The Oilers took care of a little business this morning as they signed forward Patrick Russell to a one-year contract extension. Russell has played in 187 AHL games with the Condors since signing with the organization as a free agent back in May of 2016.
After posting a career-best season in Bakersfield, Patrick Russell was rewarded with a one-year contract extension to show management that he can keep building on the improvements he’s been making down on the farm. You guys know how I like a good ‘show-me’ contract. The 6’1″, 205-pound forward played in 51 games for the Bakersfield Condors last season, amassing 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points. Russell spent the bulk of his 2018-19 season with the Bakersfield Condors, but did manage to appear in six games with the Oilers after a mid-November recall, starting with a matchup against the Flames.
Russell has also represented Denmark on the international stage multiple times, most recently at the 2019 World Hockey Championship which was his third consecutive appearance for his country at the annual tournament. Keeping him in the mix provides the Oilers with another right-winger that can score on the depth chart, and gives management a cheap bet on whether or not Russell will be able to build upon the career-best he posted down on the farm this past season. While we don’t know how often we’ll see Russell at the NHL level, it’s a smart signing to make for a team that’s looking to build upon its first playoff appearance at the AHL level.
At the time of posting, Russell’s contract details have not yet been released, but I’ll be sure to jump back in and update this article when the numbers come out. Make sure to keep an eye on PuckPedia’s account too as they’ll have the details when someone dishes the biz.
RUSSELL’S CAREER SO FAR
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 55 | 29 | 20 | 49 | 40 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
| 2014-15 | St. Cloud State | NCHC | 40 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 12 | -5 | |||||
| 2015-16 | St. Cloud State | NCHC | 41 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 14 | 24 | |||||
| 2016-17 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 68 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 22 | -8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017-18 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 68 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 48 | -1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018-19 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 51 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 32 | 30 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| 2018-19 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 6 | 2 | |||||||||
| NHL Totals | 6 | 2 |
Source: Edmonton Oilers, Official Account, 6/11/2019 – 11:29 am MST
I like this signing. Low risk.
Next up: Evan Polei please.
Nice to see they resigned Patrick Russell – he was a group 6 UFA so could have moved on. I originally thought that they might move on from Malone on the premise that Russell was now the “veteran leader” but its really good to have both back as they are both material players for the Condors – and will be moreso if Joe G. spends ample time in the NHL (remains to be seen).
Don’t get me wrong, I hope they play all their games in the AHL as, if either is dressing for the Oilers, things have probably gone off the rails again. As good an AHL player as Malone is, his game does not translate to the NHL. P. Russell did fine in his NHL time but he is the definition of a 14th forward/tweener and the NHL lineup needs real NHL players throughout. Good depth, just in case though.
OP – what is happening with Polei?
Second this☝️
This is just my guess but they probably want to get him signed to an NHL contract (as he will get one from someone this year as he earned it) but are trying to figure out if they want to take up a spot on the 50 – its starting to fill.
I’d like Polei back on the Condors – heart and soul guy with a bit of skill but I don’t imagine he’ll ever play a game in the NHL. He’s not a “real prospect” but a guy that is a key cog on the AHL team.
Slow and steady wins the race. Polei could be a useful depth/role player in a year or so. Lucic at 10% of the cost and more goals.
good AHL signing !
Those uni’s though….the Oil need to have those.