Josh Samanski climbs from OHL flop to top Oilers prospect after German league breakthrough

Josh Samanski looked like a hockey washout in 2019-20. Playing for the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League, he scored just four goals in 54 games — twelfth among the team's forwards — and went undrafted to the NHL. He headed to Germany to play Men's Division 2 professional hockey.

It didn't start well there either. In his first year with Straubing Tigers in Germany's top division, Samanski posted eight points in 42 games. But then something shifted.

In his second year at Straubing, he had 18 points in 48 games. The next season: 27 points in 51 games. In 2024-25, he scored 40 points in 52 games — enough to catch the attention of Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman, who offered him a two-year entry-level contract.

Samanski has thrived in the Oilers organization. He played strong two-way hockey for Bakersfield in the AHL, earning a promotion to Edmonton. He played 24 regular season NHL games and five playoff games with the Oilers and has now been voted the third best prospect in their system.

That puts him in rarefied air. In 19 years of Oilers prospect rankings, about half the players who ranked in the top 3 as forwards failed to stick as significant NHLers. That list includes Nail Yakupov, Magnus Paajarvi, Jesse Puljujarvi, Anton Lander and Drake Caggiula — who all had moments with Edmonton but didn't last — as well as Xavier Bourgault, Tyler Benson, Matvey Petrov, Raphael Lavoie, Kirill Maksimov and Maxim Berezkin. Those who made it include Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Riley Nash, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Kailer Yamamoto, Dylan Holloway and Matt Savoie.

Samanski's path mirrors his playing style. The 24-year-old centre is a defensive-minded, conscientious player with strong positioning. He stays on the right side of his check defensively, doesn't overcommit to the attack, gets back quickly and uses his long arms and large frame to pick off passes. His offensive game is still developing — partly a function of limited NHL experience — but projects as a centre who could eventually score 10-15 goals and 25-35 points annually while contributing on the penalty kill.

For 2026-27, opportunities should be plentiful. On a veteran roster prone to injuries and time off, Samanski figures to win the fourth-line centre job and keep it, with a genuine path to eventually working into the third line.