All it took for Isaac Howard to score his first NHL goal was a chance to play on a line with two of the top players in the game.

The 21-year-old native of Hudson, Wisc., found himself promoted to the Edmonton Oilers top line to open the second period on the way to a 3-2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

He just got out of the penalty box before taking a one-timer in the slot from Leon Draisaitl, off a turnover caused by Connor McDavid in the offensive zone, and neatly put the puck five-hole for a 2-0 lead.

It was his first professional point, six games into his first NHL season.

“That’s obviously super cool and going to be a moment I’ll remember forever,” the Michigan State product said. “And to have those two guys in on the goal is pretty special, and was a couple great plays by them.

“It’s just nice to see a puck go in, right? I thought after that, I had some other good looks and the puck kind of came to me a little bit more effortlessly. So, I think I’ve just got to run with that momentum and keep it going.”

A first-round draft pick (31st overall) of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022, Howard was traded to Edmonton in return for 2024 first-round draft pick (32nd overall) Sam O’Reilly in the summer, after winning the Hobey Baker award as the top player in NCAA hockey.

Whether that translates to a successful rookie season after making the jump to the big league is the real question facing Howard, whose job it is to prove Oilers management right in their decision.

G-MAN’S TAKE: No one inside Canadian Tire Centre would have cheered louder for Howard’s goal than those inside the visitors executive suite.

Trading one talented player coming off of a Memorial Cup victory for another coming off a Big Ten championship looks like a bit of a wash.

Effectively, the Oilers may very well have sped up the development of their latest first-round draft pick by trading for another that is two years older in Howard, who also has significant international experience on his resume with Team USA.

And hitting fast-forward with that development could make all the difference when considering just how long the Oilers’ Stanley Cup window ends up remaining open.

But it’s not exactly win now, at all cost. They still have the future to think about, and Howard could end up being a big part of it.

The youth movement to get younger and faster over the off-season comes at the expense of losing out on experience in the form of veterans the likes of Corey Perry, Connor Brown and Viktor Arvidsson, who departed in free agency.

So, when a player like ‘Ike’ puts a puck in the net, it’s not just icing, it’s a main ingredient in the cake the Oilers are baking, and banking on it to rise sooner rather than later.

And there might be room for another such cake in the oven soon, too.

The Oilers have been linked to another university player in Michigan, this time it is Michigan University star centre T.J. Hughes.

Currently in his senior season with the Wolverines, Hughes is said to have already garnered interest throughout the NHL prior to deciding to return to the NCAA.

And according to Oilers radio analyst Bob Stauffer on the panel in Tuesday’s game broadcast, the team could be targetting the 23-year-old Hughes, who played three seasons with the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge