Following a breakout season in Germany&#8217;s top professional league, forward Josh Samanski has inked a two-year entry-level contract with the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a>.

Our friends over at <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/report-edmonton-oilers-sign-german-forward-josh-samanski">Oilersnation DE</a> reported last week that Samanski would be signing a deal with the Oilers and the club officially announced the contract on Wednesday. According to <a href="https://x.com/jimmathesonnhl/status/1907472721505849431">Jim Matheson</a> of The Edmonton Journal, Leon Draisaitl helped pitch his countryman on joining the team.
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The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oilers</a> have signed Josh Samanski to a two-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season.
Learn more about the forward ⤵️ <a href="https://t.co/iFXDCIn7kN">https://t.co/iFXDCIn7kN</a>
&mdash; Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1907463065098215628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Samanski is coming off the best season of his career with the DEL&#8217;s Straubing Tigers, leading the team with 14 goals and 40 points in 52 games. The Tigers finished seventh of fourteen teams with a 21-6-24-1 record and lost in the second round of the playoffs to Eisbaren Berlin.
Born in Erding, Germany in 2002, Samanski came to North America as a teenager after dominating local competition playing for Jungadler Mannheim&#8217;s U16 team. He scored 25 points in 54 games for the Brantford 99ers of the OJHL in 2018-19 and 20 points in 54 games for the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL in 2019-20.
Samanski returned to Germany in 2020-21 and played in the second-highest professional league. He split the 2021-22 season between DEL and DEL 2 and also represented Germany at the World Juniors, scoring one goal and three points over four games. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-prospect-countdown-13-luca-munzenberger">Luca Munzenberger</a>, who the Oilers selected in the third round of the 2021 draft, was also on that team.
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Joshua Samanski scores on the power play! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldJuniors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldJuniors</a> <a href="https://t.co/14BW8puMQ6">pic.twitter.com/14BW8puMQ6</a>
&mdash; TSN (@TSN_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1557223456923590656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Samanski became a full-time DEL player with Staubing in 2022-23, scoring nine goals and 18 points over 48 games. He improved to 10 goals and 27 points in 51 games in 2023-24 and added six points in 12 playoff games. The 14 goals and 40 points Samanski scored in 2024-25 for the Tigers were both career-highs.
For the sake of context, Samanski finished the season a couple of points ahead of former Oilers farmhand Luke Esposito in DEL&#8217;s scoring race. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/bakersfield-condors-sign-brad-malone-luke-esposito-to-two-year-extensions">Esposito</a> spent five seasons with the Bakersfield Condors on a minor-league contract between 2018-19 and 2022-23 and was a solid middle-six player in the American Hockey League.
Though producing in the DEL doesn&#8217;t directly match success in the AHL, Samanski is still an intriguing prospect. The 6-foot-5 forward led the league in goals and points among DEL players under the age of 23 this season and was the only player in that age bracket to lead a team in scoring.
The Oilers need some inexpensive depth offence next season, so Samanski figures to be among the names competing for a spot on the roster at training camp in September. Given his age and entry-level contract, Samanski can be sent to the AHL for the sake of his development without having to go through waivers.

Following a breakout season in Germany's top professional league, forward Josh Samanski has inked a two-year entry-level contract with the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a>.



Our friends over at <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/report-edmonton-oilers-sign-german-forward-josh-samanski">Oilersnation DE</a> reported last week that Samanski would be signing a deal with the Oilers and the club officially announced the contract on Wednesday. According to <a href="https://x.com/jimmathesonnhl/status/1907472721505849431">Jim Matheson</a> of The Edmonton Journal, Leon Draisaitl helped pitch his countryman on joining the team.

https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1907463065098215628

Samanski is coming off the best season of his career with the DEL's Straubing Tigers, leading the team with 14 goals and 40 points in 52 games. The Tigers finished seventh of fourteen teams with a 21-6-24-1 record and lost in the second round of the playoffs to Eisbaren Berlin.

Born in Erding, Germany in 2002, Samanski came to North America as a teenager after dominating local competition playing for Jungadler Mannheim's U16 team. He scored 25 points in 54 games for the Brantford 99ers of the OJHL in 2018-19 and 20 points in 54 games for the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL in 2019-20.

Samanski returned to Germany in 2020-21 and played in the second-highest professional league. He split the 2021-22 season between DEL and DEL 2 and also represented Germany at the World Juniors, scoring one goal and three points over four games. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-prospect-countdown-13-luca-munzenberger">Luca Munzenberger</a>, who the Oilers selected in the third round of the 2021 draft, was also on that team.

https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1557223456923590656

Samanski became a full-time DEL player with Staubing in 2022-23, scoring nine goals and 18 points over 48 games. He improved to 10 goals and 27 points in 51 games in 2023-24 and added six points in 12 playoff games. The 14 goals and 40 points Samanski scored in 2024-25 for the Tigers were both career-highs.

For the sake of context, Samanski finished the season a couple of points ahead of former Oilers farmhand Luke Esposito in DEL's scoring race. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/bakersfield-condors-sign-brad-malone-luke-esposito-to-two-year-extensions">Esposito</a> spent five seasons with the Bakersfield Condors on a minor-league contract between 2018-19 and 2022-23 and was a solid middle-six player in the American Hockey League.

Though producing in the DEL doesn't directly match success in the AHL, Samanski is still an intriguing prospect. The 6-foot-5 forward led the league in goals and points among DEL players under the age of 23 this season and was the only player in that age bracket to lead a team in scoring.

The Oilers need some inexpensive depth offence next season, so Samanski figures to be among the names competing for a spot on the roster at training camp in September. Given his age and entry-level contract, Samanski can be sent to the AHL for the sake of his development without having to go through waivers.

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