High end defense prospect added to Edmonton Oilers AHL roster
Photo credit: OHIOSTATEMHKY
The Edmonton Oilers have added some defensive depth to its roster by assigning left-defense prospect Damien Carfagna to the Bakersfield Condors.
NCAA elite-prospect signs two-year entry level deal
Among the NCAA ranks, Edmonton chose Damien Carfagna from Ohio State University, signing him in March, 2025 to a two-year deal at a cap hit of $862,500, and $85K when playing in the AHL, as per PuckPedia.
The 22-year-old blueliner spent two seasons at Ohio State University, where he played 72 games and posted a record of 9G and 25A.
Damien's 7G in 2024-25 over 38 games are a team-high among Buckeyes' defencemen, while his 21 assists and 28 points ranked him second.
In fact, 2024-25 was a breakout year for Carfagna. In addition to leading his team in goals, and 2nd in assists, he recorded 86 shots on goal, and led all Buckeyes' players with 86 blocks and a plus-16 goal differential, as per NHL.com.
Carfagna is not shy of demonstrating his physical game, either; while playing in the USHL he went toe-to-toe with the now Columbus Blue Jackets' centre Adam Fantilli.
Oilers' D-prospect has high hockey-IQ
"Defence is Carfagna's dimension, ensuring attackers have no room to breathe when he's on the ice,» the Elite Prospects draft guide says of the defenseman. «Non-stop scanning and on-the-hip positioning allows him to outright eliminate players. In transition, he keeps his gaps tight, drives plays to the perimeter, then swings across and gets the breakup.»
Despite his size, Carfagna could shock fans as a future NHLer with1st-line potential, according to a scouting report from Dobber Prospects. His skating is quite impressive, and he could use it to become one of Edmonton's depth defenseman after his entry-level contract expires.
TRENDING NOW
