The Oilers sent their top prospect from the 2023 draft Beau Akey back to the Ontario Hockey League today, ahead of their first pre-season game. Akey was a 2nd round pick in the 2023 draft, drafted 56th overall by Edmonton.
Akey was impressive during the Oilers rookie camp, leading many to believe he would at least get one look in a preseason match. Instead, though, the Oilers have decided to take perhaps a safer option in sending him back to the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League.
Notably, Barrie's season does not start until Friday, so the 18-year-old defenseman won't miss any games at the start of the season. Had he stayed with the Oilers longer, this may not have been the case. Perhaps this is part of the reason why they decided to send him back early.
Sending Akey back to the Barrie Colts is a significant but not unexpected move for the Oilers' top prospect. With Brandt Clarke graduating from Barrie this year, Akey is expected to play a huge role for the Barrie Colts. Last season he scored 11 goals and 47 points in 66 games, good for 19th in defensemen scoring in the OHL. Akey did this without getting a lot of powerplay time so he could easily see a nice uptick in production this year thanks to his expanded role.
