DEV CAMP: Grubbe gearing up to go pro after signing with Oilers

EDMONTON, AB - Now that the waiting's over, Jayden Grubbe is ready to make the most of his opportunity with the Edmonton Oilers to enter the professional ranks on a three-year contract and prove the price was worth it.

"It's a long summer ahead with lots of work to be put in, so it's exciting," he said.

The 20-year-old centre, originally a third-round selection of the New York Rangers at the 2021 NHL Draft, waited patiently to hear back from the Broadway Blueshirts in hopes of securing an entry-level contract with the club for the 2023-24 season before the expiration of his signing rights at 5:00 p.m ET back on June 1.

If the deadline passed without him signing a contract, the Calgary-born forward would have re-entered the NHL Draft for the opportunity to be taken by another team as an over-age player.

"It was a month of sitting there not knowing, just kind of waiting for a phone call," Grubbe recalled. "So right up to the last day there, I was pretty nervous."

Instead, another team in the Edmonton Oilers were the ones who came calling.

The Oilers offered Grubbe the entry-level contract he ultimately desired after giving up a fifth-round pick to the Rangers so they could secure his signature and showcase their interest in having the former Red Deer Rebels' captain grow his strong two-way skillset as a member of the Oilers organization.

"It was right up to the deadline there the last day, so it was just relieving to get it done and not have to go through that again," Grubbe said, speaking after competing in the Billy Moores Cup at Oilers Development Camp on Tuesday. "You know where you're going and you're going to an organization that wants you."

Grubbe's swap between the Big Apple and Alberta adds a level of comfort for the 6-foot-3, 203-pound center who grew up in Calgary and spent four WHL seasons in Red Deer with the Rebels, where he was captain for three seasons wearing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' old No. 9 jersey.

"I'm just making my way down the highway," he said.

Grubbe returned from a knee injury for the start of the 2021-22 WHL season and played nearly an entire full slate of games, scoring 16 goals and adding 23 assists, before returning the next campaign and registering over a point per game with 67 points (18G, 49A) and 71 penalty minutes in 64 contests.

With the runway of a three-year contract secured, Grubbe is excited to finally put all his efforts behind making his professional debut this coming season for the Bakersfield Condors, with the potential to see action in the NHL for the Blue & Orange in Edmonton.

"It's a good opportunity and a great organization," he added. "It seems like there's some room for some young guys to step in, so that's what I was hoping for and it worked out really well for me.

Opportunity is aplenty for a centre of his style that brings a versatile toolkit to the table, and Grubbe is looking forward to taking his first strides at the pro level after his first exposure to the Oilers organization at this week's Development Camp down at Rogers Place.

"I think my style of game is a strong 200-foot centreman, power forward and someone who plays in all situations, is good defensively, on face-offs and the penalty kill -- kind of whatever is needed," he said.

The reassurance given to him by the Oilers in the form of an entry-level contract is a major motivator for the 20-year-old as he enters one of the most pivotal offseasons of his young career -- now with the three-year platform to improve and impress his new organization.

"They reached out and they expressed how excited they are and were super welcoming," he said. "Everyone's telling you that they're looking forward to you coming to camp, so that's something you're always keeping in mind over the summer when you're training and on the ice.

"I have that goal of making it pro and it couldn't have turned out better."