The Oilers have found a place to play for one of their more intriguing prospects to stay in playing shape. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve loaned center Ryan McLeod to EV Zug of the NLA in Switzerland for the start of their upcoming season.
McLeod was ranked by some publications as a potential first-round pick in 2018 but he wound up sliding to the second round where he was scooped up by Edmonton at 40th overall. He wrapped up his junior career the following season and saw some AHL playoff action with Bakersfield in 2019 which gave him a bit of momentum heading into his first full professional season in 2019-20.
The results weren’t quite as strong as McLeod or the Oilers would have hoped, however. He managed just five goals along with 18 assists in 56 games with the Condors before the pandemic hit, a level of production that was a little low for one of their better prospects coming out of the junior ranks. He was, however, part of their postseason roster. Now, McLeod will have an opportunity to see game action in the near future which should help give him a leg up whenever the 2020-21 AHL season gets underway.