Allan Mitchell

Alberta

Proud to write for @TheAthleticNHL and host the Lowdown noon-2 weekdays on @sports1440. Dad, employee of Ziggy. Miss you, Jo. xoxo

Featured in: Favicon

theathletic.com Favicon

nytimes.com Favicon

bvmsports.com Favicon

oilonwhyte.com Favicon

ourcommunitynow.com

Articles

What we learned from Connor McDavid's most unusual regular season for Oilers

6 days ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

Twenty-five years from now, fans viewing the Official Guide and Record Book will see that in 2024-25, Connor McDavid hit the century mark in total points. Again. It will look like just one more brilliant season stacked on another, as far as the eye can see. However, the 2024-25 season was the most unusual of his Edmonton Oilers career. McDavid's consistent brilliance is a rare thing in the NHL, especially since his peak performance is at the outer marker of excellence.
Why signing Trent Frederic before free agency is a risk for Edmonton Oilers

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

Since the summer of 2015, the year Connor McDavid was drafted, the Edmonton Oilers have enjoyed much success in signing top free agents to long-term deals. There have been exceptions, notably Zach Hyman, but as a rule, those big July deals for veteran wingers have quickly turned into albatross headaches for team management. Some, like Milan Lucic, never did get off the ground as signature moves.
Will there be playoff redemption for Edmonton Oilers' July 1 shopping spree?

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

July 1, 2024, is a day that will live in infamy for Edmonton Oilers fans. The only question is whether it will be remembered fondly or as a nightmare outcome that robbed the team of two emerging young talents later the same summer. Until recently, the general feeling of Oilers fans was decidedly downbeat in regard to the July 1, 2024, signings.
Why Edmonton Oilers prospect Sam O'Reilly is checking all the boxes

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

The Edmonton Oilers have tremendous faith in director of amateur scouting Rick Pracey. Hired in August 2023, he managed to secure a first-round selection at the 2024 draft to select right-handed centre Sam O'Reilly. O'Reilly isn't a first-shot scorer, doesn't possess blinding speed and isn't ticketed to play alongside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in the years to come. So, why this player? The Oilers are no strangers to dealing first-round picks.
What did the Edmonton Oilers' minor-league system accomplish in 2024-25?

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

The primary role of a minor-league team is to develop NHL players. It's a high-stress job for AHL managers and coaches. No blue-chip prospects this year? So what. Find players, develop them for NHL recall and then do it again. Winning is important to the AHL Bakersfield Condors, but the club is at the mercy of the parent Edmonton Oilers when it comes to recalls. The hockey Gods have mercilessly rained blows down on the 2024-25 Bakersfield club with myriad injuries and subsequent recalls.
Ranking Edmonton Oilers defencemen's performance in the season's second half

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

Since Jan. 1, the Edmonton Oilers have played about half a season (39 games). The team has seen some changes in that time on defence, and a few performances that have landed shy of expectations. An injury to Mattias Ekholm sent the club's top pairing into disarray, and his continued absence is jarring. Ekholm's absence (he has played 26 of 39 games since Jan. 1) over much of 2025 is the major story. Here are the Oilers defencemen, ranked by performance since Jan. 1.
Why the Edmonton Oilers' list of scratches in the playoffs may surprise

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

These days, Edmonton Oilers fans have one eye on the hockey game and the other on the injured list. Some fans believe the club's long list of players on IR will return before the playoffs completely healthy. Others are offering dire warnings of a quick exit that can safely be laid at the feet of impact players made unavailable due to various maladies. The injuries could place the entire starting roster into disarray.
How much have injuries impacted Edmonton Oilers prospect Beau Akey?

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

Beau Akey and the Edmonton Oilers should be a perfect match. He's a brilliant skater, has some draft pedigree and is a positional unicorn (a right-handed defenceman) who also embodies many of the skills associated with playing defence in this era of the NHL. As recently as the winter of 2023, he was the No. 2 ranked player in the entire system.
Why Edmonton Oilers' recent free-agent signing activity a welcome turn of events

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

Stan Bowman's Edmonton Oilers have entered the spring free-agent signing season aggressively. That's a good sign for Oilers fans. Why? The organization has traded many picks and prospects in recent seasons, leaving a gaping hole each fall when the club welcomes very few new professionals to the system. Edmonton is losing ground annually. An aggressive signing approach should have been implemented years ago, but it's never too late. Bowman's early approach to the problem has real appeal. Here's why.
Can Edmonton Oilers forwards turn around their inconsistent season?

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

During his NHL career, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid built a reputation for scoring and outscoring at five-on-five. On the power play, he had even more impact. McDavid finding the scoresheet was inevitable from 2015 through fall 2024. McDavid has scored well this season, but isn't at the same levels reached in the past. His points per 60 at five-on-five has fallen year over year (from 3.5 to 2.47) and is currently the lowest total of his career, via Natural Stat Trick.