Eemil Vinni is officially in Mike Babcock's Edmonton pipeline, and this quiet goalie signing could become one of the Oilers' smartest bets.
The Bakersfield Condors signed Vinni to a one-year, two-way AHL contract for 2026-27, bringing the 20-year-old Finnish netminder to North America.
On paper, it's a minor-league transaction. Look a little closer and Edmonton may have just landed an under-the-radar steal with legitimate impact potential in the crease.
The Oilers used the 64th overall pick on Vinni in the 2024 NHL Draft. Goaltenders rarely follow a straight development line, and Edmonton clearly isn't walking away from the tools that made him a second-round selection.
His season in Finland changed dramatically after a move to Ketterä. Vinni posted a 2-1-1 record with a .951 save percentage and 1.23 goals-against average over four regular-season games.
Then came another jump in the postseason. He went 4-2-0 across six games while delivering a .943 save percentage and 1.52 goals-against average.
That 10-game finish is exactly why this signing deserves more attention than the typical August depth move. Vinni finished his year playing his best hockey when the pressure increased.
Edmonton could have found a hidden impact goalie in Vinni
Calling Vinni a finished product would be premature. Calling him an impact player worth betting on is much easier after the way he closed his season.
The Condors now give him a North American development path without forcing Edmonton into an NHL commitment. The two-way structure also creates flexibility if Vinni needs starts with the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets.
That makes the upside especially attractive. Edmonton gets a former second-round pick entering a new stage of his development while keeping his workload and deployment flexible.
And this is where the steal potential becomes interesting. Vinni doesn't need to immediately become an NHL option for this move to pay off.
If his late-season form carries into Bakersfield, the Oilers suddenly have a young goalie pushing his way up an organizational depth chart that needs long-term answers in the crease.
This signing won't dominate Edmonton's offseason headlines. But Vinni has the draft pedigree, recent momentum and opportunity to turn a quiet August transaction into a move Oilers fans remember.
Will Eemil Vinni become Edmonton's biggest under-the-radar steal?
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