Edmonton Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher reached a personal milestone in Friday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, as it was the 500th of his NHL career.

The Richmond native earned this feat despite the odds stacked against him. Although he is a right shot, Stecher clocks in at 5’10” and weighs 184 pounds, making him on the lighter end of the spectrum for blue liners. Despite producing well in his BCHL days, it wasn’t enough to turn the heads of teams as he was passed over in the three years he was eligible to be drafted.

Stecher instead focused on his academics at the University of North Dakota while continuing to play college hockey. His final year in college is what got the NHL to pay attention as he had a strong campaign in 2015-16. He led North Dakota’s defencemen in scoring with 29 points in 43 games played, was fourth on the team overall, and helped lead them to a national title.

Being one of the standouts on the team that featured the likes of Brock Boeser, Nick Schmaltz, and Tucker Poolman earned Stecher a two-year ELC with the Vancouver Canucks soon after he wrapped up his collegiate career. He quickly made his way onto the NHL roster for his rookie campaign in 2016-17 where he had the best season of his career to date with 23 points in 71 games. From there he remained a permanent fixture in the NHL despite never reaching the same heights as his first year in the league.

Stecher would play three additional seasons with the Canucks before leaving in the fall of 2020 to sign with the Detroit Red Wings, where he spent two seasons there before being dealt to the Los Angeles Kings at the 2022 trade deadline. He then signed with the Arizona Coyotes that offseason, got traded to the Calgary Flames at the subsequent deadline, and then re-signed with the Coyotes the following summer.

Last season saw him on the move at the deadline for a third straight season, this time to the Oilers along with a seventh-round pick (who they used to select Bauer Berry) for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Stecher only appeared in seven regular season games recording two assists and was unavailable for their Stanley Cup run due to needing season-ending ankle surgery during the playoffs.

Despite the limited usage, it was enough to earn him a two-year contract with Edmonton on July 1st with an AAV of $787,500. The 30-year-old has gone scoreless in six games so far this season.