Oilers Prospect Update: Asher Barnett pairs with top 2027 NHL draft prospect Landon DuPont

Welcome back, folks, to another hockey season!

We are back up and running, with most teams having already played their first set of games. I have some Edmonton Oilers prospects who looked good in their opening-game film. David Lewandowski, Asher Barnett, Caden Harvey, and Andrew Robinson have all started their seasons and have looked great so far. All three of them have returned to their junior teams: Lewandowski with the Saskatoon Blades, and Harvey and Robinson with the Windsor Spitfires. Asher Barnett is the lone prospect not in the CHL who will be mentioned; the Michigan Wolverine started his season playing a fair amount of minutes with projected first overall pick Landon DuPont.David Lewandowski – Winger – Saskatoon BladesThe 2025 fourth-round pick is off to an excellent start in his third season with the Saskatoon Blades. In three games, Lewandowski has two goals (both being game-winning goals) and five points. With seven shots in three games, the German forward is shooting a bit under the pace set in 2025-26, when he had 144 shots in 57 games. I do wish Lewandowski shot the puck, but it just isn’t his style. Sometimes it’s for good reason; check out one of the assists he had against the Prince Albert Raiders.

After taking an excellent route to sneak behind the defender, Lewandowski fakes the shot and lays out a perfect backhand pass to his teammate for the primary assist. Is it safer to shoot? Sure, you could argue the shot is the safe play, but when you can pass the puck like Lewandowski, it becomes the safe play. Below is a clip of the power-play goal the fourth-rounder scored against the Raiders. There’s a reason why people who watch Lewandowski want him to shoot more.

The power winger is excellent at changing angles, and Lewandowski finds the top corner for the power-play marker. It’s a clutch goal; with around a minute and a half left in the game, tied at two, Lewandowski steps up and scores the game-winner. One of the eye-popping moments for me during the game against Prince Albert was on a power-play entry.

I’m starting to believe a bit more in his skating ability; it may not be fast or pretty, but there is a positive showing when it comes to edgework and elusiveness, and he can keep up with the pace of play. Most importantly, his game is efficient. I’m excited to see Lewandowski in his final WHL season; it should be a high-scoring one.

Asher Barnett – Defence – Michigan Wolverines As I referred to earlier, Asher Barnett opened his sophomore season playing a healthy chunk of his ice time with projected first-overall pick Landon DuPont. The Wolverines ran seven defencemen throughout their two games, which meant it was mixed up throughout the game. However, I found that Barnett was playing with either Henry Mews or DuPont. Both defencemen are more offensively leaning, and the defensively sound Barnett allows them to get involved a bit more. The six-foot-one defender doesn’t automatically defer to his defensive partner; Barnett can make a great first pass out of the zone.

Pressure doesn’t get to Barnett. Instead, the stout defender invites it on and makes an excellent pass through the middle. The University of Michigan assistant captain got one assist over the weekend, and it came from inviting extra pressure onto himself, as you will see below.

Barnett draws in two defenders after taking the drop pass from Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage. The fifth-rounder gives it back to Hage, and he lays it on a platter for his linemate, giving Barnett his first point of the campaign. The offence didn’t stop there, as Barnett picks up a loose puck, goes for a skate, and gets a good shot on goal.

Barnett keeps getting better with the puck, and with more college experience, it will continue to improve. The amount of poise Barnett has under pressure will help him continuously move pucks around the ice. Our final highlight of Barnett has to be his excellent gap control that hasn’t gone anywhere over the summer. Barnett applies pressure quickly and often, no matter where the opposition is.

I don’t expect a lot of points coming from Barnett, but that is fine by me. Michigan has a lot of players that will eat up the points; the American defender will be relied on heavily in the crunch moments. When it’s time to defend a one-goal lead, Barnett will be out there. Crucial penalty kill? Barnett will be on the ice. Michigan will be a top team again, and Barnett will play a big role in that ranking.Andrew Robinson – Defence – Windsor SpitfiresSpeaking of good starts, Andrew Robinson has a goal and six assists in four games played. Robinson’s seven points are tied for second in defenceman scoring (in the OHL); however, the six-foot defender leads defencemen in points per game. Funny enough, Robinson’s one goal came while shorthanded.

While watching Robinson, you wouldn’t expect him to be a big point scorer, but the fifth-rounder is extremely efficient while moving the puck, and I believe he shows some strong fundamentals when it comes to moving the puck. Below is a great example of an average Robinson play to start the year.

There is nothing overly fancy or creative about the clip above. However, Robinson gains the zone with control, stops up on the defender, and makes a heads-up pass to the middle of the ice. It’s these types of plays that go unnoticed, but if you do it as effectively as Robinson has been doing it, then you will start to stack up some points on the scoresheet. Much like Barnett, I find that the Windsor defenceman likes to invite pressure on and make a play to beat the forechecker.

I don’t think this will work quite as well at the professional level, but it shows that Robinson is patient with the puck and can use his skating ability to get out of some sticky situations. Standing at six-foot, Robinson will need to continue to rely on his strong skating ability as he moves up the ranks. Keep an eye on Robinson; the early signs of a good pick are there.

Caden Harvey – Forward – Windsor SpitfiresCaden Harvey opened his campaign up with two goals against Saginaw but has only scored an assist in three games since then. I like Harvey as a two-way forward. I don’t see much offence coming out of him at the professional level, but he’s smart, highly aware defensively, and has a solid skating base. Both of Harvey’s goals came off the rush, with one being on the power play.

Both goals have some positive notes in common. For instance, I loved how Harvey went from west to east and found himself some space using the whole width of the ice after confusing the defender. The power-play goal off the rush was an excellent shot, but I like how he instantly turned it up another gear after receiving the pass. It was a great change of pace and gave him the extra amount of room to bury that puck. I’m going to keep my eye on Harvey as a player who could potentially play in your bottom six one day.

We’re back in the full swing of things now, and I couldn’t be happier. There have been a lot of promising starts throughout the whole Oilers organization, and that should make all Oilers fans smile.

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