The reigning Hobey Baker Award winner will not be returning to school after all. Would-be Michigan State senior forward Isaac Howard had his rights traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Edmonton Oilers and signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Western Conference champions.
The Bolts acquired 2024 first-round pick Sam O’Reilly from the Oilers in the deal.
Howard had an opportunity to turn pro with the Lightning at the end of last season, but talks broke down and the Spartans scorer opted not to sign and planned to return to school and ride out the year before becoming a free agent in August of 2026. That was unless the Lightning could find a suitable trade to a team that was able to get Howard closer to what he wanted in terms of opportunity at the NHL level next season.
The Oilers had a need for a cost-effective forward that could potentially play for them as early as next season. O’Reilly was not going to be that player, but Howard just might be.
This is the second straight summer that the Oilers made a trade for a higher-end prospect after acquiring former Sabres top-10 pick Matthew Savoie around the same time last year.
According to reports, Howard’s contract will come with a $950,000 cap hit, which fits tidily under the salary cap after some of the key moves the Oilers made in the opening weeks of free agency, which included extensions for Evan Bouchard and Trent Frederic, as well as signing Andrew Mangiapane as a free agent.
What The Oilers Are Getting In Isaac Howard
Howard is a 21-year-old left wing who is listed at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds. He was selected 31st overall by Tampa Bay in 2022 after leading the U.S. National Under-18 Team in scoring at the National Team Development Program with 82 points.
He spent the following three years in the NCAA, first in an underwhelming freshman campaign at Minnesota Duluth before transferring to Michigan State where his offensive game flourished.
As a sophomore, he averaged a point per game for the Spartans. Additionally, Howard was a key piece to Team USA’s gold-medal win at the 2024 World Junior Championship. He scored seven goals in seven games in that tournament, including two in the gold-medal game against Sweden.
Howard really made his mark as a junior, however. The Hudson, Wis., native led the NCAA in points per game with 1.41, finishing with 52 points in 37 games. He scored the game-winning goal in the Big Ten Championship game as the Spartans claimed their second straight conference title.
Among his accolades was the Hobey Baker, the Jim Johannson College Player of the Year from USA Hockey, Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Scoring Champion, Big Ten Tournament MVP, and first-team All-America honors.
Howard also on the roster for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship where the Americans claimed their first gold medal in the tournament since 1932. He appeared in four games, notching one assist in the tournament.
In terms of a scouting report, Howard is a quick, competitive player with higher-end hand skills, crafty offensive capabilities and high-end vision. He lacks the size NHL teams covet and his play away from the puck can be lacking at times, though I think he’s made significant improvements on that front over the last three years. He has gotten more aggressive in puck pursuit and while it will never be a strength at the NHL level, he has shown the commitment.
Howard is a legitimate goal-scoring threat with a quick release and an ability to get the shot off in a variety of ways. He also doesn’t shy away from getting to the middle of the ice for the best scoring opportunities and will challenge defenders one-on-one.
At the very top of his projection, he is likely a second-line scoring winger at the NHL level. The Oilers have the right kind of openings on their roster given their salary-cap situation and the high-end offensive stars that can insulate a young skill player like Howard.
He will still have to battle it out in camp, especially if Edmonton has a decision to make about how to handle both Howard and Savoie – very similar players – and where each of them slots.
I do think the Oilers get the player with the higher offensive ceiling between Howard and O’Reilly, but they’re also completely different players in terms of style of play and position.
What The Lightning Get In Sam O’Reilly
Selected 32nd overall by the Oilers in the 2024 NHL Draft, O’Reilly is still just 19 years old and has a lot of runway left in his development. On top of that, he’s shown tremendous progression over two full seasons in the vaunted London Knights organization in the OHL.
O’Reilly was picked in the first round after a rookie season where he showed signs of being a talented two-way center with some scoring pop and a fair dose of grit. He was below a point-per-game player, but also showed excellent progress over the course of the year and played some of his best hockey in the playoffs as he helped the Knights win the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions.
The Knights repeated this season, this time with O’Reilly playing a more substantial role and only increasing both his scoring prowess and ability to play away from the puck. One of the better two-way centers in the OHL, O’Reilly produced 71 points in 62 games including 28 goals. He followed that up with 22 points during the OHL playoffs and had another five in the Memorial Cup tournament as the Knights claimed both championships.
O’Reilly is listed at 6-foot-1, 190 and has the versatility to fit a lot of needs. His defensive capabilities are advanced for his age and improved year over year. On top of that, he’s an abrasive forward who can make the game harder for his opponents without outright aggression. O’Reilly has solid hockey sense, excellent on-ice awareness and an understanding of time and space that makes him an effective all-around center.
At the top of his projection, he’s likely best suited as a third-line center with a chance to play tough matchups, kill penalties and be looked to as a secondary-scoring option.
The Lightning were in a pretty tough spot here with Howard publicly noting he wouldn’t sign. He used the leverage of being able to return for his senior season and becoming a free agent to ensure he could get the best possible opportunity, but the Lightning weren’t willing to carve out a ready-made spot for the Hobey winner.
As a result, there was a lot of concern Tampa wouldn’t get fair value in a deal. In the end, they got a younger prospect who may not project as much as a scorer as Howard is, but a forward that can absolutely fit a role on their team down the line.
The alternative would have been letting Howard walk and taking a second-round compensatory pick where it would be unlikely to recoup the value lost on Howard.
I think both teams solved both some short-term and longer-term problems with this deal.
Where Does This Leave Michigan State?
Michigan State was going into the 2025-26 season as one of the favorites to win the NCAA tournament. They are bringing in one of the nation’s best recruiting classes and had hopes on landing Gavin McKenna. The same day Howard signed his deal, McKenna committed to Penn State.
The Spartans still have some incredible talent including one of the NCAA’s top goalies in Trey Augustine (DET) as well as first-round draft picks Charlie Stramel (MIN), Cayden Lindstrom (CBJ) and Ryker Lee (NSH) in the mix.
Michigan State knew where Howard stood and figured they’d lose him after last season anyway. If a trade happened and he got what he wanted from wherever acquired him, he was as good as gone. So losing McKenna might sting on the recruiting front, but I think the Spartans coaching staff always knew the Howard departure was a strong possibility.
This is a bit late in the process, but it happens at a time where Michigan State can potentially fill the hole with one of the higher-end CHL players that is considering whether or not to sign with a college hockey program following the draft. There are multiple players that could potentially plug the hole Howard is leaving and still allow the Spartans to be especially competitive next season. Multiple players are talking those options over with their drafting teams, their advisors and the prospective schools.
Replacing the Hobey Baker winner is much easier said than done, but I still view Michigan State as a credible threat to contend for the national championship with a lot of strong veteran players and the new blood they’re injecting this year.
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