Oilers announce another wave of roster cuts, including high ranked prospect

According to the Oilers announcement, Ethan De Jong has been released from his tryout and assigned to the AHL. Noel Hoefenmayer and high-ranked prospect Maximus Wanner were also sent down.

These cuts to the roster were expected coming off last night's preseason which both defenceman needed to play in.

Max Wanner has been ranked as highly as the fourth best prospect in the Oilers system, and the second best defenceman behind Beau Akey.

The Edmonton Oilers selected Wanner as a long shot prospect in the 7th round of the 2021 Draft, and since then his stock as a player has skyrocketed. Standing 6'3 tall and being a right shot is an asset itself for Wanner, but he's also able to skate well for player of his size and can effectively play a shut down defence role. Wanner will be heading into his second AHL season this year, and if he can make more strides, it's possible he pushes to make the Oilers next year.

According to Bob Stauffer, the Oilers still have 41 players at training camp, so many more cuts will be expected in the next week. There's competition in camp right now for the fourth line center job, and two defence spots. Noah Philp, James Hamblin, Mike Hoffman, Troy Stecher, and Travis Dermott are all pushing for those spots.

The Oilers have only four preseason games left before beginning the regular season on October 9th against the Winnipeg Jets. Coach Knoblauch will continue to whittle down the roster, but now, most junior kids have been sent home and only professionals are left at camp. The next two weeks we'll see if any player demands a roster spot with their play.