Do you remember Patrick Russell?
The Edmonton Oilers in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons were disappointing, to say the least. With a new general manager heading into the 2019-20 season, the Oilers made the postseason for the first time since 2016-17. This week, the Wheel of Names landed on the 2019-20 season and Patrick Russell is the subject of this An Oiler from the past.
Don’t let the name confuse you, Russell was born in Birkerød, Denmark. He started his career in Denmark with Gentofte Stars, playing with their youth teams aside from 13 games in 2008-09 when he scored five goals and seven points in 13 games.
After the 2008-09 season, Russell headed to Sweden to play with Linköping HC’s junior team, getting a cup of coffee in 2010-11 and 2011-12 with their u20 team before becoming a regular in 2012-13. Overall, he scored 18 goals and 36 points in 37 games that season.
In 2013-14, Russell headed stateside to play for the Waterloo Black Hawks in the United States Hockey League, scoring 29 goals and 49 points in 55 games. Russell attended St. Cloud State for two seasons, scoring 10 goals and 25 points in 40 games in 2014-15 and 20 goals and 41 points in 41 games in 2015-16.
The Danish winger turned that into a professional deal with the Oilers, inking a two-year entry-level deal in May of 2016. Russell made his professional debut with the Bakersfield Condors in 2016-17, scoring eight goals and 17 points in 68 games. The Dane followed that up with a 14-goal, 27-point year in 2017-18, then 18 goals and 40 points in 51 games with the Condors in 2018-19.
Russell made his National Hockey League debut in the same season, being held pointless in six games. With the Condors, he scored two goals and seven points in 10 postseason games – these were the last games Russell played in the American Hockey League.
In 2019-20, Russell became a mainstay for the Oilers, albeit in a 13th-forward type of role. He played just 45 games with Edmonton, picking up five assists with 12 penalty minutes and a -11. The Oilers went on to make the qualifying round in the pandemic-shortened season, but Russell didn’t feature in their lineup. In 2020-21, he played eight games, picking up two points in what was his final North American season.
While the league was figuring itself out, he played three games in Denmark with Rungsted Ishockey Klub where he was held pointless. At the end of the 2020-21 season, Russell re-signed with Linköping HC, where he has played since. In parts of four seasons, the Dane has 59 goals and 108 points in 182 games, playing just four postseason games last season.
Russell has also represented Team Denmark at multiple international tournaments. He’s played in five World Championships and even represented the nation in the 2022 Olympics where he picked up three assists in five games.
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