Surprise move: Edmonton Oilers sign contract with aggressive young forward
This in from the Edmonton Oilers: “The Oilers have signed forward Brady Stonehouse to a three-year entry-level contract.”
1. The Stonehouse signing comes as something of a surprise as the player left camp without a contract. But he’s got one now.
2. In Edmonton’s rookie game against Winnipeg, the Cult’s Bruce McCurdy had this to say about Stonehouse: “Built like a fire hydrant (5’10, 192) he plays a power forward game, robust along the walls and in puck battles. Created one semi-breakaway for himself with speed and opportunism but his wrist shot grazed the post. Picked off a stray pass and fed Chiasson for a one-time shot. Made a terrific block of a dangerous shot at the tail end of a Jets PP. Drew a penalty with non-stop grit and grind along the fence. Fed Tullio twice in a row for decent looks, once a head man pass, the other a lovely cross seam. Lots of breadth to his game.” After another rookie game, McCurdy added: “Feisty player, involved in the action both before and after the whistle.”
3. In summary, McCurdy has this to say about the player: “Twice passed over in the NHL Draft, Brady Stonehouse was arguably the most pleasant surprise of the teenaged players who got invited to Rookie Camp, ultimately getting a further invite to main camp & even getting an NHL preseason game. A 37-goal scorer with Ottawa 67’s last season, Stonehouse brought much more than a scoring touch. Small-ish but stocky at 5’10, 194 lbs, he consistently displayed a competitive edge that stood out in board play and puck battles. As an undrafted player he needed to be signed directly to ‘jump the queue’ and join the Oilers’ system. Given the organization’s lack of draft picks in recent years, it’s essential that they comb the bushes for other alternatives. They may have found a live one in Stonehouse, who has already been returned to Ottawa for his final OHL season. The new contract will kick in next year & run until 2027, giving him plenty of time to develop in the system.”
4. Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News had this to say about Stonehouse last March: “The right winger is more than just points; he’s an agitator par excellence – by all accounts a super-nice kid in real life who just drives opponents nuts as soon as he hits the ice. Not only does the 5-foot-9, 183-pound Stonehouse have the same build as NHL superstar pest Brad Marchand, he actually has a couple of pounds on the Bruins mainstay. And this year, Stonehouse has exhibited an excellent goal-scoring touch that has resulted in 31 goals in his first 60 games with Ottawa. The team is one of the best in the OHL and is slated for a long playoff run.”
5. The Oilers have been short on draft picks for a few years now and that’s likely not going to change, as the teams trades picks for players in its bid to win the Stanley Cup. To fill in the gap, Edmonton is going to have to make minor league signings, such as Ben Gleason and Lane Pederson, but also offer Entry Level Contracts to undrafted players, such as Stonehouse. Edmonton’s prospect depth in the forward positions isn’t great right now, but signings like Stonehouse can help rectify that.
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