Troy Stecher brought his "A" game against the Seattle Kraken

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Finnegan Frost
September 29, 2024 (9:36)

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Yesterday, the Oilers had a massive rebound in an epic preseason showdown against the Seattle Kraken.

This was a little bit of a moral victory for the Oil - the boys needed this one. Having lost the oast 3 straight games by a margin of 6 goals, this was more than just a regular pre season game. With Connor McDavid at the helm, the Oilers needed some results, and the team delivered. The Oilers emerged victorious against the Seattle Kraken by a score of 5-4.

According to the Edmonton Journal, the Oilers were in dire need of their depth players to rise to the occasion. Troy Stecher, a feisty blue-liner fighting for a roster position on the Oilers second pairing did just that.

Troy Stecher, 30, is finally bringing his ''A'' game and looks like he just might seize this opportunity.

Against Seattle in Saturday night's 5-4 exhibition win, Stecher looked like a decent NHL d-man, even a solid one. He was fast to pucks. He won a good share of his puck battles. He moved the puck well. He defended smartly and effectively. He even threw a few decent hits, even as he's not a big player, just 5-feet, 10-inches, 184 pounds.

Against Seattle, Stecher most definitely looked like he can get the job done for the Oilers in the first part of the season and that may well be enough for him to win the job as Brett Kulak's partner to open the season. If he keeps playing as well as he did against Seattle, he may just stick around longer term.

After the departure of Cody Ceci, the major theme for this years training camp was to solidify a new partner for Darnell Nurse. Ty Emberson was rumoured to be the front runner for the job, but with Stecher performing at his current level, the conversation has shifted to Stecher earning the job.

source: Edmonton Journal
After rough start, feisty veteran d-man finally impresses in Edmonton Oilers win over Seattle Kraken