{"id":369464,"date":"2025-12-25T14:36:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T14:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/369464\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T14:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T14:36:12","slug":"edmonton-oilers-prospect-ike-howard-is-on-a-historic-scoring-pace-in-the-ahl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/369464\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmonton Oilers prospect Ike Howard is on a historic scoring pace in the AHL"},"content":{"rendered":"

Less than a month ago, I wrote about the impact rookie pro winger<\/a> Ike Howard was having on the AHL Bakersfield Condors. I suggested the Oilers might want to consider recalling the Condors\u2019 entire No. 1 line from the minors in order to ignite the offence on Edmonton\u2019s depth lines.<\/p>\n

A few weeks later, one of Howard\u2019s linemates, Quinn Hutson, did get the call to the NHL and played well. Meanwhile, Howard is learning in the AHL and making the adjustments required to land permanently as an NHL player.<\/p>\n

Howard is an elite offensive winger in the AHL, and his time with the Condors is beginning to take on historic proportions. The young phenom is posting offensive totals that rival some of the best players in Oilers minor-league history. Some of those names went on to stardom.<\/p>\n

Goals per game<\/p>\n

Howard scored nine goals in 14 AHL games leading up to the Christmas break. At 21, he\u2019s among the most outstanding young scorers who have played for an Edmonton farm team. The gold standard? Miro Satan, who was 20 in 1994-95. Satan scored 24 goals in 25 games for the Cape Breton Oilers before graduating to the\u00a0 NHL the following season.<\/p>\n

Those Cape Breton teams of the early 1990s featured several forwards with high goal-scoring rates. Aside from Satan, names like Steven Rice, Dan Currie and Ralph Intranuovo shone during those years. Some of those early 1990s Oilers farm teams averaged over four goals per game, whereas Bakersfield currently averages around 3.5 per game.<\/p>\n

Since 2000, here are the top scorers among Oilers farmhands, using forwards in their entry-level deals and ranking by goals per game:<\/p>\n

PlayerAgeYearGoals-Game<\/p>\n

Ike Howard<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2025-26<\/p>\n

0.64<\/p>\n

Dylan Holloway<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2023-24<\/p>\n

0.56<\/p>\n

Raphael Lavoie<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

2023-24<\/p>\n

0.42<\/p>\n

Marc Pouliot<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2006-07<\/p>\n

0.42<\/p>\n

Raphael Lavoie<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2022-23<\/p>\n

0.41<\/p>\n

Anton Lander<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

2013-14<\/p>\n

0.39<\/p>\n

Michel Riesen<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2000-01<\/p>\n

0.38<\/p>\n

Jason Chimera<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2000-01<\/p>\n

0.37<\/p>\n

J-F Jacques<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

2005-06<\/p>\n

0.37<\/p>\n

via hockeydb<\/p>\n

Howard and Dylan Holloway are the two forwards who scored more than 0.5 goals per game in the AHL over the last 25 years. That line in the sand doesn\u2019t represent a dividing line for an NHL career, but for Oilers forwards during their entry-level deals, the only outlier (overcoming lower goal totals and having an NHL career) was Jason Chimera. His ticket to the show came via exceptional speed, playmaking skill and good size, but Chimera didn\u2019t play much on NHL skill lines over his 1,107-game NHL career.<\/p>\n

Points-per-game<\/p>\n

Howard is showing some unique playmaking qualities in the minors. Edmonton fans are familiar with wingers who can create at a high level (Taylor Hall is the best example over the last 25 years), and this may be an area of growth for Howard once he reaches the NHL. His scouting report talks about his offensive creativity, and it\u2019s showing already. Since 2000, here are the playmakers among Oilers farmhands, using forwards in their entry-level deals and ranking by assists per game:<\/p>\n

PlayerAgeYearAssists-Game<\/p>\n

Cooper Marody<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2018-19<\/p>\n

