The Edmonton Oilers are well on their way to the postseason and are making a late push in hopes of finishing first in the Pacific Division this season. They currently sit second in the division behind the Vancouver Canucks who have been one of the strongest teams in the entire league, but the Oilers still have a chance to pass them with games in hand. Aside from their focus on the upcoming postseason, they made another transaction this week signing the son of former NHL player Patrik Stefan out of the Western Hockey League (WHL), James Stefan, to a three-year entry-level contract.
Stefan is an offensive mastermind who currently plays with the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL. At the time of this article, he has scored 48 goals and added 51 assists for 99 points through 65 games this season. He went undrafted and has been torching the WHL offensively since the 2021-22 season. Over three seasons, he is over a point-per-game pace with 254 points through 252 games. He is expected to join the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League (AHL) when he eventually starts his professional career.
Who is James Stefan?
Stefan is a 20-year-old right-shot forward from Laguna Beach, California who stands 6 feet, 185 pounds. He started gaining attention in the 2018-19 season when he played at the U15AAA level with the Little Caesars 15U AAA team. With them, he scored 49 goals and added 46 assists for 95 points through 71 games. He spent the 2019-20 season with the Winterhawks where he played a depth role, only scoring five goals and adding four assists for nine points through 49 games, and often being scratched or utilized in their bottom six.
The 2020-21 season was riddled for everyone worldwide because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Stefan still made the most of the opportunity he was given. He only played six games with the Winterhawks that season putting up three assists, but played the majority of the campaign in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Lincoln Stars. With the Stars, he found some confidence offensively scoring 10 goals and adding 18 assists for 28 points through 41 games.
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Stefan returned to the Winterhawks in the 2021-22 season where he exploded offensively, scoring 34 goals and adding 45 assists for 79 points through 68 games. He made a name for himself that season and put himself on the radar of professional teams with that unexpected showing. He followed it up in the 2022-23 season with a point-per-game season scoring 22 goals and adding 42 assists for 64 points through 64 games, entering his final season in the WHL with hopes he could showcase himself as a future NHL player.
Stefan’s Future in the Oilers Organization
Stefan has strength at both ends of the ice. His offensive production speaks for itself as he is about to break the 100-point mark for the first time in his career. Defensively, he will need to adapt to the professional level but he should be able to clean up his defensive zone structure after a couple of seasons with the Condors. Offensively, he needs to try his best to translate his confidence which will take at least two seasons, but he should be able to do that and become a top-six forward with the Condors.
After a few seasons with the Condors, Stefan could earn his opportunity at the NHL level with the Oilers if he can clean up and translate his game to the professional level. If he peaks and reaches his ceiling as a player, he could be a reliable middle-six forward with the Oilers down the road. It will be a long road to the NHL for Stefan, but he should be able to do it. Hopefully, he can continue to progress positively and get his shot with the Oilers before his entry-level deal runs out.
