Edmonton Oil Kings facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edmonton Oil Kings
City	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
League	Western Hockey League
Conference	Eastern
Division	Central
Founded	March 16, 2006 (2006-03-16)
Home arena	Rogers Place
Colours	Red, Royal Blue, Gold, White
Owner(s)	Oilers Entertainment Group (Daryl Katz, Katz Group)
General manager	Kirt Hill
Head coach	Luke Pierce
Captain	Vacant
Championships	Ed Chynoweth Cup 3 (2012, 2014, 2022) Memorial Cup 1 (2014)
Website www.oilkings.ca

The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that play in the Western Hockey League. As of July 2008, they are owned by Daryl Katz's Oilers Entertainment Group, which also owns the Edmonton Oilers. The 2007–08 season was the newest incarnation of the Oil Kings' inaugural season in the Western Hockey League. Some NHL alumni include Tomas Vincour, Mark Pysyk, Curtis Lazar, Keegan Lowe, Griffin Reinhart, Henrik Samuelsson, Laurent Brossoit, Tristan Jarry and David Musil. As the 2012 WHL champions, the Oil Kings played in the 2012 Memorial Cup, losing 6–1 against the eventual winning team, the Shawinigan Cataractes, in the playoff tie-breaker. The Oil Kings won the 2014 Memorial Cup, defeating the Guelph Storm in the 2014 Memorial Cup final game.

Franchise history

Alternate logo introduced in 2013

The newest incarnation of the Oil Kings are the fourth WHL team to play in Edmonton, preceded by the first Edmonton Oil Kings (1951–76), the second Edmonton Oil Kings (1978–79) and the Edmonton Ice (1996–98).

The original Edmonton Oil Kings were a junior hockey team that played in the original Western Canada Junior Hockey League from 1951 to 1956. They then played with the senior amateur Central Alberta Hockey League from 1956 to 1965, winning the 1963 Memorial Cup. They joined the Alberta Senior Hockey League for the 1965–66 season, prior to jumping to the new Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966. The Oil Kings were also initially successful in the WCHL, capturing two President's Cup titles. However, with the arrival of the World Hockey Association and the Oilers in 1972, the junior club's attendance began to plummet. Approximately 150,000 fans went to Oil Kings games in 1971–72. That number dropped to 90,000 the next year, and 68,000 the following year. The original Oil Kings moved to Portland, Oregon in 1976, becoming the Portland Winter Hawks.

An attempt at reviving the Oil Kings in 1978 lasted only one season, as the juniors were once again unable to compete with the pros. Bill Hunter purchased the Flin Flon Bombers and brought them to Alberta's capital. However, the team only averaged about 500 fans per game, and rumours that the team would again relocate began to swirl before the first season was even complete. The second Oil Kings relocated again to become the Great Falls Americans, where the team would only last 28 more games before folding.

Despite the long-held belief that major-junior hockey could not survive against the pros, the WHL returned to Calgary in 1995, and Edmonton in 1996. At the time, the Oilers were struggling on the ice, as well as attendance. The Oilers refused to work with the Edmonton Ice, blocking them from playing in Northlands Coliseum, thus relegating them to the substandard Northlands Agricom. The Ice relocated to Cranbrook, British Columbia, becoming the Kootenay Ice, after two underwhelming seasons.

"Return of the Kings"

The Oil Kings face the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL's Battle of Alberta.

With the Flames owned Hitmen leading the WHL in attendance the past four seasons, and the Vancouver Giants also proving to be a major success at the gate, the Oilers ownership group had spent the last three years attempting to purchase a WHL team, even going so far as to put out an open offer of $5 million - well over market value - for any WHL franchise in 2004. With no takers, and with the 2004–05 NHL lockout looming, the Oilers chose to relocate their AHL team to Rexall Place as the Edmonton Roadrunners. Despite finishing third in the AHL in attendance, and having publicly promised to operate the team in Edmonton for at least three seasons, the Oilers suspended the Roadrunners after only one season rather than have their minor league team competing against themselves. The Oilers then resumed their quest for a WHL team.

When the sale of the Tri-City Americans to Chilliwack, British Columbia failed, the WHL placed an expansion team in Chilliwack, and the door for Edmonton was finally reopened. While the league had previously refused to consider further expansion, believing 20 teams was enough, the addition of the Chilliwack Bruins left the league with an odd number of franchises. Preferring an even number of teams, the league announced its return to Edmonton on March 16, 2006 with the granting of a conditional expansion franchise, named the Edmonton Oil Kings in homage to the former franchise.

The team began play in the 2007–08 WHL season and finished with a record of 22–39–11, good for 55 points, but not enough to make the playoffs.

The Oil Kings most recently captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup twice as victors of the WHL playoffs for the 2011–12 and 2013–14 WHL seasons, earning berths to the 2012 and 2014 Memorial Cups. On May 25, 2014 the Oil Kings won the franchise's third, first for the reborn team, Memorial Cup after defeating the Ontario Hockey League champion Guelph Storm by a score of 6–3.

