This in from NHL insider Frank Seravalli, news that the Edmonton Oilers are in on German pro prospect Veit Oswald, along with previous reports from various experts that the Oilers would also like to sign Vitali Pinchuk, the highest rated free agent player out of Europe this summer.
The Oilers are also one of many teams interested in T.J. Hughes, the top free agent out of U.S. college hockey.
Said Seravalli of the Frankly Hockey podcast:
“Two undrafted free agents generating #NHL interest:
> RW Veit Oswald, 21, Red Bull Munich. Oilers are the betting favorite, strong handful of teams interested.
> C Vitali Pinchuk, 24, Minsk. 6-foot-3. 66 pts in 65 GP. 3rd in goals, 6th in points. 15+ teams interested.”
Veit Oswald
There are few scouting reports on Oswald, but this was Scott Wheeler of the Athletic in June 2024 is based on his 2022 report from the U18 worlds in Germany: “He led Germany’s top U20 junior level in scoring this season with 51 points in 31 games and while his odds at getting drafted remain long (it’s hard for Germans who don’t play pro and he’s not ranked by NHL Central Scouting), his puck skill and finesse caught my attention. He played playmaker off the flank really well, led the team in shots (13 in four games), had the puck on his stick a lot… He’s also a skinny kid and a late-August birthday, so there’s clearly a lot of runway for him to improve… A little more than two years later, he has just wrapped up a season in which he registered 10 goals and 17 points in 38 DEL games (which led the league among U20 skaters) for Munich and was also impressive for the Germans at the world juniors, leading them in scoring with five points in four games and making a ton of plays in motion. And while he’s still a bit skinny, he has slowly added some muscle mass and it has allowed his game of touch and flow to really work against men.”
Since Wheeler wrote this Oswald has had a strong 2025-26 season in Germany’s top pro league, scoring 26 points in 38 games this year for Munich.
My take
1. The Oilers should be a top destination for U.S. college and Euro free agents. Where else do prospects have a chance at making a team with strong Stanley Cup possibilities in the next four or five seasons, along with constant openings in the top two lines and bottom d-man pairings due to salary cap constraints? There are five or six other teams that offer such an inducement.
2. If Oswald were to sign, he’d be Edmonton’s third free agent brought in, along with 24-year-old U.S college free agent Owen Michaels and 22-year-old Czech free agent Tomas Cibulka, who both look like they’ll end up in Bakserfield next year.
3. The free agent I’m hoping to see signed here is Maxim Berezkin, a big, puck-protecting winger from the KHL, who was drafted by the Oilers in 2020. Is he finally ready to sign here? Are the Oilers keen to bring him over? It’s been pretty quiet on this front this spring.
berezkin
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