Edmonton Oilers sign forward Brady Stonehouse to entry-level contract
By Cam Lewis
9 months agoThe Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Brady Stonehouse to an entry-level contract, the team announced on Thursday.
Stonehouse was among the undrafted players that the Oilers invited to their Rookie Camp back in the summer and scored a goal when they played the Calgary Flames during the Penticton Young Stars Classic. He was invited to the team’s main training camp in the fall and suited up for one pre-season game before getting sent back to major junior.
A left-handed right-winger listed at 5-foot-10, Stonehouse is just getting started on his third season with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League.
The native of Blenheim, Ontario was selected in the second round of the 2020 OHL Priority Draft by the 67’s but didn’t play during the 2020-21 season because of the pandemic. He made his 67’s debut in 2021-22 and scored 18 goals and 35 points over 68 games. Stonehouse was passed over in the 2022 NHL draft and then put together a breakout season in 2022-23 with the 67’s, as he led the team with 37 goals and finished third with 57 points over 68 games.
Back in March, The Hockey News wrote about Stonehouse as an interesting prospect who would be available to teams in the later rounds of the draft. He’s described as an excellent agitator with a quality scoring touch.
Last year’s 67’s struggled in the OHL, and Stonehouse’s numbers reflected that (35 points in 68 games). But the right winger is more than just points; he’s an agitator par excellence – by all accounts a super-nice kid in real life who just drives opponents nuts as soon as he hits the ice. Not only does the 5-foot-9, 183-pound Stonehouse have the same build as NHL superstar pest Brad Marchand, he actually has a couple of pounds on the Bruins mainstay. And this year, Stonehouse has exhibited an excellent goal-scoring touch that has resulted in 31 goals in his first 60 games with Ottawa. The team is one of the best in the OHL and is slated for a long playoff run. No doubt NHL teams will be watching – and then fighting for his draft rights this summer.
The Oilers only had three selections in this year’s draft, their second, sixth-, and seventh-round picks, so signing Stonehouse is essentially like adding another mid-to-late-round prospect to the mix. He’ll play a big role on the 67’s this season and is among the 45 players who Hockey Canada invited to the national junior team’s preliminary meetings in the summer.
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