ROSTER REDUX: Stuart Skinner

EDMONTON, AB - The ascent of Stuart Skinner during the 2022-23 NHL season can be described as nothing short of stu-pendous.

The Edmonton-born netminder began his first full NHL season hoping to carry his own weight between the pipes for his hometown Oilers in a newly assembled tandem with off-season signing Jack Campbell, eager to absorb every experience and establish himself at the NHL level after grinding his way up through the ECHL and AHL in previous years.

By season's end, however, the netminder's role and internal resolve had grown exponentially.

Skinner became an invaluable contributor to Edmonton's bid to bring home the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup with his stoic approach toward bettering himself as both a person and a professional goalie. The results were plenty of major moments for Skinner, both on and off the ice, during a year that saw the 24-year-old break out as an NHL regular while also becoming a first-time father with his wife Chloe.

"I thought it was a good year," Skinner said in his year-end media availability. "Obviously, you come in as a certified backup for the first little bit, and my goal was just to compete with Soup and work my bag off every day to get better. I got a couple of opportunities and tried to grab that, and I had the opportunity to play and try to win some more games."

Skinner ended the campaign protecting the crease for the Oilers during their most important game of the season, facing elimination in Game 6 of their second-round series with the Vegas Golden Knights, after proving to his teammates and coaches over the course of 62 regular-season and post-season appearances that it was his net to protect in Edmonton's do-or-die scenario.

The former South Side Athletic Club U15 AAA Lion finished his stellar season as runner-up for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given annually to the League's top rookie, and a first-time NHL All-Star with a .914 save percentage and 29 victories (29-14-5) that now stand as the franchise's rookie record for wins during a single season -- surpassing Grant Fuhr's total of 28 from 1981-82.

"He's been unbelievable. You know, he's really stepped up throughout the whole year," Oilers captain Connor McDavid said during the playoffs. "I'm not sure where we'd be without him. I think it would be hard to find a rookie who's had a better year than Stu."

Despite all the positives of an incredible season, the netminder knows there's another level he's going to have to reach if he's going to build on this banner year for him individually and achieve his aspirations of backstopping his hometown team to their next Stanley Cup banner that can hang in the rafters at Rogers Place.

"I think success in season two is just sticking to who I am and just trying to get better every single day," Skinner said, speaking in an interview with NHL.com's Aaron Vickers before the Rogers Legends of Hockey Charity Skins Game in Calgary.

"Obviously, I want to go in there and I want to win the Stanley Cup. That's the ultimate goal for the Edmonton Oilers this year and hopefully for the next few years. I'm going to do my best to bring that role of stopping as many pucks as I can and just doing what I need to do as a teammate for the team.

"Come in and be the rock Edmonton needs and be the best goalie I can possibly be."

Skinner came into last year's Oilers Main Camp with his role as backup to incoming free agent Jack Campbell firmly in place after accruing 13 more games of NHL experience the previous season, including his first shutout in his final appearance of '21-22 against the San Jose Sharks in February before returning to the Bakersfield Condors to finish out his season in the AHL.

Serving as an understudy in previous years to Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith, while continuing to put in the work with Goaltending Coach Dustin Schwartz, Skinner arrived at Camp more prepared than ever to seize his opportunity.

"You just feel more comfortable," he said. "I know in the previous years, you kind of come in and there are some nerves. This year's a little different just because I'm more confident, I'm more comfortable and I think I know the guys a lot more. It just feels like I'm in a better spot."

With Campbell's early struggles, Skinner was relied upon early by the Oilers coaching staff to bring some extra stability to the crease and ran away with his chance to take on a bigger role in the first three months of the regular season.

After making all 31 saves in a relief appearance against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 15, Skinner stepped up once again in the Battle of Alberta, this time as their starter, with 40 saves on 42 shots in a 3-2 victory later that month that secured the perfect 3-0-0 road trip for the Oilers and their fourth straight win.

