We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog,” and Edmonton Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher brings that saying to life.

The 5-foot-10 and 184-pound blueliner may be considered small by NHL standards, but what we’ve seen from him in almost a year playing in Oil Country is that his compete level is nothing short of massive. He was initially acquired from the Arizona Coyotes last season, just before the trade deadline, in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick to add depth to the Oilers’ playoff run. However, despite playing in seven games down the stretch, he didn’t suit up in the postseason due to a cyst in his ankle, which required season-ending surgery.

Yet, the team liked what they saw from the D-man, re-signing him to a two-year contract carrying a $787,500 cap hit last offseason. He played 66 games this past regular season, and what we learned about the Richmond, BC native was that he has good hustle, makes a good first pass, and possesses an off-the-charts compete level and a no-quit mindset. Additionally, we first saw that never-back-down attitude early in the season, which I feel is one of Stecher’s signature moments while donning the orange and blue so far — it came in the fourth game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Looking back, the Oilers had lost their first three games of the season, and when the Flyers came to town, the Oilers fell behind 3-2 in the third period, when Flyers’ captain Sean Couturier delivered a body check that sent Stuart Skinner to the ice. As soon as Stecher saw his goalie drop, he went after the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Couturier without hesitation.

He dropped the gloves, and despite giving up over six inches in height to the Flyers captain, he landed some punches and took some too. But it was all about standing up for your teammates and doing whatever it takes to rally your bench.

That fight sparked another scrap between Corey Perry and Joel Farabee, both injecting energy to Rogers Place as the Oilers rallied for a 4-3 overtime comeback win, which was their first of the season.

Yet, it was Stecher’s courageousness and standing up for his teammate that initially sparked the Oilers’ first win of the season, which earned him his first hard hat after the game from his teammates — as recognition for the player who shows the most grit and defensive ability in that game.

Fast forward to the start of the playoffs — Stecher didn’t play in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, but was inserted into the lineup in Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights and has played in four games since.

He hasn’t put up any points so far this postseason, but that really isn’t his game. The blueliner has averaged just over 16 minutes a night, made five blocks, delivered three hits, and is a +1 in that span. He’s also started 21 of his shifts in the defensive zone, compared to just 16 in the offensive zone, yet the Oilers hold a 26–23 edge in scoring chances when he’s on the ice. Additionally, they haven’t allowed a goal during his 5-on-5 shifts, and I’m not sure if it’s a coincidence, but Edmonton has posted shutouts in three of the four games he’s played in.

Additionally, Stecher played a very solid Game 2 against the Stars — he drew a penalty that led to an Oilers power-play goal, battled hard, made smart passes, a timely block and good defensive plays, and his netminder Stuart Skinner praised him in his postgame interview, saying:

As a result of a stellar Game 2 performance, Stecher once again earned the hard hat after the game from his teammates for his grit and strong defensive play, according to the Oilers’ social media accounts.

Oilers D-man Mattias Ekholm has been out of the lineup for the entire playoffs due to injury, but he remains day-to-day and could be back later in the series against the Stars. When word broke that the Swedish blueliner might be returning to the lineup, I initially felt that the obvious choice was to take Stecher out. But with the way Stecher has played — and more importantly, how he’s elevated his defence partner Darnell Nurse’s play — now, the answer doesn’t seem so obvious.

For whatever reason, Stecher and Nurse seem to click. I’m speculating here, but perhaps having a scrappy player who gives it his all every single shift and can also move the puck well, like Stecher, brings out the best in Nurse. Who knows? But the numbers don’t lie, as Nurse’s advanced metrics improve when paired with Stecher.

According to Natural Stat Trick, in a limited sample of four playoff games and just over 48 minutes played together, Nurse’s numbers improve noticeably when paired with Stecher, tipping the ice in the Oilers’ favour at 5v5:

• Nurse has a 42.47% Corsi without Stecher, which increases to 55.68% when playing with him.
• Nurse’s expected goals for percentage (xGF%) is 54.11% without Stecher, rising to 65.39% with Stecher.
• Nurse’s scoring chances for percentage is 44.12% without Stecher, increasing to 64.52% when paired with him.
• Nurse’s high-danger chances for percentage is 42.11% without Stecher, jumping to 66.67% with Stecher.

Moreover, their strong chemistry isn’t new — it carried over from the regular season. Among their solid advanced metrics, one that stands out the most is that, with a minimum of 250 minutes played together, the Nurse-Stecher pairing posted a 60.40% high-danger chances for percentage at 5v5, which ranked fifth best among all defensive pairings in the entire league in the regular season.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Oilers decide to do with their blue line when Ekholm returns to the lineup because the pairing of John Klingberg and Jake Walman has been very good, and of course, Brett Kulak, Evan Bouchard, and Nurse — who won’t face supplemental discipline after his slash on Stars’ Roope Hintz — aren’t coming out of the lineup either. And with how solid Stecher has played since coming in, and what he brings out of Nurse, it’s tough to take him out as well, and perhaps the 11-7 route seems most logical at this point.

All in all, since Stecher was inserted into the playoffs, he’s brought a hard-nosed, no-quit effort every shift, and with the Oilers’ D-men stepping up, deciding which blueliner comes out — if any — when Ekholm returns is a very good problem to have.