A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Skinner remembers plenty of trips to Rexall Place, the Oilers former arena. Now he’s living out a childhood fantasy of playing goalie for the hometown team.
“To actually put the Oilers crest on is a dream come true and something I’ll cherish forever,” said Skinner prior to the Oilers defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 at the United Center on Nov. 30.
“I’ve just been trying to have as much fun as I can with it. Obviously, the team’s been paying great. I think for me, it’s just kind of getting the reps in, getting more experience. I’ve been having a blast with it, just trying to have fun and keep growing my game after every single game and every single practice.”
The 24-year-old will be spending more time in Edmonton after signing a three-year, $7.8 million contract (annual average value of $2.6 million) Monday. He could have been a restricted free agent after this season.
[RELATED: Skinner signs 3-year deal with Oilers]
The contract is a culmination of what has been a somewhat unexpected coming-out party this season for Skinner, a third-round pick (No. 78) for the Oilers in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Jack Campbell, who the Oilers signed to a five-year, $25 million contract ($5 million AAV) July 13, was expected to be the No. 1. But Campbell has struggled (8-6-1, 4.02 goals-against average, .876 save percentage), and he and Skinner have split starts.
Skinner is 9-8-1 with a 2.83 GAA and .915 save percentage in 19 games (18 starts).
The Oilers (17-14-2) lost 4-3 in overtime to the Nashville Predators on Monday.
“I’ve always felt comfortable with Stuart,” said Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, who also coached Skinner at Bakersfield, Edmonton’s American Hockey League affiliate, from 2018 to Feb. 2022.
“He’s somebody who I think is a great example of not skipping any steps along the way. His development process has been correct. Last year when he first came up to the NHL, he pitched a shutout for us and probably would’ve played more games down the stretch had Mike Smith not taken off the way he did. And for me, I feel comfortable with him. I think technically he’s sound. I think he inspires confidence in his teammates. He gives us a chance to win, night in and night out.”
Video: WSH@EDM: Skinner makes spectacular series of saves
Skinner grew up playing “a lot of road hockey” with his family. The youngest of nine children, five girls and four boys, Skinner wasn’t a goalie at the start because he was too little, yet he begged his dad to give him a chance at it.
“He told my brothers to take a couple of slap shots at me and I loved it,” he said.
Skinner’s journey to the NHL began with Lethbridge of the Western Hockey League, where he played from 2014-18, and Swift Current, where he played part of the 2018 season. Jeff Battah, former goaltending coach at Lethbridge from 2004-08 and again from 2013-16, said Skinner had the physical build even in his WHL days.
“The size of the man you see now is the size he was as a 14-year-old kid. I think he was 199 (pounds) when he played for us,” said Battah, now a goalie coach in Budapest, Hungary. Skinner is currently listed at 6-foot-4, 206 pounds.
“You just knew, ‘OK, this kid thinks the game a lot differently.’ He could just process it. His reads, he was a workhorse. He was going to Toronto to train with (former NHL forward) Gary Roberts at 15 years old. He knew where he wanted to go, knew the route he had to get there. , and on the ice, he had the size and athleticism and his ability to read the game at a higher level than most.”
That ability continued to grow in Bakersfield, where Skinner went 62-35-12 with a 2.68 GAA, .906 save percentage and eight shutouts in 113 games from 2019-22. His breakthrough in Bakersfield came in 2020-21, when he played 31 of their 39 games in a season shortened due to COVID-19, going 20-9-1 with a 2.38 GAA, .914 save percentage and two shutouts.
“After two years, me, [assistant coach Dave Manson], [Woodcroft], we didn’t have to ask ourselves, what kind of ‘Stuey’ are we going to have? We knew exactly what kind of goalie he was, what kind of save he was going to give us,” Bakersfield goalie coach Sylvain Rodrigue said. “We knew the person we had between the 4×6 and it’s important for a coaching staff. We see it, the player sees it. We knew we had a chance to win every night with him.”
Skinner’s living his dream with some childhood friends, Oilers forwards Tyler Benson and James Hamblinfellow Edmonton natives who know Skinner from their bantam hockey days.
“They’re both the same guys. They’re both still really ugly,” Hamblin said with a laugh. “I mean, Stu’s been amazing. It’s cool to see how he’s grown over the years. I played against him in junior hockey as well, so to see him there and see him now, and continue to see him get better and better is great. “
It’s been a long road for Skinner, 10 seasons combined in the WHL, AHL and with Wichita of the ECHL, but he’s reached the NHL and is playing well and now has a three-year contract. He’s kept his cool in pressure situations on the ice, and the years of work he’s put in at various levels is a big reason for that calm demeanor.
“It goes with just growing up and getting the experience I’ve gotten,” he said. “Playing in the ECHL, there’s pressure down there and there’s pressure in the American League and obviously pressure up here.
“Being able to kind of get my feet wet in my earlier years and growing up and maturing, I think, is a big help. Just being able to go into pressure situations for five years, four or five years, then come to the NHL and you realize it’s the same game, same thing. You’re playing the game you’ve been playing for a very long time, so you know what to do.”
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