The Edmonton Oilers continue to sign players that will be added depth to not only their own team but their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Bakersfield Condors as well. They have brought in Noel Hoefenmayer on a one-year deal worth $840,000, a $70,000 signing bonus, and $775,000 in base salary. He will likely spend the majority of his tenure with the Oilers in the minors.
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With no NHL experience yet, Hoefenmayer will be looking to find a new level to his game after failing to crack the Toronto Maple Leafs’ roster over the past few seasons and being stuck in the minors. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to stick in the AHL either and has found himself bouncing between the AHL and ECHL.
On a low-risk, high-reward contract, Hoefenmayer will be looked at as defensive depth for the Condors and likely start out on their third pairing. He’s young and while he hasn’t found his game just yet at the professional level, he still has some skill that the Condors could utilize as they look to remain competitive next season as well.
Hoefenmayer’s Career So Far
Hoefenmayer was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft at 108th overall after a couple of impressive seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Ottawa 67’s. He was a projected depth defenseman with the potential to slide into a team’s bottom four but hasn’t been able to do that just yet.
He continued to play in the OHL over the next few seasons, even being named the alternate captain of the 67’s between 2018-2020 playing alongside a couple of other top prospects in Marco Rossi and Jack Quinn. In 298 career games with the 67’s, Hoefenmayer scored 65 goals and added 157 assists for 222 points which comes out to a 0.75 points per game average.
Hoefenmayer got his first taste of professional hockey in the 2020-21 season when he split the year between the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL. He played 18 games with the Marlies scoring two goals and adding four assists for six points and played 23 games with the Growlers scoring two goals and adding eight assists for 10 points.
He followed it up with a much stronger performance in the ECHL as he scored 13 goals and added 27 assists for 40 points through 46 games with the Growlers and played eight games with three assists with the Marlies in the 2021-22 season. The 2022-23 season was the biggest leap for Hoefenmayer though, as he solidified himself as a solid AHL defenseman.
Hoefenmayer scored 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points through 65 games with the Marlies, and also added 114 penalty minutes. He became the defender the Marlies leaned on for the majority of the season in big moments and earned himself a two-way deal with the Oilers this season.
Hoefenmayer’s Fit With The Oilers
While this seems like a weird signing for the Oilers, it’s a good one. Hoefenmayer likely won’t see much NHL time if any at all, but will be utilized as a top defenseman with the Condors this season. I could see him potentially being a top-pairing defenseman in the minors that gets the call with any injuries to the Oilers’ blue line.
He is a solid player and for the price they paid, he is a really strong pickup. He will be a massive addition to the Condors lineup and should help them solidify themselves as an AHL championship contender.
Overall, I really like this signing for the Oilers. No risk, high reward if he’s able to turn into something more than just a depth AHL defenseman.
