Edmonton Oil Kings

{{short description|Western Hockey League team in Edmonton, Alberta}}

{{about|the current team that began play in 2007|the original Oil Kings franchises that existed until 1978|Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)}}

{{infobox hockey team

| team = Edmonton Oil Kings

| colour = background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#c61a31 5px solid; border-bottom:#ffc526 5px solid;

| colour text = #000000

| logo = Edmonton Oil Kings logo.svg

| logosize = 220px

| city = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

| league = Western Hockey League

| conference = Eastern

| division = Central

| founded = 2006

| arena = Rogers Place

| colours = Red, royal blue, gold, white
{{Color box|#c61a31}} {{Color box|#00539c}} {{Color box|#ffc526}} {{Color box|white}}| championships = Memorial Cup:
1 (2014)
Ed Chynoweth Cup:
3 (2012, 2014, 2022)
Conference Championships:
4 (2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2021–22)

| owner = Oilers Entertainment Group

| GM = Kirt Hill{{cite web |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/kirt-hill-named-oil-kings-president-of-hockey-operations-and-general-manager/n-5357897 |title=Kirt Hill Named Oil Kings President of Hockey Operations and General Manager |website=OurSportsCentral.com |date=June 27, 2018}}

| coach = Luke Pierce

| website = [https://chl.ca/whl-oilkings/ chl.ca/whl-oilkings]

|reg_season_titles=1 (2011–12)

| uniform_image=WHL-Uniform-EDM.png}}

The Edmonton Oil Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, that play in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team, founded in 2006, shares an ownership group with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The team is the fourth WHL team based in Edmonton, and its identity connects to the original Oil Kings club, which was one of the league's founding franchises in 1966. The Oil Kings are three-time WHL champions and won the 2014 Memorial Cup.

Franchise history

= Earlier Edmonton teams =

Edmonton has a long history in the Western Hockey League. The original Oil Kings, owned and managed by Bill Hunter, were one of the league's founding franchises in 1966, and one of its most successful, winning back-to-back championships in 1970 and 1971.{{Cite book |last=Lapp |first=Richard M. |url=https://archive.org/details/localheroeshisto0000lapp/page/n3/mode/2up |title=Local Heroes: A History of the Western Hockey League |last2=White |first2=Silas |publisher=Harbour Publishing |year=1993 |isbn=1-55017-080-5 |location=Madeira Park, British Columbia |pages=58–60 |language=en-CA |url-access=registration}} However, the arrival of the Edmonton Oilers in the World Hockey Association led to the Oil Kings relocating to Portland in 1976, becoming the Winter Hawks.{{cite web |author1=Jones, Terry |author2=Jim Mathieson |date=June 11, 1976 |title=Oil Kings to become Portland Winter Hawks |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/472513562/ |publisher=Edmonton Journal |page=1}} The Oil Kings were briefly resurrected for a single season in 1978–79, when the Flin Flon Bombers played in Edmonton before moving on to Great Falls, Montana.{{Cite web |title=WHL History |url=https://whl.ca/history |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731211503/https://whl.ca/history |archive-date=2023-07-31 |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=Western Hockey League}} Edmonton was awarded an expansion franchise in 1996—the Edmonton Ice—but the team survived only two seasons before moving to Cranbrook, British Columbia, and becoming the Kootenay Ice—the team had found itself in conflict with the Oilers and was barred from playing at Northlands Coliseum, playing instead at the Northlands Agricom.{{Cite web |last=Jordan |first=Kevin |date=2021-10-31 |title=Edmonton Ice |url=https://ohlarenaguide.com/agricom.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119224531/https://ohlarenaguide.com/agricom.htm |archive-date=2022-01-19 |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=WHL Arena Guide}} These challenges, along with similar difficulties in Calgary, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, suggested that the WHL struggled to compete with professional hockey in Western Canada's largest markets.

