{"id":60966,"date":"2025-08-11T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T08:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/60966\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T08:00:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T08:00:10","slug":"a-hidden-prospect-could-open-big-trade-doors-for-the-oilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/60966\/","title":{"rendered":"A Hidden Prospect Could Open Big Trade Doors for the Oilers"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a stacked blue line and limited roster spots, Edmonton could turn one of its top young, somewhat undiscovered, defensemen into a key bargaining chip when the trade deadline approaches. That prospect is Beau Akey, and he\u2019s looking to make a name for himself this season. <\/p>\n

The Oilers have a luxury most teams can\u2019t claim \u2014 a veteran-heavy, Cup-contending blue line. But that depth also potentially blocks the path for Akey, who is one of their most intriguing young defense prospects. <\/p>\n

Akey is coming off a strong bounce-back season in junior after double shoulder surgery. A full season of good health could do wonders for his reputation as someone who has a bright future. <\/p>\n

Last year with the OHL\u2019s Barrie Colts, he posted 32 points in 52 games, added five assists in the playoffs, and wore a leadership role. Known for his elite skating and crisp passing, he\u2019s now set to make the leap to pro hockey in Bakersfield (AHL). \u201cI\u2019m 100 percent now,\u201d Akey said<\/a> during camp. \u201cI\u2019m looking to make the step to professional hockey (this season), so I\u2019m looking to show the Oilers that at training camp. I want to give my all to try and make the Oilers and try to prove to them I can make an NHL roster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oilers development staff already love his mobility and offensive instincts, but they want him to sharpen the defensive side of his game. In the meantime, he\u2019s a premium asset waiting in the wings \u2014 a 20-year-old right-shot defenseman with top-four potential.<\/p>\n

\"BeauBeau Akey Oilers prospect could be in the NHL sooner than later<\/p>\n

The Oilers know he can be a future impact player for them. That means he can also be an impact player for someone else. <\/p>\n

Edmonton won\u2019t be looking to move the youngster. That said, it shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise if he pops up on radars around the league. Oilers senior director of player development Kalle Larsson said, \u201cA healthy Beau Akey is an elite skater, he can break the puck out well and he has offense.\u201d He added, \u201cI think in pro, he\u2019ll be a two-way defenseman that will need to be more reliable defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Akey Will Be a Trade Piece that Other Teams Look At<\/p>\n

For a team chasing a Stanley Cup, players like this are gold. They can grow into future cornerstones or become the centerpiece of a trade for immediate help. If Edmonton needs a deadline boost \u2014 be it a depth scorer, penalty-kill specialist, or injury insurance \u2014 Akey could headline a package that draws serious interest from rebuilding teams or clubs on a timeline where they\u2019ll be contenders in two or three seasons. <\/p>\n

The Oilers will decide later whether to keep him for the long haul or flip him for a win-now piece. Either way, they\u2019re holding a hidden card that could make all the difference come spring.<\/p>\n

Next: Did Agent Warn and Try to Rumor-Proof McDavid This Summer?<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With a stacked blue line and limited roster spots, Edmonton could turn one of its top young, somewhat…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[34803,49,48,448,82,2008],"class_list":{"0":"post-60966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-beau-akey","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-top-story"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}