Young Oilers player named as breakout star candidate this season

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Liam McCormick
September 26, 2024 (2:18 PM)

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A young Oilers defenceman has been named as a candidate to have a breakout season this year.

Daily Faceoff has identified Ty Emberson as a player to take a major step forward this season. Emberson is only 24 years old with 30 games of NHL experience, but a number of factors point toward him being an under the radar player.

»If you dig into the numbers, Emberson actually posted a strong rookie season with the Sharks in limited showing. Aside from the shots he's averaged per game, Emberson makes a good first pass - which should be priority No. 1 for any Edmonton blueliner with the forwards on their roster. Emberson may not be a household name, but he played for Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch two seasons ago in AHL Hartford. This is a player Knoblauch knows and trusts.»
- Frank Seravalli

Emberson began his professional career with the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners in 2020. He had his breakout professional season after joining the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2022-23. Under the coaching of Kris Knoblauch, Emberson won the league's award for best defensive defenceman.

In 30 games with the San Jose Sharks Emberson was a very effective player, which is impressive considering his inexperience and the Sharks poor roster. Even on a struggling team, Emberson was able to put up 10 points and was only a -4. Playing top four minutes on a team like the Sharks, that's incredible results.

After losing Philip Broberg, Vincent Desharnais, and Cody Ceci, the Edmonton Oilers needs defenceman to step up and play above expectations. Ty Emberson is the Oilers best candidate to do so, and it seems he'll be given the first opportunity on the second pair with Darnell Nurse.

The Oilers have only four more preseason games left before their regular season opener against the Winnipeg Jets. Gear up Oilers fans, hockey is back!