Oilers 2026-27 Player Previews: Isaac Howard

The 2026-27 season starts this month, so let’s continue our Edmonton Oilers player preview series. Yesterday we looked at Ty Emberson, and now we turn our attention to a young forward hoping to take the next step.

Isaac Howard is arguably the most intriguing player heading into training camp. The Oilers acquired him in July 2025 from the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward prospect Sam O’Reilly. General manager Stan Bowman made the move because Howard was an older prospect who was further along in his development. While Howard didn’t immediately step into a full-time NHL role, he did play some games and gained valuable experience.

The 22-year-old played 29 games with the Oilers and recorded two goals and five points with a minus-6 rating. Unfortunately, he only averaged 10:19 per game. He has the skill set to be a top-six player, but he didn’t get that opportunity under former head coach Kris Knoblauch.

As a result, he spent most of the season with the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League (AHL) and found success. He recorded 24 goals and 50 points in 47 games with the Condors in a top-six role. He was very good in the AHL, but that didn’t translate to the NHL. The organization has high hopes for him, so is this the year he breaks through? Let’s preview his 2026-27 campaign.

Howard Has Stiff Competition

The Oilers have a few forwards fighting for jobs, including Howard, Josh Samanski, Mathieu Joseph, Max Jones, Eduards Tralmaks, and the recently signed Alex Formenton. Quinn Hutson and Connor Clattenburg also want to make an impact and play NHL games this season. Mattias Janmark is injured, but he would be in that mix as well. Howard must outplay numerous players in training camp to win a job.

However, Howard has a clear path to crack the opening night lineup. The Oilers have a vacancy in their top six after announcing that Matt Savoie won’t be ready to start the season and could miss most of October. Therefore, Howard could slot in there and get consistent ice time to start the season. If he plays well, he’ll earn an extended look, but if he struggles, he could get sent down. If he gets that opportunity, he must take advantage of it.

Best Case Scenario

The best-case scenario is that Howard makes the team out of camp and stays in the NHL. But to stay in the NHL, he must produce at 5-on-5, since power-play time is unlikely. If he can score 10-15 goals and play at least 60 games on a line with either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, that’s a massive win and a huge step forward in his development. If he can be effective when Savoie returns, the Oilers can move pieces around and have an effective top-nine. The Oilers could have three scoring lines, which would be amazing and much-needed. Howard can help with that production.

Worst Case Scenario

There are two worst-case scenarios. First, the 2022 first-round pick underwhelms in camp and doesn’t make the team. In this scenario, he stays in the AHL all season and doesn’t get a call-up. Howard needs to play in the NHL this season, and if he doesn’t, that’s a colossal failure.

Then, there’s the Mike Babcock effect. The Oilers hired Babcock as their new head coach, but how will he get along with his players? Howard might not gel with Babcock’s coaching style, which could be problematic for the youngster. We could be looking at a similar situation to Knoblauch. Howard needs an opportunity to grow on this team and make mistakes. Will Babcock bench him if he makes a bad play? Or will he trust the kid and let him learn from it? Babcock doesn’t have the best history with young players, so this concern is understandable.

If he gets consistent ice time this season, anything less than five goals and 20 points isn’t good enough. He also can’t be stifled in the bottom six or sitting in the press box for weeks at a time. If that’s the case, the organization is better off sending him down. He must average over 12 minutes per game, but ideally, he will be in the 13-15 range. If he plays under 42 games, which is half the season, that’s underwhelming.

Will Howard play more games in the AHL or NHL? This is the most important season for his development, and it’s time to see if he sinks or swims. Keep following The Hockey Writers as we continue the Oilers’ player preview series.