“After Winning the 2025 Hobey Baker Award, Isaac Howard Eyes NHL Breakthrough with Oilers and Says He’s Ready for the Moment”
Isaac Howard has spent the past few years quietly building something special, and now, after a spectacular season with Michigan State that earned him the 2025 Hobey Baker Award, he believes the time has come to make the leap to the NHL. The Edmonton Oilers, who hold his rights, have been closely monitoring his progress, and with the offseason in full swing and roster decisions looming, Howard has declared himself ready to make the jump. For the 21-year-old winger, the Hobey Baker wasn’t just a personal achievement—it was the culmination of a plan, a promise to himself, and a public announcement to the hockey world that he’s more than a college phenom. He’s a professional in waiting, one with the skill, poise, and competitive fire to contribute immediately at the next level.
Howard’s journey to this moment has been one of deliberate growth. Highly touted as a teenage prospect, he was never in a rush to leave college hockey behind. While others made the leap early, Howard stayed back, committed to developing his game in the structured, pressure-packed environment of the NCAA. That patience paid off in full this past season, when he exploded for 31 goals and 48 assists in 41 games, leading Michigan State to the Frozen Four and capturing the most prestigious individual honor in college hockey along the way. His consistency, leadership, and ability to raise his game in key moments made him a standout not just in the Big Ten, but nationwide. And now, as the NHL beckons, those same qualities are driving him toward his next challenge.
What makes Howard’s emergence so exciting for the Oilers is how seamlessly his skill set could translate to the NHL game. He’s an elite skater with deceptive acceleration, a lethal release, and the kind of spatial awareness that makes him dangerous with or without the puck. He has the hands to finish around the net and the vision to create plays in transition. But beyond the obvious tools, Howard plays with an edge—a chip on his shoulder that fuels his competitiveness. He doesn’t shy away from contact. He tracks back defensively. He wants the puck in big moments. These are the intangibles that coaches crave and that often separate prospects who make it from those who stall.
Edmonton’s front office has been vocal about its desire to infuse the roster with young, cost-controlled talent that can contribute right away, and Howard’s name keeps coming up in those conversations. The Oilers already boast a high-powered top six featuring the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but the bottom half of the forward group has often lacked consistency and finishing ability. Howard, with his scoring touch and hockey IQ, offers a potential solution. He doesn’t need to be handed top-line minutes right away—what he needs is an opportunity to grow into a role, to show he can adapt to the speed and physicality of the NHL without losing the flair that made him a college star.
Howard knows the jump won’t be easy. He’s spent the summer training with NHL veterans, studying film, and working on the details—board battles, puck protection, defensive positioning—that will be critical at the next level. He speaks often about the importance of being a “complete” player, not just a highlight-reel threat. He’s not content to just earn a look in training camp; he wants to stick, to contribute, to prove that his Hobey Baker season was just the beginning. And his confidence is not misplaced. Scouts rave about his work ethic, his coachability, and his ability to absorb feedback and apply it instantly. He doesn’t just want to be in the NHL—he wants to excel there.
For the Oilers, Howard’s arrival couldn’t come at a better time. The team is in a win-now mode, trying to capitalize on the peak years of McDavid and Draisaitl while building a sustainable pipeline of talent that can support long-term success. Howard’s development fits that model perfectly. He can slot into the middle-six group, provide offensive depth, and potentially earn power-play time on the second unit. His versatility allows him to play both wings, and his college experience means he’s used to playing against older, stronger opponents. That kind of readiness is rare for a rookie and could be the edge that gets him onto the roster on opening night.
Howard’s personality is also a perfect fit for Edmonton’s locker room. He’s confident without being arrogant, driven without being reckless, and grounded in a way that suggests he understands the grind that lies ahead. Teammates from Michigan State speak glowingly of his leadership, noting that he was often the first on the ice, the last off, and always the loudest voice in team meetings. Coaches describe him as a “sponge,” someone who thrives on being challenged and is always looking for ways to elevate his game. That attitude will serve him well as he enters a locker room filled with players who’ve tasted playoff disappointment and are hungrier than ever to finish the job.
Howard has also proven that he can shine under pressure. Whether it was game-winning goals in the Frozen Four or clutch plays in high-stakes rivalry games, he never shrank from the moment. That bodes well for an Oilers team that has often leaned heavily on its stars and will benefit greatly from having a young player who can step up in big spots. Howard’s confidence in tight spaces, his ability to read defensive gaps, and his knack for finding soft ice in the offensive zone all point to a player who’s ready to contribute, even in a limited role.
There’s also something to be said for the symbolic impact of Howard making the jump. He would be the first Hobey Baker winner to debut for the Oilers in decades, a milestone that reinforces the organization’s growing reputation as a destination for top-tier talent. Edmonton has worked hard in recent years to shed the stigma of being a franchise that mismanages prospects. Developing and successfully integrating a player like Howard would signal to the rest of the league—and to future draft picks—that the Oilers are serious about turning talent into results.
Training camp will be Howard’s next big test. He’ll be competing with other prospects, veterans on the fringes, and depth forwards fighting to keep their spots. But if he plays the way he did all season in college—with speed, creativity, and fearlessness—he’ll be hard to keep off the roster. The Oilers’ brass has already indicated that roster spots will be earned, not gifted, and Howard wouldn’t have it any other way. He wants to prove he belongs, not just by scoring goals, but by doing the little things—winning puck races, killing penalties, finishing checks. He’s determined to be the kind of player who thrives in the NHL’s grind.
Off the ice, Howard is already embracing the spotlight. He’s done interviews with confidence, acknowledging the weight of expectations but also welcoming them. He’s talked about the honor of potentially sharing a locker room with McDavid and Draisaitl, and about how he plans to soak up every bit of knowledge from the veterans. He’s not intimidated—he’s inspired. That mindset, combined with his elite college résumé, makes him one of the most exciting storylines to watch as the season approaches.
For Oilers fans, Isaac Howard represents hope, hunger, and a future that’s arriving faster than expected. The Hobey Baker winner is ready. The stage is set. And the Oilers might just have found their next impact forward at exactly the right time.
