David Lewandowski is the newest name Edmonton is hoping can finally break a genuinely brutal streak.
For three decades, the Oilers have drafted and developed wingers outside the first round hoping one would turn into a real top six scorer at the NHL level. It just hasn't happened.
The list of near-misses is long. Tony Salmelainen, Jean-Francois Jacques, Linus Omark, and Teemu Hartikainen carried real hope in the 2000s. Curtis Hamilton, Anton Slepyshev, Tyler Benson, and Raphael Lavoie followed in the 2010s. More recently, Carter Savoie and Matvey Petrov have been the names fans pinned expectations on.
None of them broke through. It's a strange gap for an organization that used to steal Hall of Fame wingers outside the first round decades ago, starting with Mark Messier at 48th overall in 1979 and Jari Kurri at 69th the following year.
Fernando Pisani, taken 195th overall back in 1996, remains the last late-round Oilers pick to come anywhere close to a real top six role. Since then, Edmonton has found solid checking wingers and depth centers, but never that elusive scoring winger.
Lewandowski just played his first game in the organization last season, a one-game amateur tryout appearance with Bakersfield.
Skating remains the swing skill for Lewandowski
His offensive tools have already drawn real attention. In his draft year, Oilers Nation's Spencer Pomoty praised his backhand as genuinely rare for his level, calling his playmaking instincts his single biggest strength.
Prospect writer Bruce Curlock highlighted a different trait, a release Curlock described as overpowering goaltenders, quick, hard, and accurate. That shot helped him lead his team in scoring last season, posting 17 goals and 48 assists for 65 points in 57 games for a squad that ranked just 16th in league scoring.
At 6-foot-2 and 177 pounds, he already projects as a power forward build, even without being fully filled out physically yet.
But Curlock flagged the real hurdle too. Skating remains the swing skill that determines whether any of this translates.
"The focus now should be more crossover work to allow for an even higher tempo," Curlock wrote, adding that better skating would also let Lewandowski change attacking angles against defenders more dynamically.
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That's really the entire equation heading into this season. If Lewandowski can keep improving his skating while dominating in the WHL with Saskatoon, he's got a real path toward an entry-level contract and a genuine shot at ending this specific drought.
He's already shown real year-over-year growth, and he's closer to a legitimate NHL path than most of the names on this long list ever got.
Whether he's finally the one who breaks a 30-year streak of disappointment is still years away from being answered, but for the first time in a while, Edmonton has real reason to actually watch closely.
Will David Lewandowski finally give the Oilers a real top-six winger from outside round one?
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