When the Edmonton Oilers sent young winger Ike Howard to the AHL in mid-November, many fans expressed the belief that management had demoted the wrong player. Now, with Howard lighting up minor-league goaltenders with his impressive range of skills, the talk around the city surrounds his date of recall.

The smart money is on an extended stay with the Bakersfield Condors, though. The organization sent the rookie pro down in order to work on his two-way game and to establish confidence with the puck. It took no time at all for Howard to impact the Condors, and he’s currently driving results at even strength and on the power play.

Still, there are reasons to keep him in the AHL.

The numbers

Through four games, Howard had two goals and five assists. He found chemistry with German centre Josh Samanski and former Boston University winger Quinn Hutson. In Howard’s five games with Bakersfield, the trio outscored opponents 5-0 and gained a reputation for creative entries, strong passing and quick-release shots. Hutson’s shot is an especially effective weapon and has no doubt been noticed by Oilers management.

The stock is up for Hutson and Samanski. Here’s a glance at the performance spike for both men after Howard’s arrival entering Saturday’s game.

StatHutsonSamanski

Pts-game before

0.69

0.38

Pts-game after

1.75

1.25

Goal share before

67 pct

44 pct

Goal share after

83 pct

83 pct

All numbers at even strength, via theAHL.com

This is an impressive run for two young prospects who were already showing well before Howard’s arrival. Samanski was signed in early April and is getting his first taste of the AHL. He has size (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) and has quickly established himself as a player who could see the NHL during his entry-level contract. Hutson has already played in the NHL for a cup of coffee after signing last spring.

Howard’s performance so far in Bakersfield has been outrageous. His seven points in five games are outstanding production, and he’s 8-1 in goals at even strength. Howard has scored particularly well at even strength, posting two goals and five points.

Aside from his continuing development as a player, Howard is helping Hutson and Samanski reach higher ground as prospects. From an Oilers point of view, it’s a very good situation. At some point, a recall will come for Howard. That brings up an obvious idea, one that has been done before.

Call up the entire line!

Over the last almost five decades, Oilers farmhands have been pushing through the team’s minor league system in an effort to find NHL success.

In March 2021, a Bakersfield line that featured Ryan McLeod, Cooper Marody and Tyler Benson caused quite a stir, with McLeod establishing himself as an NHL centre. All three men would play for the Oilers, and McLeod-Benson spent about one hour together at five-on-five in 2021-22, via Natural Stat Trick.

More famously, then-Oilers coach Craig MacTavish brought an entire line to the NHL in the fall of 2000. The “Bulldog” line had success the previous year for Edmonton’s affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, and played together for the first time on Oct. 6, 2000. Centre Brian Swanson provided two-way acumen, Michel Riesen was the goal-scorer of the trio and Daniel Cleary played a rugged game with plus skill. Only Cleary would use the opportunity to build toward an NHL career, but for a brief time, it looked like all three might make the grade.

McLeod was the best player on the line four years ago, and Cleary was the top forward on the line 25 years ago. Howard, barring injury, will have the most successful career among the players on Bakersfield’s top line.

For Hutson and Samanski, there are a few positive indicators that could mean significant NHL time. Samanski is a big centre who can handle a physical role, and Hutson is excellent with the puck and has two-way ability. His shot can beat goalies clean in the AHL.

This line ignited with the arrival of Howard. At 21, he’s too much to handle at the AHL level, and there’s only one higher league. When should Oilers fans expect Howard to return?

The recall

Prevailing wisdom states that when a rookie of note gets an NHL audition but is then sent down, the next recall should come only when the organization is completely convinced of his role and the ability to succeed in that role. He should be a plug-and-play when the recall occurs.

Howard is posting offence at a rate that’s just shy of Miro Satan in his brief (24-16-40 in 25 games) time with the AHL Cape Breton Oilers in 1994-95. That’s an impact pace. Based on those numbers, it’s reasonable to suggest he is NHL-ready.

Two things are probably keeping him in California. First, he’s applying for an NHL job as a left winger on a line with one of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as his centre. The Oilers have a full boat (Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, Adam Henrique against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday), along with miles of other options (Zach Hyman, Andrew Mangiapane, Trent Frederic, injured Kasperi Kapanen) who can play on the left side. Management may want fellow rookie Savoie to play in 50 games in order to establish himself before recalling Howard.

The second item is this: the Oilers aren’t playing well (Saturday against the Kraken aside), and bringing Howard up and expecting a rookie to solve the problems is unwise. Best to keep him far from the chaos, have him thrive and bring him back when the entire team is playing well. This isn’t the time.

Saturday night

It was another big night for the Howard-Samanski-Hutson line on Saturday, as the Condors defeated the Henderson Silver Knights 7-4. It was Hutson (two goals and an assist) and Samanski (three assists) who led the way offensively, with the trio outscoring the Silver Knights 1-0 at even strength.

Howard’s draft pedigree guarantees an NHL recall. It’s possible that Hutson and Samanski see NHL action over the next two seasons. Their recent performances suggest that the timeline could be moved up significantly if the scoring and outscoring continue.

Could we see a reprise of the Bulldog line this season? We wait.