Ranking Edmonton Oilers’ call-up options on suddenly thin defence depth chart – The Athletic
On Nov. 15, Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman took a chance. The club needed to make a roster move to activate winger Zach Hyman, and Bowman chose to waive defenceman Troy Stecher. Defencemen who are plug-and-play hold high value during the season, even at the end of the roster.
Stecher was claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Three weeks later, Stecher is thriving in Toronto, and the Oilers are down to six healthy defenders, with Jake Walman described as day to day. The Oilers’ version of day to day can, in reality, be week to week, and that’s a big concern for the organization.
Exacerbating the problem, Edmonton’s AHL team, the Bakersfield Condors, doesn’t have much in the way of NHL-ready talent for recall. Here’s a look at the Condors’ defence and the probable recall order.
Bakersfield blue line
The Condors have several veterans with NHL experience on the active roster as well as three interesting prospects marbled in to the group. Here are the even-strength totals (goals for and against) for each defender so far in 2025-26.
PlayerGPEV GF-GAPct
Josh Brown
14
10-5
67
Beau Akey
6
7-6
54
Luke Prokop
18
16-16
50
Damien Carfagna
16
11-11
50
Cam Dineen
13
7-11
39
Atro Leppanen
19
12-20
38
Riley Stillman
19
10-17
37
All numbers via theAHL.com
This is a fascinating stats set, and shows the younger defenders (Beau Akey and Damien Carfagna) in a positive light. The other newcomer to the AHL (Atro Leppanen) is at the bottom of the table but has improved recently. In the last five games, he’s 5-3 in even-strength goals, and his partner is the rookie Akey. That’s an unusual tandem, chaos Finn and a flat-out rookie, but it’s working.
The Condors’ top AHL-NHL defencemen are Josh Brown, Cam Dineen and Riley Stillman. The even-strength goal share tells the tale.
Ranking the recalls
The Oilers will use more than the seven opening-night defencemen this year (the team is already at eight, employed 11 in 2024-25 and has used as many as 12 in a season during this decade). If a recall from Bakersfield does come, here’s the likely pecking order:
1. RH Josh Brown
Brown is a big, rugged defender who lacks puck-moving ability. He’s signed to a two-way deal at a low NHL cap number ($1 million AAV). He’s 6-foot-5 and 217 pounds, and has been used as a third pairing option (10-13 minutes per game at five-on-five) during his time in the NHL. He has always been a regular on the penalty kill. Edmonton used him for 10 games in 2024-25, and he has been quality for Bakersfield since arriving there last year. This season, Brown is the most reliable of the AHL veterans. NHL Edge has him well shy of average foot speed.
2. LH Riley Stillman
Despite the poor goal share at even strength, Stillman offers the organization a veteran option for a recall. He lacks the NHL experience of Brown, who has 300 games in the world’s best league (Stillman is at 161), and has less foot speed, via NHL Edge. Stillman, like Brown, is a defence-first option, and is only slightly better with the puck. He’s a lefty, and with the Oilers having a strong left side on the NHL roster, Stillman is less likely to be recalled than Brown.
3. LH Damien Carfagna
This is an early ranking for a rookie pro, but Carfagna stands out on the Condors in several key areas. He has excellent speed and is a legit two-way talent. His early games with the Condors showed a steep learning curve and quick adjustment (his even-strength goal share through six games was 36 percent; it’s 63 percent in the last 10 games). He moves the puck well and can transport effectively. The most impressive thing about his game is his progress defensively. He turns 23 on Dec. 12, but has very little pro experience. A recall is extremely unlikely based on those factors, but if performance and calm feet are factored in, Carfagna has to be in the conversation.
4. LH Atro Leppanen
Leppanen is a Finnish defenceman in the tradition of famous Oilers like Reijo Ruotsalainen and Risto Siltanen. He’s chaos defensively while delivering impressive offensive skills. His play has improved recently, and if that continues, Leppanen could move up this list. As it is, for an Oilers defensive crew that already has issues with structure, Leppanen should be considered a bridge too far unless it’s an extreme emergency.
5. LH Cam Dineen
He would rank much higher, but hasn’t played since mid-November, when he sustained an upper-body injury. Return dates are vague, but the severity of the injury is such that we may not see him until the new year. If healthy, Dineen would move into the top two or three based on speed, puck-moving ability and NHL experience. He began the 2025-26 season poorly, but was much improved during the time leading up to injury.
6. RH Beau Akey
The 20-year-old rookie got a late start to his first pro season (his first appearance was Nov. 15) and took some time to get a feel for his role on the team. Since landing on a pairing with Leppanen, things have sorted themselves out. He’s a slight defenceman (AHL site has him at 6 feet, 173 pounds) and given his inexperience, Akey is extremely unlikely to see a cup of coffee in the NHL this season.
7. RH Luke Prokop
The big defenceman (6-foot-5, 224 pounds) is on an AHL contract. His even-strength minutes were high event early in the year, but have settled down. He doesn’t get much coverage from the media, but I’ve seen him as an effective defender who’s playing significant minutes. For his size, he skates well and has been reliable. He’s ranked here because he isn’t in possession of an NHL deal. That could change, and he would move up the list.
8. LH Mason Millman
Like Prokop, Millman is on an AHL deal. He has played well in limited minutes.
As is always the case, previous NHL games are a key to recalls. Coaches like reliable players who can be counted on as plug-and-play options. Fans may remember the brief NHL career of Dmitri Samorukov as an Oilers defenceman.
PlayerNHL Games
Josh Brown
300
Riley Stillman
163
Cam Dineen
38
