Berzkalns says AHL veterans are key to Oilers development path

Rudolfs Berzkalns used his first days at Edmonton Oilers development camp to point to the part of the organization that can speed up a prospect’s climb: the AHL veterans waiting in Bakersfield. The second-round pick, taken 58th overall on June 27 in the 2026 NHL Draft, was one of 27 players on the ice at Rogers Place as Edmonton opened camp after adding five prospects over draft weekend.

At 6-foot-4 and 204 pounds, Berzkalns fits the profile Edmonton said it wanted down the middle. The left-shot centreman came into camp after a season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL, where he played 48 games and produced 13 goals and 12 assists. He also skated in five games at the 2026 world juniors and scored once, giving the Oilers another data point on how he handled stronger competition before his first summer with the club.

Edmonton’s amateur scouting staff has already framed the pick as one aimed at size and upside. Rick Pracey said after the draft that the Oilers viewed Berzkalns as a big centre and believed there is still growth left in his game. That makes the AHL part of the conversation more than a side note. The Bakersfield Condors are the next rung in Edmonton’s development chain, and the organization has long treated Development Camp as the opening step in a longer process that also includes on-ice work, off-ice development and team-building.

That structure matters because the jump from junior and international play to pro hockey is not just about talent. In Bakersfield, prospects start seeing how veterans prepare, recover and handle daily demands before they ever get a real NHL look. Edmonton has used that environment to separate players who are moving forward from those who are simply attending camp, and Berzkalns’ comments fit that larger pattern. The Oilers are not only looking for draft picks who can skate and score at lower levels; they are looking for players who can absorb the habits that AHL regulars bring every day.

Berzkalns’ early message matched the way Edmonton has built its pipeline. The draft gave the Oilers a bigger centre with room to grow, and development camp gave him a first look at the standard that will follow him through Bakersfield if he keeps climbing.