In 2022, the Oil Kings won their 3rd Ed Chynoweth Cup by the Seattle Thunderbirds in six games earning them an appearance at the 2022 Memorial Cup.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

WHL Championship history

• 2011–12: Win, 4–3 vs Portland
• 2012–13: Loss, 2–4 vs Portland
• 2013–14: Win, 4–3 vs Portland
• 2021–22: Win, 4–2 vs Seattle

Memorial Cup Final history

• 2014: Win, 6–3 vs Guelph (OHL)
• 2022: Eliminated in round-robin

Current roster

Updated January 1, 2023.

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace	Drafted
34	Canada	Boyko, NoahNoah Boyko	4.0 C	R	20	2022	Redwater, Alberta	Undrafted
5	Canada	Cadieux, TomTom Cadieux	2.0 D	R	20	2022	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
35	Canada	Cunningham, LoganLogan Cunningham	1.0 G	L	18	2022	Sherwood Park, Alberta	Eligible 2023
29	Canada	Finley, MasonMason Finley	7.0 RW	R	18	2022	Kelowna, British Columbia	Eligible 2023
14	Canada	Finnie, MarshallMarshall Finnie	7.0 RW	R	19	2022	Lethbridge, Alberta	Undrafted
28	Canada	Gotaas, GraydonGraydon Gotaas	2.0 D	R	19	2021	Camrose, Alberta	Undrafted
18	Germany	Hauf, LucaLuca Hauf	7.0 RW	L	19	2022	Krefeld, Germany	Undrafted
30	Canada	Hay, KolbyKolby Hay	1.0 G	L	18	2019	Kamloops, British Columbia	Undrafted
17	Canada	Hodnett, GavinGavin Hodnett	4.0 C	L	16	2021	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Eligible 2024
39	Canada	Kovacevic, RilenRilen Kovacevic	7.0 RW	R	18	2022	Kelowna, British Columbia	Undrafted
2	Canada	Kowalyk, CarterCarter Kowalyk	2.0 D	L	17	2020	St. Albert, Alberta	Eligible 2023
37	Canada	Larson, ReidReid Larson	2.0 D	L	17	2020	Calgary, Alberta	Eligible 2023
47	Canada	MacKenzie, EthanEthan MacKenzie	2.0 D	L	17	2021	West Kelowna, British Columbia	Eligible 2024
27	Canada	Melnyk, RhettRhett Melnyk (A)	7.0 RW	R	18	2022	Edmonton, Alberta	Undrafted
15	Canada	Miller, ColeCole Miller	4.0 C	R	18	2021	Edmonton, Alberta	Eligible 2023
4	Canada	Pederson, RhysRhys Pederson	2.0 D	L	16	2021	Stettler, Alberta	Eligible 2024
7	Canada	Peters, EthanEthan Peters (A)	2.0 D	R	19	2021	Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
9	Canada	Pilling, NathanNathan Pilling	4.0 C	L	18	2022	Calgary, Alberta	Undrafted
44	Czechia	Port, VojtechVojtech Port	2.0 D	R	17	2022	Jihlava, Czech Republic	Eligible 2023
36	Canada	Robson, LukeLuke Robson	6.0 LW	L	19	2022	Carberry, Manitoba	Undrafted
20	Canada	Seitz, DawsonDawson Seitz	4.0 C	R	18	2020	Medicine Hat, Alberta	Eligible 2023
12	Canada	Szabo, JohnJohn Szabo	6.0 LW	L	17	2020	Lethbridge, Alberta	Eligible 2023
25	Canada	Wright, BenBen Wright	4.0 C	R	17	2020	Mill Bay, British Columbia	Eligible 2024
10	Canada	Wuttunee, TreycenTreycen Wuttunee	7.0 RW	R	17	2021	Battleford, Saskatchewan	Eligible 2024
8	Canada	Wynne, BraedenBraeden Wynne	2.0 D	R	19	2021	Coquitlam, British Columbia	Undrafted

WHL awards and trophies

Memorial Cup trophies

NHL alumni

NHL 1st round draft picks

• 2010 NHL Entry Draft – Mark Pysyk #23 Overall (Buffalo Sabres)
• 2012 NHL Entry Draft – Griffin Reinhart #4 Overall (New York Islanders)
• 2012 NHL Entry Draft – Henrik Samuelsson #27 Overall (Phoenix Coyotes)
• 2013 NHL Entry Draft – Curtis Lazar #17 Overall (Ottawa Senators)
• 2020 NHL Entry Draft – Jake Neighbours #26 Overall (St. Louis Blues)
• 2021 NHL Entry Draft – Dylan Guenther #9 Overall (Arizona Coyotes)
• 2021 NHL Entry Draft – Sebastian Cossa #15 Overall (Detroit Red Wings)

See also

• Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)
• List of ice hockey teams in Alberta