"I know the Battle of Alberta is huge," Skinner said. "Obviously two great teams going out after it, and you definitely know what it's about because growing up, you live for these moments. There's a moment during the third where I kind of had to snap my fingers a bit, pinch myself and get back to work."

Those moments would start coming a lot more frequently for Skinner, who started 20 of the first 33 games for the Oilers up until the Christmas break. His stellar contributions for the Oilers led to the 24-year-old signing a three-year contract extension ($2.6 million AAV) to continue building on his breakout first half to the '22-23 season and solidify his spot in the club's long-term plans at the position.

"It was just good timing for both of us," Skinner said after signing his new contract. "I think obviously, when somebody signs you to an extended contract, it's very exciting for you. It's one of those things you've been waiting for your whole life. It was something I'm very excited about and I'm happy I'm able to be here the next three years."

A month later, Stuart and his wife Chloe welcomed their first-born child Beau to the world at a fitting seven pounds and four ounces as the banner year got even better both on and off the ice for No. 74.

"I feel like the luckiest guy in the world right now," Skinner said. "Being able to see him for the first time, my little buddy, and just the year has been great for everyone all around. I think our team has been doing really well, especially as of late, and getting the new contract, that was a moment in life that you'll never forget, and then seeing your firstborn is obviously a moment you'll never forget either.

"I've just been having a lot of moments in my life where there's a lot of gratitude going into my life, a lot of love and just really amazing things."

At this juncture of the season, Campbell was heating up with victories in nine straight starts and Skinner was there to provide him support from the bench during his strong stretch of results in the same way that his goaltending partner did for him when the rookie was having early-season success.

"He was helping me so much all season long, even when I was doing well," Skinner said. "If I let in a squeaker, I'd go back to the bench and he'd be so supportive of just helping me get back to my game. When I was playing well, even if I played a couple games in a row, he was awesome about it and always taking me out to dinners and always congratulating me on my successes, as I was doing for him. We have a really good relationship.

With a 13-10-3 record, a .914 save percentage and 2.92 goals-against average through 27 games, Skinner was voted onto the Team Pacific roster for 2023 All-Star Weekend in Florida, where he soaked up the sun and rubbed shoulders with some of the NHL's elite netminders in Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin and earned praise from his teammates Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse.

"It's amazing. I'm very happy, very proud for Stuey," Draisaitl said. "He's worked his bleep off for a lot of years now. I think it's very exciting for him and for his family. Obviously a very special week or month with the birth of his child as well. Very happy for him."

Skinner was dominant for the Oilers down the stretch, starting 21 of their final 32 games and assembling a 10-1-1 record during the month of March to win the NHL's Rookie of the Month honours and set a new franchise record for most wins in a calendar month (previously shared by Andy Moog, Grant Fuhr and Tommy Salo).

The lessons were harder in the playoffs for Skinner, with the biggest of them all now hanging on the wall in his basement in the stick that shattered in Game 6 of their first-round rematch with the Los Angeles Kings and led to an easy tap-in goal for Philip Danault.

Skinner settled down to make the necessary eight remaining saves before Kailer Yamamoto ended the series late in regulation with the game-winner, relieving the netminder of the unfortunate act from the hockey gods and reassuring himself that the next save made is always the biggest one.

"Honestly, I feel like I've kind of gone through quite a bit here losing in overtime, being pulled in the first period, being able to win a game, being able to win a series and then breaking a stick and letting an easy goal go in," he said. "That's all part of life. That's all part of the experience and the lessons that I get to learn, and I'm very grateful for those lessons."

After his incredible regular season, Skinner posted a 5-6-0 record, .883 save percentage and 3.68 goals against average in the 2022 playoffs as the Oilers were eliminated in the second round by the Golden Knights in six games.

For Skinner, the netminder knows that if his career is to reach the next level, and the Oilers are going to go deeper into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he won't be able to rest on a successful rookie season.

"I know for my rookie year it seems everything went pretty good and pretty smoothly, but I learned a lot of lessons. I've got much, much better to bring next year, and hopefully I'm going to do that my whole career. I know it was a good year, but I know I've got a lot better."