The Top 20 countdown of our 2025 Cult of Hockey Prospect Series continues. Again, these are the twenty young men in the system today closest to making an impact with the big club. Players only fall off the list once they:

-Make the NHL
-Get dealt to a different organization
-Age out, or…
-Drop off the map.

Lets proceed…

2025 Edmonton Oilers Top Prospect Rankings#15 – David Lewandowski

(Voters: David Staples, Kurt Leavins, Jim Matheson, Ira Cooper).

Physical wingers with some skill and on their ELC’s are like found gold in the NHL. Will David Lewandowski be that for the Oilers?

Selected in this past June’s draft in Round Four, #117 overall, this left-shot winger out of Schwatzinger, Germany stands 6’1 and weighs in at 177 LB.

If you look at this prospect through the lens of well-known and respected draft projections, this was a shrewd pick-up by Edmonton. Elite Prospects had him ranked #77, Daily faceoff #86, Flo Hockey #69 and his consolidated ranking rang in at #94. From the outside in, that looks like a win.

The eighteen-year-old will turn 19 in February. In his first season in the Western Hockey League, Lewandowski was productive, going 15-24-39 in 52 GP adding 21 PIM. He also had a goal and an assist in four playoff games. In addition, he had a goal and an assist in four games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Prior to that, Lewandowski also managed to play seven games with Dusseldorf EG in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), which is Germany’s top professional league as a seventeen-year-old. He also has international experience. But that small sample playing against men as a teenager stands out more to me.

Here is what the scouts say:

Elite Prospects:

-Lewandowski is a dominant puck protector who throws reverse hits and bulldozes contact. His shooting has been a constant threat across his career. He rips pucks off his outside leg and possesses a powerful catch-and-release shot that he leverages with higher-end precision. Even more impressive, his physical skills – puck protection, especially – are the most translatable aspects of his game.

Dobber Prospects:

-A smart, solid, all-around forward with a strong shot and sub-par skating, though he has a straightforward path to the NHL. A solid all-around player”.

Other pluses:

-Lewandowski knows where the blue paint is. He has a nose for the net and seems to relish the journey in getting there.

-Consistently positive reviews for his defensive play and strong along the walls.

-Those that know him say he has a high Hockey IQ and plays a mature game.

Where he needs work:

-Foot speed, foot speed, foot speed. If this kid can get his boots moving quicker and more efficiently, it could lead to a breakout year with the Saskatoon Blades and a brighter NHL outlook. For now, while his skating is not a liability per se, he lacks the extra gear to separate from defenders.

General observations:

-Good hockey DNA. David’s Dad Eduard played w0 pro seasons in Europe, including the KHL, DEL and the Olympics in 2006.

-There is some suggestion that this kid may not be done growing. You never really know, but an extra inch could be a real plus.

-If his boots are only average, then his fitness level will be one of the keys to this kid making it or not. A big summer will be critical.

-A trusted colleague of mine who saw Lewandowski a lot in person last season said to me “Oilers got a good one, keep an eye on him”.

Noted.

Projection:

-A fourth line NHL-er? That is what his skill set would seem to project. If we further assess him by draft pedigree, about eighteen per cent of Round Four forward picks turn into NHL players. And as I have already mentioned, if Lewandowski arrives in that position on an ELC…that would be a significant advantage.

-In the meantime, he has another full year in the WHL. Could he have a ticket to Bakersfield by the fall of 2026?

-0-

Next up…prospect #14 from my Cult of Hockey colleague David Staples.

Now on Bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. Also, find me on Threads @kleavins, Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social.

This article is not AI generated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, at The Cult…

STAPLES: Can the Edmonton Oilers win it all with such a top-heavy lineup

LEAVINS: Will this Oilers prospect dog have his Day?

Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.

Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.