With the 2025-26 season right around the corner, THN’s WHL team will preview each Western Hockey League organization and provide a prediction on how each team will perform during the campaign. Today will be a focus on the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Edmonton has some unfinished business heading into the 2025-26 campaign. The Oil Kings let a 3-1 series lead slip away against the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round of the playoffs and were eliminated in seven games.
With a lot of familiar faces expected to be back, Edmonton will look to improve on last season and make a run at a Central Division crown.
Key Departures:
G Alex Worthington, F Gracyn Sawchyn, F Marshall Finnie.
Marshall Finnie was a heart and soul player for the Oil Kings during his time in the WHL and has now aged out. Gracyn Sawchyn is expected to turn pro with the Florida Panthers organization, while netminder Alex Worthington inked a pro deal with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
Key Additions:
F Max Curran, F Dylan Dean, F Poul Anderson
19-year-old import forward Max Curran was acquired from the Tri-City Americans in an offseason trade. Curran, a Colorado Avalanche prospect, led the Ams in scoring last season with 74 points (22G, 52A) in 65 games. Dean and Anderson are both committed to the University of Maine and signed with the Oil Kings this offseason.
2025-26 X Factor:
Goaltender Ethan Simcoe. When the Edmonton Oil Kings have won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in recent memory, the team has always been strong between the pipes with the likes of Sebastian Cossa, Laurent Brossoit and Tristan Jarry. Simcoe will look to take over as the number one netminder after posting a 13-6-1-0 record, a 2.68 Goals Against Average and .911 save percentage in 22 games last season after jumping to the WHL ranks from the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express.
2025-26 Prediction:
With the likes of Lethbridge, Calgary and Medicine Hat all aggressively buying last season, a young Oil Kings team did very well in one of the league’s toughest divisions. While the playoff series against Prince Albert didn’t go Edmonton’s way, expect the Oil Kings to use it as motivation.
With the Oil Kings returning a similar cast of characters, expect Edmonton to be in the conversation for a Central Division title and to make some noise come playoff time
First in Central Division, First in Eastern Conference
Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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