime 1.25 GAA along with a .945 SV%.

At just 21 years old, expecting Jonsson to have any sort of role with the Oilers in 2025-26 would be rather naive. That said, his strong performance in 2024-25 and his red-hot start with the Komets in 2025-26 give reason to believe that he does have the potential to become an NHL-calibre goalie.

That would be a huge benefit for the Oilers, who haven’t had a reliable starting goaltender since the 2016-17 season, one which saw Cam Talbot appear in 73 games.

Instead of attempting to address their goaltending this offseason, the Oilers chose to go back with a tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. It’s gone pretty much as expected, as Skinner is 4-3-3 with a 2.54 GAA and a .899 SV%. Pickard, meanwhile, has really struggled, posting a 3.42 GAA and an .850 SV% in five starts.

Due to the struggles of their tandem, the Oilers are once again rumoured to be searching for a trade to help stabilize their crease. Regardless of whether or not they can find an upgrade this season, it looks as though they could have a solid option in Jonsson in the years to come.

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