Edmonton Oilers Top Prospects 2026-27

We continue our Cult of Hockey summer series of the Edmonton Oilers’ Top prospects entering 2026-27. In fact, we’re almost done!

Our panel of judges cast voted on thirty-seven organizational “prospects”. From those, we have paid closer attention to what we have deemed (by the afore-mentioned voting process) as the Top 25.

The Panel

Jim Matheson, David Staples, Kurt Leavins, Ira Cooper, Kevin McCurdy and Matthew Panchyshyn.

The Player

Devon Levi

Ranking

2026 Ranking: 2

2025 Ranking: N/A

Player History

Devon Levi was born on December 21, 2001, in Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, Quebec. A left-catching goaltender, he stands 6’1 and weighs 192 LBS.

He made an early name for himself in the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League. In 2019, he set a league record for saves in a game (64), a league record for shutouts (8), and received the Ken Dryden Award as the league’s best prospect.

Levi jumped to the junior ranks with the Carleton Place Canadiens in 2019-20 and set a blazing pace (34 wins, 2 losses) in 34 games. He posted a 1.47 GAA and a .941 SV%. He won five major awards including CCHL First Team All Stars. Levi then sparkled at the 2021 World Juniors, producing a 6-1 record with a 0.75 GAA and a .964 SV%. He helped Canada win Silver, but a rib injury suffered then would eventually sideline him, subsequently robbing Levi of his freshman season in the NCAA.

The Florida Panthers had drafted Levi in Round 7, 212 overall in Spring of 2020. But he was not in the Panthers organization long. He was traded to Buffalo in the Sam Reinhart trade. Meanwhile, Levi had moved on to the NCAA in 2021-22 at Northeastern. Having recovered from that rib injury, he posted a 21-10 record with a 1.54 GAA and a .952 SV%. That save percentage tied a record for the best mark in NCAA history. He subsequently led his team to a Hockey East regular season title. He was also on the 2022 Olympic roster. Levi followed that up with a 17-12 record in 2022-23 (2.24 GAA, .933). Levi won MVP in the Beanpot tourney that season, and the Mike Richter Award as Top College Goaltender, but lost in the Hockey East Playoffs to Providence. Still, Levi left the NCAA as one of the most dominant goalies to ever play at that level.

Levi signed his NHL ELC with the Buffalo Sabres in March of 2023. He got into 7 games with the Sabres that spring (5-2, 2.94 GAA, .905 SV%). Levi split 2023-24 between Buffalo and AHL Rochester. While with the Americans he posted a terrific .927 SV% but in the NHL it was (by comparison) a more modest .899 SV%. Unfortunately for Levi, that gap grew substantially in 2024-25. For the Sabres, he skidded to a 2-7 record (4.12 GAA, .872 SV%). But he was frankly too good for the AHL, where he was 25-13-4, 2.20 GAA, .919 SV%. Levi did not play an NHL game at all last season (23-20-9, 2.82 GAA, .904 SV% in Rochester). It seemed he needed a change of scenery.

Levi was traded to the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2026, along with a Round 7 pick in 2028, in return for a Round 3 pick in 2028.

What The Scouts Say

Levi is an athletic goaltender with elite lateral ability. He tracks pucks, reads developing plays in front of him and handles traffic in front well. Some of that is reflected in the reviews below:

Elite Prospects: Plenty of agility and great tracking, Devon Levi offers a ton of promise combined with highlight reels. Levi moves and reads the game well, offering up plenty of speed when staying on top of the play.

Sports Forecaster: Not ideal size for the goaltending position, but he compensates with supreme puck-stopping instincts and determination. Could stand to add more bulk. Needs to develop greater consistency.

Dobber Prospects: An athletic goalie with strong puck playing ability.

2026-27 Projection

-Devon Levi will break camp with the Edmonton Oilers. Originally part of a three-goaltender plan, an off-season injury to Freddie Andersen has opened the door for the 24-year-old to compete with Tristan Jarry for starts in the opening months of the campaign. It will be in these opening weeks of the season that the 24-year-old Levi will have a chance to make his mark and stick. But we expect him to spend the entire season in Edmonton…a first for him in the NHL.

Forecast

-Hard to say. Levi will see his very best opportunity with Edmonton this fall, as no less than a 1B. But can he get over the top at the NHL level where he was unable to succeed in Buffalo? And before the Oilers crease becomes more crowded again. With Freddie Andersen in town on a one-year deal, opportunity knocks for Devon Levi. Loudly.

This article is not AI generated.

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Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.

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