Edmonton Oilers sign James Hamblin to two-year contract

The Edmonton Oilers have signed James Hamblin to a two-year contract extension, the club announced Monday.

The new deal will see Hamblin carry a $775,000 AAV.

Hamblin, 25, appeared in 31 NHL games with the Oilers earlier this season, scoring two goals and three points, before returning to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Wearing an ‘A’ there, he would draw in for just 13 games, scoring four goals and eight points.

A native of Edmonton, Hamblin was hampered by injuries throughout the season.

Signed as an undrafted free agent, he’s split time between the NHL and AHL over his pro career, having added an additional 10 games with the Oilers in 2022-23. He’s gotten significantly more runway in the American League, however, scoring 42 goals and 86 points in 167 games.

According to HockeyViz.com, Hamblin provided offence at a one percent rate below league average and defence at a league average rate.

He scored his first NHL goal earlier this season on Nov. 18 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, dedicating the goal to his late mother, who passed away in 2017 after a battle with cancer.

Hamblin, who played for the South Side Athletic Club in his minor hockey days, played in the WHL for five seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers. There, he would serve as their captain for three seasons, and across his whole tenure scored 115 goals and 283 points in 323 games.

Now, Hamblin will serve as organizational depth up the middle. He showed last season he can played NHL minutes, even on the fourth line, and given the rigors of a full season, could find his way back to the Oilers at some point this season.

Even if he doesn’t, he’s stepped into a leadership role with the Condors, and has started to find his game.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.