Edmonton Oilers sign Noel Hoefenmayer to one-year contract
By Zach Laing
2 days agoThe Edmonton Oilers have signed defenceman Noel Hoefenmayer to a one-year contract, the club announced Monday.
Hoefenmayer, 25, spent last year in the Oilers organization on a one-year, entry-level contract, appearing in 47 games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
In Hoefenmayer’s 47 AHL games last year, he scored seven goals and 18 points.
Drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, he never played any games in their organization. Instead, the native of Toronto, Ont. signed with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
He spent the first three years of his pro career in the Leafs organization, splitting time between the AHL and ECHL over the first two years, spending his third fully with the Marlies.
When Hoefenmayer signed with the Oilers last year, I spoke with Bennett Jull, a writer at TheLeafsNation, who had this to say of the defenceman:
Noel Hoefenmayer had a very strong first half of the season. He has a big shot from the point, and it was on full display. He quarterbacked the Marlies powerplay to great effect, and as the points tallied up, he was chosen to be an AHL All-Star. Unfortunately, as the regular season carried on, the points started to dry up. His confidence looked shaken, and by the time playoffs started Hoefenmayer was scratched. He only featured in two of the Marlies seven playoff games, the final two.Hoefenmayer is a decent skater. He can adequately get around the ice, and while it’s not a major strength, it isn’t a weakness either. He can be physical at times but at 6’0 <200 pounds he certainly isn’t a major physical presence. He possesses a solid first pass, and at the AHL level he can definitely run a powerplay well. Perhaps the biggest issue with Hoefenmayer isn’t a specific part of his game, but the fact that there aren’t enough elite qualities in his toolbox.Going from AHL All-Star to a healthy scratch was the epitome of a season with highs and lows, and he will definitely be better suited in another organization. We’ve seen before that all it takes sometimes is a change of scenery, and I’m wishing him well in Oil Country.
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.
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