RWJC Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 (edited) Oilers Linked To James Stefan March 21st, 2024 at 6:02pm CST • By Josh Erickson 6:02 p.m.: Edmonton has made Stefan’s signing official. It is indeed a three-year deal, although they declined to issue financial terms. 5:18 p.m.: The Oilers are one of six to eight teams pursuing top undrafted free agent forward James Stefan and are “closing in” on an entry-level deal, per PuckPedia. Stefan, 20, was one of many prospects who had his draft year derailed by the COVID pandemic. With an August 2003 birthday, Stefan was initially eligible for the 2021 draft, in which many CHL players, specifically those in the OHL, had their seasons significantly disrupted or canceled entirely. Stefan was one of them, as instead of an important sophomore season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, Stefan played most of the season with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL in an unexpected transfer, where he struggled to put himself in draft consideration with 10 goals, 28 points and a -10 rating in 41 games. Since returning to Portland, Stefan has been a major factor in a top-six role for one of the better teams in major junior hockey. The son of 1999 first-overall pick Patrik Stefan has recorded a point per game or better in three straight seasons but has broken out in earnest this year. He’s top-ten in the league with 48 goals and 99 points, and is second on the U.S. Division-leading Winterhawks behind another top UDFA target, Gabe Klassen. The Laguna Beach, California, native’s +47 rating is also second on the team and fourth overall in the league. Stefan’s ELC signing age would be 21, meaning his ELC will be a three-year pact beginning next season. As such, he’ll be an RFA in 2027 for whoever signs him. https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/oilers-linked-to-james-stefan.html#ref=home Edited March 21 by RWJC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 "I shall return to the site of my father's greatest disgrace and avenge his legacy" BERGERON FANS ON THE PASS STEFAN STEALS AND HE'LL ICE IT OH AT LEAST I THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA UNTIL HE BLEW IT THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE HERE COME THE OILERS COMING BACK THE OTHER WAY HEMSKY'S LOOSE HEMSKY HE SCORES CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT WE JUST SAW 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoop Hogg Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Hopefully this Stefan can put the puck into an empty net. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwarrior Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Man, hope his career goes better than his father's.................. or ends the same way. That was so fuckin funny. I still don't understand why he didn't shoot from the faceoff circle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 It's tough enough you have to earn your ice time. But the fans will bug him about his Dad. For his sake I hope he quietly has a solid career. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PureQuickness Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 We all know what happened with Patrik. I think it's disrespectful to keep mentioning it, in light of his son getting a contract from an ELC contract from an NHL team. That is an accomplishment that few people here (if at all) will get. I can't imagine the pressures of growing up with a last name like Stefan. EVERYONE in the community practically knows who he is. Then imagine trying to be drafted - and not getting that opportunity. I also can't imagine if there's any pressure on his part to make his dad proud. I think we should be happy for James. He could've just avoided the sport entirely. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Money Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 There’s a massive difference between spending a 1st overall pick, and signing an undrafted free agent. If he pans out as even a depth NHL player, it’s a big win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWestNuck Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 On 3/22/2024 at 11:56 PM, PureQuickness said: We all know what happened with Patrik. I think it's disrespectful to keep mentioning it, in light of his son getting a contract from an ELC contract from an NHL team. That is an accomplishment that few people here (if at all) will get. I can't imagine the pressures of growing up with a last name like Stefan. EVERYONE in the community practically knows who he is. Then imagine trying to be drafted - and not getting that opportunity. I also can't imagine if there's any pressure on his part to make his dad proud. I think we should be happy for James. He could've just avoided the sport entirely. To be fair, although we all laugh at the way dads career ended (much like Tommy Salo’s), we all still acknowledge that he had a career, which is more then almost anyone else can say. James has nothing to live up to, nothing to “overcome” as far as anything doing with his dad and the fans. Good on him for getting past the real adversity, the shut down years, and proving he deserves a shot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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