On Saturday (April 19), the Edmonton Oilers announced they had signed defenceman Ty Emberson to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.3 million. The right-shot rearguard was set to become a restricted free agent this offseason.
“It’s super exciting for me, obviously. It’s something that you always work toward,” Emberson said about the contract, while speaking to the media on Saturday. “Something I try to do every day is just to get better consistently, so I thank (the Oilers). For them to put the trust in me for the next two years is big, and I’m excited about it.”
"It's something that you always work toward… For them to put the trust in me for the next two years is big & I'm excited about it."
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 19, 2025
Ty Emberson on signing a two-year extension with the #Oilers today.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/0bYwjZiVD4
This deal ensures Emberson will be part of Edmonton’s future. But all of sudden, he is of immediate importance to the Oilers, who are set to begin their championship quest in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Emberson Making NHL Playoff Debut
Tonight (April 21), the Oilers take on the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena for Game 1 of the teams’ best-of-seven first round series. For Emberson, the contest will mark his NHL postseason debut.
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Predictions
Emberson just completed his first season with the Oilers, after being acquired last August from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for veteran defenceman Cody Ceci and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 24-year-old suited up for 76 games, averaging 15:07 ice time.
With veteran Oilers defencemen, including Mattias Ekholm, John Klingberg, Troy Stecher and Jake Walman, sidelined by injury, Emberson’s ice time increased significantly towards the end of the regular season. He capitalized on the opportunity, showing that he’s capable of playing a bigger role, perhaps sooner than expected.
Over Edmonton’s last four contests, Emberson totalled the third-most hits (10) and second-best plus/minus (plus-5) on the team, while scoring his first two goals as an Oiler and recording the first multipoint game of his NHL career.
Emberson Made Strides During Season
Emberson might have already exceeded the level of play expected from him, at least this season. Among Oilers skaters in 2024-25, he ranked third for hits (125), fourth for blocked shots (97) and played the most minutes on the penalty-kill (149:32).
The Wisconsin native wasn’t the subject of much fanfare when he was acquired on Aug. 18. At that point, he had just 30 games of NHL experience, all coming in 2023-24 with the Sharks.
But Emberson had previously played for Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch, when both were with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2022-23.
“In the case of Emberson, I did talk to Kris and he’s very familiar with Ty and he was very complimentary of his game,” Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said after making the trade with San Jose last August. “(Knoblauch) loved having him on his team in Hartford, he was a very effective player for (Knoblauch).
“That’s always important when there’s a comfort level with your coach and a player that you’re bringing in. That’s not usually the case. It’s not too often when they’ve coached them elsewhere, so I think that was helpful in that part of it.”
Emberson’s Playing Time Increased
Since turning pro in 2021, following three seasons with the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team, Emberson’s only postseason action came with Hartford two years ago. He helped the Wolf Pack reach the division finals of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs, scoring twice and picking up three assists over nine games, while ranking second on the team with a rating of plus-9.
After not reaching 20 minutes of ice time since Edmonton’s season-opener, Emberson played more than 20 minutes in each of the last two games. His playoff workload will obviously depend on the status of Edmonton’s dinged-up D-men. On Sunday, it was reported by Tony Brar of Oilers TV that Stecher is out for Game 1.
Is Emberson ready to be an impact player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Can the Oilers at least depend on him to provide a solid 20 shifts game-in, game-out, in a best-of-seven series? There is a history of young Oilers defencemen coming of age in the postseason. Emberson just might be the next one.