0.78<\/p>\n

Tyler Benson<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

2018-19<\/p>\n

0.75<\/p>\n

Anton Lander<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

2013-14<\/p>\n

0.74<\/p>\n

Tyler Benson<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

2020-21<\/p>\n

0.72<\/p>\n

Ike Howard<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2025-26<\/p>\n

0.71<\/p>\n

Rob Schremp<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2007-08<\/p>\n

0.68<\/p>\n

Jason Chimera<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

2001-02<\/p>\n

0.66<\/p>\n

Viljami Marjala<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

2025-26<\/p>\n

0.63<\/p>\n

Peter Sarno<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2000-01<\/p>\n

0.58<\/p>\n

via hockeydb<\/p>\n

This is a more varied group of names, with several centres and a few wingers. The group that missed making the NHL lacked foot speed, with Howard and Chimera (who made it) delivering in that area as well as producing points. Howard\u2019s ability to impact the game as a playmaker and shooter, along with his foot speed that has him in the 91st percentile<\/a> among NHL players, suggests he\u2019s a lock for a productive NHL career.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s look at that two-way progress.<\/p>\n

Goal share at even strength<\/p>\n

Over the last several years, Eric Rodgers has tracked even-strength goals for Oilers farm teams. Here\u2019s a look at the forwards (again, entry-level) who delivered impressive goal shares in the discipline.<\/p>\n

PlayerAgeYearEV Goal Pct<\/p>\n

Ike Howard<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2025-26<\/p>\n

76<\/p>\n

Kailer Yamamoto<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

2018-19<\/p>\n

69<\/p>\n

Tyler Benson<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

2018-19<\/p>\n

69<\/p>\n

Matt Savoie<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

2024-25<\/p>\n

65<\/p>\n

Dylan Holloway<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

2023-24<\/p>\n

64<\/p>\n

All numbers via Eric Rodgers<\/p>\n

Howard is lapping the field in even-strength goal share, and that\u2019s an impressive group of players. Most made the NHL and are establishing themselves as quality NHL players. A team\u2019s overall goal share varies from year to year, so the comparison can\u2019t be a direct one, but it\u2019s interesting to see just how much Howard delivers on the ice compared to when he\u2019s at rest.<\/p>\n

Howard\u2019s totals are outstanding (19-6 goals), while the Condors without him (48-66, 42 percent) aren\u2019t close to playoff level. That\u2019s a major gap, one that towers over some of the other names on the list. As an example, Matt Savoie\u2019s 65 percent share at even strength was much better than the team without him (48 percent), but Bakersfield was only slightly below average.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s zooming who?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Condors have an impact line that contains Howard, centre Josh Samanski and Hutson. The trio have been on a tear since being put together shortly after Howard arrived in the AHL. There was some discussion about Hutson being the driver of the line, but Howard flourished while Hutson was in the NHL.<\/p>\n

In the three games away from Hutson, Howard scored three goals and added three assists, while the team outscored opponents 6-1 at even strength when he was on the ice. The numbers don\u2019t lie; Howard is driving the line and has been for much of the time he has been in Bakersfield. There is no prospect currently in Bakersfield with his talent level.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Oilers are on a roll currently, and there are several quality players about to come back from injury. There\u2019s no chance Howard sees a recall anytime soon, and there are lessons to learn. He shoots the defensive zone too early and needs to learn a more structured game that he will take with him to the NHL next time.<\/p>\n

When he gets there, chances are Howard will stay. There are opportunities for him on the current roster, and as Savoie\u2019s rookie season with the Oilers proves, time in the AHL can benefit both player and team as it pertains to responsible play.<\/p>\n

Howard is posting outstanding offence, some of the most impressive totals in decades, while also helping the Condors outscore at even strength. He\u2019s not yet an NHL player, but the numbers suggest he will have an impact when he makes the NHL to stay. In the meantime, he has joined elite company in delivering impressive offence in Bakersfield.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Less than a month ago, I wrote about the impact rookie pro winger Ike Howard was having on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":369465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[1792,385,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-369464","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-edmonton-oilers","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=369464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/369465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=369464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=369464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=369464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}