PRESS RELEASE
EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers have signed unrestricted free agent defenceman Jason Strudwick to a one-year contract.
"Jason is a veteran NHL defencemen who will add depth and a physical presence on our blueline," said Kevin Prendergast, the Oilers’ vice-president of Hockey Operations. "A proven leader, he is excited to be returning to his hometown to play and we are looking forward to having him as part of our defensive corps."
The six-foot-four, 225-pound defencemen will be entering his 12th NHL season this coming fall and the Oilers will be his fifth team.
Strudwick, who will turn 33 on July 17, has played 488 career NHL games since turning pro with the New York Islanders in 1995-96. He has scored 11-27-38 and registered 678 career penalty minutes during his career that has seen him play with the Islanders, Vancouver, Chicago and the New York Rangers.
Drafted by the Islanders in the third round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, Strudwick played 52 games with the New York Rangers in 2007-08.
Averaging 12:56 minutes of ice time per game, he scored 1-1-2 with 40 penalty minutes and was even in the plus/minus rankings. He was scoreless in two post-season appearances.
Strudwick turned pro after a successful junior career that saw him win back-to-back Memorial Cup championships with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League in 1993-94 and 1994-95.
