Brady Stonehouse signs with Edmonton Oilers after impressive camp
Brady Stonehouse has some big items on his wish list for this season.
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Brady Stonehouse has some big items on his wish list for this season.
The Ottawa 67’s forward from Blenheim has crossed off one by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
“I’m still pretty speechless, but it feels good,” he said. “It’s a weight off my shoulders for the year. It’s one less thing to focus on this year and focus more on what we have at hand here in Ottawa.”
Stonehouse, 19, was invited to the Oilers’ training camp after leading the 67’s last season with a career-high 37 goals.
He was also among the 45 players invited to Hockey Canada’s program of excellence summer meetings for the 2024 IIHF world junior championship.
“I want to score 40 goals this year,” he said. “I want to crack the world junior roster this year. Obviously, win a championship. Those are some of the goals I have, but I just want to continue to improve each day and get better day by day.”
The five-foot-10, 192-pound Stonehouse went to the Oilers’ rookie camp as an undrafted free agent. He scored a goal at the young stars classic prospect tournament in Penticton, B.C., and then went to Edmonton’s main camp.
“Going to Colorado’s camp last year obviously put some experience under my belt,” he said. “I knew what to expect going to Edmonton, so it helped a little bit. I wasn’t as nervous as I was. I just want to go out there and be myself. I think I did a good job of that. Sticking to the way I play and the type of player that I am made a good impression.”
The Edmonton Journal called him “arguably the most pleasant surprise of the teenaged players who got invited to rookie camp.”
He impressed with his competitiveness along the boards and in puck battles.
Stonehouse has earned a reputation during his two Ontario Hockey League seasons for getting into his opponents’ heads, but there’s much more to his game than being an agitator.
“Obviously I get under people’s skins here, but everything else that I do translates to pro hockey,” the former Chatham-Kent AAA Cyclone said. “I want to finish every hit that I can finish, I want to be hard on a forecheck and I’ll always end up at the net. And then I’ll throw a couple chirps in there if I need to.
“If someone’s talking to me, there’s a time and place for when you can chirp. Me and my coach have always talked about it. I don’t need to go crazy with it, but if there’s something there, like you’re skating by him, you can throw a little chirp at him.”
He had fun taunting the Sarnia fans last February after scoring on a late penalty shot against the Sting. The goal proved to be the winner on a day he had many friends and relatives in the crowd.
“(That) is one of the cooler moments that I’ll have playing for Ottawa,” said Stonehouse, who finished with 57 points in 68 games.
The 67’s had the OHL’s best record last season, but they were upset by the eventual champion Peterborough Petes in an Eastern Conference semifinal.
Expectations are high again. The 67’s are third in the latest OHL power rankings.
“We have a pretty solid lineup most years, but this year we’ve got a lot of returning guys,” Stonehouse said. “The second-round exit last year hurt us. All the returning guys, I think we’ve all got a chip on our shoulder. We want to build off what we started last year and keep this thing rolling.”
Stonehouse is an alternate captain for the 67’s, who drafted him in the second round in 2020.
“It’s an honour to wear a letter,” he said. “The 67’s have a storied franchise. It’s just good that my teammates and my coaches could look at me as being one of the leaders of the team this year. I’m happy to help anyone with anything if they’ve got a question. I like to bring the energy, so just be a good leader all-around.”
He returned to Ottawa on Sept. 26 after making his NHL pre-season debut the night before in Winnipeg.
“It was pretty cool,” he said. “Their barn was almost sold out, but I just went in as if it was another hockey game. Obviously, there was a little bit of nerves, but it was a cool experience, something that I can build off of and add to the memory bank.”
His Oilers exit interview was on the plane after that game. That’s when general manager and president of hockey operations Ken Holland said they were interested in signing him.
“Hopefully, the good news keeps coming,” Stonehouse said. “Hopefully, I can end up with a championship.”
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