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James Hamblin

Oilers Recall David Tomasek, Move Zach Hyman To LTIR

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Oct. 7: While Howard remains down for now, Tomasek has been recalled today after the club set their LTIR capture with Zach Hyman, the club announced. Hyman will remain out until early November while rehabbing the wrist injury that ended his 2025 postseason run prematurely.

Oct. 6: After doling out extensions to Connor McDavid and Jake Walman earlier today, the Edmonton Oilers are hustling to become cap-compliant when opening night rosters are due. In that effort, the team announced they have placed forward Mattias Janmark on the injured reserve, reassigned forwards Isaac Howard and David Tomasek, and recalled forward James Hamblin from their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.

Most of today’s cap crunch is because of Janmark. The nine-year veteran is reportedly dealing with an undisclosed injury, which will keep him sidelined for a week or so. Since he’s not expected to miss much time, the Oilers won’t get any cap relief from his $1.45MM salary. He scored two goals and 18 points in 80 games for Edmonton last season, with another three goals and four points in 22 postseason contests.

The biggest casualty of today’s cap crunch is undoubtedly Howard. The reigning Hobey Baker Award winner was acquired by the Oilers this offseason after failing to reach a contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and was expected to fill an important need for Edmonton in their top six — inexpensive talent.

He made a strong case to make the roster this preseason, scoring one goal and four points in six games, which makes today’s move a much more difficult pill to swallow. Still, he’s likely to debut with the Oilers at some point this season. In his final season in the NCAA with the Michigan State University Spartans, Howard recorded 26 goals and 52 points in 34 games.

Meanwhile, Tomasek, 29, becomes another casualty of Edmonton’s cost-clearing moves. Although he is no longer considered a prospect, he joined the Oilers this summer by signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract as an international free agent.

Like Howard, he was another inexpensive addition by Edmonton this summer that the team could conceivably put in their top-six. As the reigning Guldhjälmen Award (MVP) winner in the SHL from a season ago, Tomasek recorded 24 goals and 57 points in 47 games for the Färjestad BK.

Of all the forwards the Oilers could have recalled, Hamblin gives them the most flexibility since he cleared waivers a few days ago. The former WHL standout will begin his sixth season with Edmonton. He spent all of last year in Bakersfield, scoring 19 goals and 45 points in 51 games as one of the team’s assistant captains.

According to PuckPedia, after today’s moves, the Oilers now sit a tight $834, yes, you read that correctly, under the upper limit of the salary cap to start the season.

Transaction Notes: Oilers, Ducks, Senators

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As the preseason winds down and rosters take form, several teams have recalled players, having already cleared waivers, who are set to fill out NHL rosters before (most likely) being reassigned to their respective AHL clubs. 

The Edmonton Oilers announced today that they recalled forwards Viljami Marjala, James Hamblin, and Connor Clattenburg from AHL Bakersfield in advance of tonight’s preseason tilt in Seattle. 

Hamblin, an undrafted Edmonton native, proudly has 41 games under his belt for the Oil, but is expected to return to Bakersfield and continue to lead the Condors, in his sixth season with the team. 

Other transactional notes from today:

Although none of the players are expected to remain with their NHL clubs by season’s start, it stands a chance for them to make an impression, and for fans to get to see some former notable prospects skate at the highest level.

Waivers: 9/27/25

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As training camp cuts continue to occur, there will be an uptick in waiver placements over the next week and a half.  Today is a particularly busy day on the wire with PuckPedia reporting that 20 players are now on waivers.  Meanwhile, all of yesterday’s players cleared, per PuckPedia.

Buffalo Sabres

D Jack Rathbone

Calgary Flames

D Jeremie Poirier

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Dysin Mayo
F Hunter McKown
G Zachary Sawchenko
F Owen Sillinger

Colorado Avalanche

F Alex Barre-Boulet
F Tye Felhaber
F Jason Polin
F T.J. Tynan

Edmonton Oilers

D Josh Brown
F James Hamblin
F Roby Jarventie

New York Islanders

F Adam Beckman

St. Louis Blues

F Nikita Alexandrov
F Hugh McGing

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Travis Boyd
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx
F Vinni Lettieri

Vegas Golden Knights

D Lukas Cormier

For the most part, this is a group of veteran players who have cleared waivers multiple times in the past and should expect to do so here as well.  That said, Lettieri has gotten into 72 NHL games over the last two seasons and could be appealing to a team looking for some extra depth down the middle.  Alexandrov didn’t see any action with St. Louis last season but averaged just over a point per game with AHL Springfield last season and has 51 career NHL appearances under his belt.  Boyd was a full-time NHL player as recently as 2022-23 and is one game shy of 300 for his career but has settled in as more of an AHL veteran since then.

At this time of year, it’s sometimes the younger players who might garner some attention and there are some on this list who could draw a look.  Cormier and Poirier are only 23 and have shown some offensive upside in the past at both the QMJHL and AHL levels.  Jarventie was once a prospect with some upside before an injury derailed his 2024-25 campaign but if there’s a team that thinks he has fully recovered, he could garner attention as well.

