If you’re getting set to go out shopping for a new Oilers jersey then why not take a look at one of the new guys, huh? Today, the Oilers announced that all three of Kyle Brodziak, Tobias Rieder, and Kevin Gravel have chosen new numbers for their new adventures in Edmonton, and I’ve got the breakdown. 

For fans of the Edmonton Oilers, it’s always interesting to see what jersey number the new guys that come to town will wear. Even though our newest friends may not be the sexiest UFA pickups you’ve ever seen in your life, it’s still worth knowing who will wear what number as we head into the new season. Make sense? Good. Along with letting you know what number our new boys will wear, I’ll also take you on a quick trip down memory lane and let you know who has worn that specific jersey before.

Let’s check it out.

First up on our list will be hometown boy, Kyle Brodziak, who will don the number 28 on the back of his jersey which we learned in his interview with Gregor on Monday morning. Strangely enough, this will be Brodziak’s fourth different number with the Oilers despite it only being his second tour of duty with the team. Previously, he wore numbers 15, 23, and 51 for the mighty Oil as he looked to establish himself as an NHL regular.

Prior to Brodziak, the number 28 has been worn by 20 different Oilers which makes it one of the most popular jersey numbers in team history. Most recently, it was worn by Lauri Korpikoski back in 2015-16 before he was bought out by the club after only one season. Here’s hoping Brodziak has a little bit better luck with it than ol’ Lauri did. Check out the complete list courtesy of Hockey Reference:

Next up on our list of new friends is another guy that should have never gotten away in the first place in Tobias Rieder. As I’m sure you’ll remember, Rieder was traded to the Coyotes back in March of 2013 for Kale Kessy in what was arguably one of the worst depth trades in recent memory. At the time, the Oilers were looking to add size to the roster, but instead, they ended up losing a guy that would go on to be a pretty effective player for one that never even came close to touching NHL ice. Fortunately, things worked out in the end as the Oilers signed Rieder to a one-year deal worth $2 million on July 1st.

Last year, Rieder wore number 8 for the Coyotes and then number 10 for the LA Kings, but will switch things up with our beloved Oilers by sporting the number 22. Most recently, waivers pickup Adam Cracknell was the last Oiler to wear the number, and I would guess that Rieder will outshine his numerical predecessor quite easily (hopefully?). Looking back, 11 other players have worn the number before Rieder in a list that features some former favourites such as Charlie Huddy, Roman Hamrlik, Anson Carter, and Rem Murray version 2.0. The full list is below:

Last but not least, we have depth defenceman, Kevin Gravel, who came to the Oilers as a free agent on July 1st after spending his entire career with the LA Kings organization. Gravel was never a regular on the Kings blueline but did play reasonably effective minutes in the limited time he had. Now that he’s with the Oilers, I would guess that he’s in line for a similar role on this team, but that’s really just me guessing.

With the Oilers, Gravel will rock the number 5 which was most recently worn by Mark Fayne before he was banished to the minors and never to be seen again. Prior to Gravel, the number had been worn by 11 different Oilers with the most notable players being Steve Smith, Greg de Vries, Ladi Smid, and Mark Fayne. One thing I noticed is that there are some pretty decent defencemen on this list, and here’s hoping that Gravel can follow suit… maybe.