On our journey to profile every player over the course of the offseason, we stop today to look at one of the lesser known Edmonton Oilers, Troy Stecher. A right shot defensive defenceman, Stecher was acquired at last season’s trade deadline, but was injured and did not play during the team’s near-glorious playoff run. Still, the Oilers saw enough that they are bringing a 30-year-old Stecher back. Let’s take a look at what Stecher brings to the ice to show why the Oilers are doing so.
Stecher’s NHL history
Stecher was undrafted, playing three seasons at the University of North Dakota until the 2015–16 season. Interestingly, Stecher was able to make the jump straight into the NHL out of college hockey, but for a brief four AHL games in 2016–17. Stecher would spend four seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, helping them make a run with the team during the bubble playoffs of 2019–20, his final season with the team.
Stecher earned a big raise as a UFA with the Detroit Red Wings. After one complete season with the Wings, Stecher began to bounce around the league. To this day the pattern has continued, as Stecher plays well enough to get traded to a deadline buyer, but not well enough to re-sign with the acquiring team, or any contender, during the offseason. That is, until now, as the Oilers buck the trend.
Though things did not work out on the Wings, or with the larger cap hit, Stecher found his way into big games for the Calgary Flames in 2022–23, and played exceptionally well for the Los Angeles Kings in a series against the Oilers in 2021–22. In between, Stecher signed with the Arizona Coyotes twice. This at least shows us that Stecher is not without a steady home because of his person, but rather the opportunities available.
International plus
Stecher has represented team Canada twice at the World Championships in 2018–19 and 2020–21. This goes to show that Stecher is a quality player, or at least has been in the past.
Stats
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts |
| 2013-14 | U. of North Dakota | NCHC | 42 | 2 | 9 | 11 |
| 2014-15 | U. of North Dakota | NCHC | 34 | 3 | 10 | 13 |
| 2015-16 | U. of North Dakota | NCHC | 43 | 8 | 21 | 29 |
| 2016-17 | Utica Comets | AHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016-17 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 71 | 3 | 21 | 24 |
| 2017-18 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 68 | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| 2018-19 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 78 | 2 | 21 | 23 |
| 2019-20 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 69 | 5 | 12 | 17 |
| 2020-21 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 44 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| 2021-22 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021-22 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022-23 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 61 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| 2022-23 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 20 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 2023-24 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 47 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 2023-24 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Stecher’s strengths
As noted, Stecher is a defensive defenceman, and a fairly reliable one at that. Stecher can be counted on to make smart reads, even under pressure and through physicality. Thanks to his consistency and responsibility, Stecher is sure to be a coach’s favourite more than a scoresheet darling. While not entirely inept with the puck, as Stecher can make support passes, Stecher should not be expected to produce offence.
When it comes to the pillars of sound defence, Stecher is capable. He can skate well enough to defend the rush, is willing to do the dirty work of in-zone defending, and has enough skill to aid in breakouts, at least in getting the puck to teammates. Stecher is a solid option on a second penalty kill unit as well. These qualities are why GMs keep targeting Stecher, and why coaches usually end up trusting him with a lineup spot in high stakes games.
Stecher’s weaknesses
To some extent, Stecher is a one dimensional player, as he does not contribute much offence. There might also be some historical bias, as Stecher has no draft pedigree to fall back on. The main issue is that Stecher does not have a frame that is conducive to his style of play. Dynamic offensive defencemen might be able to cash in despite being smaller in stature, a contentious issue in some markets, but the label of being undersized is even less ideal in defensive defencemen.
Listed at 5’10” and 184 lbs, Stecher is not the biggest or strongest. Instead, his brain has been the reason he has been able to stay in the NHL, as Stecher has been able to maximise the tools that he does possess.
Fit with the Oilers
Naturally, the right shot Stecher would prefer a left shot partner. Mattias Ekholm would be an outstanding partner from Stecher’s perspective, but even outside of Ekholm’s services being tied to the rising star of Evan Bouchard, an Ekholm-Stecher duo might leave wanting more puck moving skills. In this respect, Brett Kulak is a far more likely option, but might suffer a similar shortcoming to a greater extent. In a pinch, either would be perfectly acceptable.
On the other hand, both Darnell Nurse and Philip Broberg would be fairly ideal partners for Stecher, perhaps even symbiotic. Both Nurse and Broberg have the physical tools that Stecher lacks, but also are able to do most of the puck moving work. Stecher’s steady and cerebral defensive play would also be a help to both Nurse and Broberg.
Stecher is likely on the outside looking into the blueline at full health, but he is a fairly ideal extra at an affordable cap hit. Stecher helps injury proof the right side of the Oilers blueline. Further still, Stecher might make a potential cap clearing move possible, offloading either Kulak or Cody Ceci. Some fans might prefer Stecher to those options outright, but in a hard salary cap world cap hits must always be considered. In all, signing Stecher was a quality low-risk buy who will help the team next season.