These players will be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Sunday.

Oilers Recall Six Black Aces

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With the season officially over for their AHL affiliate, the Edmonton Oilers have boosted their NHL roster by calling up six black aces. The full list of recalls includes forwards Matthew Savoie, Noah Philp, and James Hamblin; defensemen Cam Dineen and Philip Kemp; and goaltender Olivier Rodrigue – per Bob Stauffer of 880 CHED. Stauffer adds that all seven black aces took part in the Oilers’ team skate on Saturday.

The most notable member of this group is undoubtedly Savoie, who stands as one of Edmonton’s top prospects and ranked second on the Bakersfield Condors in scoring with 19 goals and 54 points in 66 games this season. It was a statement rookie season for the young winger, after he showed a glimmer of strong pro play with five points in six AHL games last year. Savoie appeared in four NHL games earlier this season. He recorded one assist and a minus-four. But he was renowned for his playoff performances throughout three years in the WHL – where he combined for 65 points in 48 postseason games, capped off with a WHL championship.

While Savoie could offer a home run swing, Edmonton will also receiver quainter NHL impact from Philp, Rodrigue, and Dineen. Philp appeared in the first 15 games of his NHL career this season, recording two assists and a plus-one. He coupled those modest numbers with 19 goals and 35 points in 55 AHL games – matching his goal-scoring and falling two shy of his point totals from 70 AHL games last season. Dineen appeared in four NHL games and Rodrigue in two – both to quiet effect – but they were major pieces of the AHL lineup all season long. Dineen led all Condors defensemen in scoring with 43 points in 59 games. Rodrigue handled the AHL starting role and managed an 18-16-7 record and .897 save percentage in 41 games. All three players will offer clear bottom-of-the-lineup translatability should Edmonton be forced to lean on their depth.

The group of call-ups is rounded out by Hamblin and Kemp, who each received NHL minutes last season but spent the entirety of this year in the minors. Hamblin managed an encouraging 45 points in 51 games while rotating through a top-line wing role, while Kemp found himself down the lineup and only managed 12 points in 56 games. Both will likely be the last Black Ace tapped on, should Edmonton need to turn towards any of them.

Minor Free Agent Signings: Pacific Division

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With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Pacific Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.

Anaheim Ducks

none

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley (two years)
F Martin Frk (one year)

Edmonton Oilers

D Connor Carrick (one year)
G Collin Delia (one year)
F James Hamblin (two years)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (one year)
F Noah Philp (one year)

Los Angeles Kings

F Glenn Gawdin (two years)
F Tyler Madden (one year)
F Jack Studnicka (one year)
D Reilly Walsh (one year)

San Jose Sharks

D Lucas Carlsson (two years, $800K cap hit)
D Jimmy Schuldt (one year)

Seattle Kraken

F Brandon Biro (one year)
D Nikolas Brouillard (one year)
D Maxime Lajoie (one year)
F Mitchell Stephens (two years)

Vancouver Canucks

G Jiří Patera (one year)
F Nathan Smith (one year)

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese (one year)

Oilers Re-Sign James Hamblin, Noah Philp, Noel Hoefenmayer

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The Edmonton Oilers will bring back a bit of organizational depth as the team announced they have signed forward James Hamblin to a two-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay Hamblin the league minimum of $775K at the NHL over both years of the contract. Additionally, the team has also signed forward Noah Philp to a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him $775K at the NHL level.

Hamblin split the 2023-24 season between the Oilers and the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. In 31 games at the top level, the former undrafted free agent scored two goals and three points in total while averaging just under eight minutes of ice time per game. As a much more productive AHL forward, Hamblin skated in 13 games for the Condors as he collected four goals and eight points in total.

Depending on how much depth the Oilers retain over the next 48 hours, Hamblin may be a good bet to rise up the depth chart and even crack a spot in Edmonton’s bottom six. Hamblin is no stranger to the Oilers’ defensive structure and is not afraid to use his body to block shots in the defensive zone. However, the most likely circumstance is that Hamblin starts next year in AHL Bakersfield to serve as a potential injury replacement for the Oilers throughout the regular season.

Philp, on the other hand, will be back with AHL Bakersfield after missing the entire season due to personal reasons. In his last full year during the 2022-23 AHL season, Philp scored 19 goals and 37 points in 70 games while being one of the team’s better power forward options.

Later in the day, PuckPedia reported the Oilers also brought back 25-year-old left-shot defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer on a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K NHL/$100K AHL. He was a restricted free agent and had 18 points in 47 games with Bakersfield last year.

Oilers Recall Dylan Holloway, Assign James Hamblin To AHL

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The Oilers have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Calgary.  The team announced that they’ve recalled forward Dylan Holloway from AHL Bakersfield; in a corresponding move, forward James Hamblin was assigned to the Condors.

