January 21, 2023 by Raghu Sharma

It’s been a busy and exciting couple of months for Edmonton Oilers’ rookie goalie Stuart Skinner. After a promising start to his rookie campaign, Skinner signed a three-year contract extension worth $7.8 million with Oilers on December 19, 2022.

Then, he became a father for the first time on January 14, with the birth of his son Beau. And, on Wednesday, Skinner was named an NHL all-star. Skinner is set to join Grant Fuhr as the only rookie goalies in Oilers history to play in the NHL All-Star Game.

Though he’s been arguably the Oilers most important player so far this season besides Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Skinner was still surprised to learn he will be heading to South Florida for the All-Star Game later this month.

“I found out by [Woodcroft] on the ice. He announced [McDavid] going, [Draisaitl going], and then he took a little while and said my name. And my reaction, I was kind of just shocked,” Skinner told Oilers TV on Friday. “I didn’t really expect it. And then all the guys came and hugged me, and it was obviously a very exciting moment. It’s something you watch growing up, and kind of wanted to be there, so it’s pretty cool that I get to go and meet the guys.

After making his NHL debut in his only appearance in 2020-21, Skinner played 13 games for the Oilers last season (mostly due to injuries to Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen), where he showed that he’s close to ready for full-time NHL work. His final outing in 2021-22 was also his first career NHL shutout in the NHL, posting a 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks on February 14, 2022.

Related: Oilers will rely on tandem of Campbell and Skinner down the stretch drive

Many Oilers fans, myself included, wanted to see Skinner stay with the Oilers down the stretch, but the cap concerns forced him back down to the Bakersfield Condors for the rest of the season. With Mikko Koskinen returning to Europe in the off-season and Mike Smith on LTIR, the Oilers brought in Jack Campbell to be their starting goalie, with Skinner helping form a promising young tandem.

While Campbell struggled early on, Skinner was one of the biggest reasons the Oilers managed to stay in the playoff hunt, as injuries started to pile up. Skinner leads the league in save percentage (.914) and ranks second in wins (12) and fifth in goals against average (2.96) among rookie goalies who have played in at least 10 games this season. The 24-year-old was a real bright spot for the team during a somewhat lackluster first-half, and will be counted on to play a big part as Edmonton continues their playoff push in the final three months of the season.

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft spoke about how impressive it is for not only Skinner, but the entire organization for him to become an all-star this early in his career.

“Stuart was commanding the net, and forcing the coaching staff’s hand at who was going to take the net a number of times this season,” Woodcroft said during post-game presser on Thursday. “When is the last time an Edmonton Oiler goaltender has played in the All-Star Game? He is a rookie goaltender, isn’t that a win for our scouts? Isn’t that a win for our development team. and a win for everyone who helped him get to that point?”

Skinner was quickly become a fan favourite in Oil Country, thanks to his positive attitude, loveable smile, fantastic moustache, and most importantly, his strong play between the pipes.