Holloway got off to a slow start to his season with Edmonton, notching just one goal in his first 14 games of the campaign while logging only a little over 11 minutes a night.  He then suffered a lower-body injury in mid-November, one that caused him to miss nearly two months.  Upon being cleared to return, the 22-year-old was assigned to Bakersfield where the plan was to give him some reps at center.  It wound up being a short-lived stint with the Condors but a successful one as Holloway had two goals and two assists in just four games in the minors.  It will be interesting to see if he sees time down the middle and takes Hamblin’s spot directly or if they’ll shift him back to the wing.

As for Hamblin, the 24-year-old has spent the bulk of the season with Edmonton, suiting up in 31 games so far.  However, Hamblin’s role has been quite limited as he is logging less than eight minutes a night and has been limited to just two goals and one assist offensively while winning just over half of his faceoffs.  Hamblin has been more productive with Bakersfield, picking up three goals and two helpers in six games with the Condors.  He’ll get a chance to play much bigger minutes as a result of this swap.

Pacific Notes: Sharks, Benning, Golden Knights, Hamblin

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While the Sharks snapped their season-long losing streak at 11 games yesterday with a win over the Flyers, clearly, there’s a lot of work to be done still.  However, don’t expect any reinforcements coming from the minors.  Speaking with Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, GM Mike Grier indicated that while they’ve thought about bringing up some of their better prospects from the minors (including defensemen Henry Thrun and Shakir Mukhamadullin plus forward Daniil Gushchin), they’d like to see things get more stabilized first over putting those youngsters into a less than ideal situation from a development perspective.  Getting captain Logan Couture back would help on that front but with him suffering a recent setback in his recovery lately, there’s no timeline for when he’ll be able to join the lineup.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Still with the Sharks, Pashelka reports in a separate piece that blueliner Matt Benning has resumed skating as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury. The 29-year-old is coming off a career year offensively but, like many San Jose players, is off to a rough start this year with just a single point in his first eight appearances while averaging 18:29 per night.  Benning is on injured reserve but has already been on there for more than a week, meaning they’ll be able to activate him as soon as he’s cleared to return.
  • Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal relays (Twitter link) that Vegas center Chandler Stephenson will miss at least the next two games with an upper-body injury. The 29-year-old is off to a strong start in his contract year with 10 points in his first 12 games, good for fifth on the Golden Knights in scoring.  Jonas Rondbjerg was recalled yesterday for the fifth time in less than a month and is expected to take Stephenson’s spot in the lineup.  Meanwhile, Gotz adds that blueliner Zach Whitecloud is with Vegas on the road and could potentially be back as soon as Friday.  The 26-year-old has yet to play this season due to an upper-body injury and is currently on LTIR but is eligible to be activated as he has missed both 10 games and 24 days.
  • PuckPedia notes (Twitter link) that the Oilers have converted forward James Hamblin’s emergency exception recall into a regular one. When they sent Jack Campbell and down and recalled Calvin Pickard earlier today, Edmonton had enough cap space to fit Hamblin into its cap structure, meaning they were no longer eligible for the cap exemption he was recalled with.  The 24-year-old logged nearly 11 minutes in his season debut back on Monday.

Oilers Recall James Hamblin On Emergency Basis

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When Connor Brown wasn’t able to play on Saturday, the Oilers were forced to play short a player.  In doing so, they created a short-term cap-exempt emergency recall.  The team announced that the recall has been used on James Hamblin who has been promoted from AHL Bakersfield.

The 24-year-old made his NHL debut last season with Edmonton, getting into ten games with the big club.  He was held without a point but recorded a dozen shots on goal while averaging just under nine minutes per game.  He spent most of last season in the minors where he had 10 goals and 18 assists in 52 games with the Condors.  This season, Hamblin is off to a good start with two goals and three helpers in six contests, helping him earn this promotion.

Hamblin is in the final season of a two-year, entry-level contract which carries a cap hit of $807.5K.  The AAV being that low permitted him to be the recall; teams are limited to bringing up a player making no more than $100K above the league minimum salary ($775K this year) when using a cap-exempt promotion.  Once Brown or Mattias Janmark return from their respective injuries, Hamblin will need to be returned to Bakersfield.

Oilers Assign James Hamblin To AHL

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The Oilers have made a pair of roster moves today in advance of their game tonight against Colorado.  The team announced (Twitter link) that forward James Hamblin has been assigned to Bakersfield of the AHL.  So too has Justin Bailey after he cleared waivers earlier today following having his AHL deal converted to an NHL one on Friday.

The 23-year-old has been a nice success story for Edmonton this season.  After playing well with the Condors last season, the team gave the undrafted free agent a two-year, entry-level contract back in March with the hopes he’d eventually play his way into an NHL opportunity.  He had a strong stretch in training camp before being one of their final cuts.

Hamblin got off to another good start in the minors with nine points in 15 games, earning himself a recall in late November.  He had been up with Edmonton since then, seeing action in ten games.  While he didn’t record a point, he won over 64% of his faceoffs while logging just shy of nine minutes a night.  However, Hamblin has played just once in the last two and a half weeks which isn’t ideal for a prospect so he’ll head back to the Condors where he’ll see more regular ice time.  As a result of his demotion, the Oilers now have an open spot on their active roster.

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