File:Edmonton Oil Kings 2018 logo.png

= Return of the Kings =

In 2004, with the Calgary Hitmen—owned by the Calgary Flames—leading the WHL in attendance for the fourth consecutive season, and the Vancouver Giants also proving to be a success, the ownership group of the Oilers put out an open offer of $5 million to purchase and relocate any existing WHL franchise.{{cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Brownlee/2005/04/16/1000098-sun.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717163009/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Brownlee/2005/04/16/1000098-sun.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |title=What the WHL? |author=Brownlee, Robin |date=2005-04-16 |work=Canoe Inc. |access-date=2010-12-09}} With no takers, and with the 2004–05 NHL lockout looming, the Oilers chose to relocate their American Hockey League affiliate to Rexall Place. Despite finishing third in the AHL in attendance and having publicly promised to operate the team in Edmonton for at least three seasons, the Oilers suspended the Edmonton Road Runners after only one season with the return of the NHL. The Oilers then resumed their quest for a WHL team.{{Cite news |date=2005-06-05 |title=Road Runners to suspend operations |url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=127077&hubname= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060507173255/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=127077&hubname= |archive-date=2006-05-07 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=The Sports Network |agency=Canadian Press}}

When the sale of the Tri-City Americans to interests in Chilliwack, British Columbia failed, the WHL placed an expansion team in Chilliwack instead. While the league had earlier stopped considering further expansion, believing 20 teams was an ideal size, the addition of the Chilliwack Bruins left the league with an odd number of franchises. Preferring an even number of teams, the league announced its return to Edmonton on March 16, 2006 with the granting of an expansion franchise,{{Cite news |date=2006-03-17 |title=Edmonton joins WHL as 22nd franchise |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/edmonton-joins-whl-as-22nd-franchise/article704953/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514204442/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/edmonton-joins-whl-as-22nd-franchise/article704953/ |archive-date=2024-05-14 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=The Globe and Mail |agency=Canadian Press}} named the Oil Kings in homage to the former franchise. Moreover, the team adopted an updated version of the original Oil Kings' crown logo and jerseys.{{Cite news |date=2006-11-18 |title=WHL: Oil Kings returning to Edmonton |url=https://www.tsn.ca/chl/news_story/?ID=184894&hubname= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926214344/https://www.tsn.ca/chl/news_story/?ID=184894&hubname= |archive-date=2007-09-26 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=The Sports Network |agency=The Canadian Press}}

= Early success =

The team began play in the 2007–08 WHL season. The Oil Kings struggled in their first four seasons, missing the playoffs twice and failing to win a playoff round. However, beginning in 2011–12, their fifth season, and led by the likes of Griffin Reinhart, Curtis Lazar, and Tristan Jarry, they began a three-year run of success. That season, they captured the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy with the best regular season record, and advanced all the way to the championship series, where they defeated the Portland Winterhawks—the successor to the original Oil Kings—in seven games for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.{{Cite news |date=2012-05-13 |title=Oil Kings claim WHL championship |url=https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/oil-kings-claim-whl-championship-1.809143 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508204239/https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/oil-kings-claim-whl-championship-1.809143 |archive-date=2021-05-08 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=CTV News |agency=The Canadian Press}} At the 2012 Memorial Cup, the Oil Kings won their first game but then dropped two straight and were eliminated in a tie breaker against the Shawinigan Cataractes.{{Cite news |last=McCurdy |first=Bruce |date=2012-05-24 |title=Oil Kings' Memorial Cup dream morphs into nightmare |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/oil-kings-memorial-cup-dream-morphs-into-nightmare |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514202347/https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/oil-kings-memorial-cup-dream-morphs-into-nightmare |archive-date=2024-05-14 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=Edmonton Journal}} The following season, Edmonton again topped the Eastern Conference and faced Portland again for the league championship. This time, Portland prevailed in a six-game series.{{Cite news |date=2013-05-12 |title=Portland Winterhawks clinch WHL championship with win over Edmonton Oil Kings |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/555837/portland-winterhawks-clinch-whl-championship-with-win-over-edmonton-oil-kings/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514201850/https://globalnews.ca/news/555837/portland-winterhawks-clinch-whl-championship-with-win-over-edmonton-oil-kings/ |archive-date=2024-05-14 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=Global News |agency=The Canadian Press}} In 2013–14, the Oil Kings and Winterhawks faced off for a third consecutive year in the playoff final; it was only the second time two teams contested the final three years in a row, with the first occurrence between the original Oil Kings and the Flin Flon Bombers from 1969 to 1971. In the 2014 meeting, the Oil Kings avenged the previous year's loss in a seven-game series, earning a berth in their second Memorial Cup tournament in three seasons.{{Cite news |last=Sepich |first=Scott |date=2014-05-12 |title=Oil Kings down Winterhawks 4-2 for second WHL championship in three seasons |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/1327124/oil-kings-down-winterhawks-4-2-for-second-whl-championship-in-three-seasons/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520044508/https://globalnews.ca/news/1327124/oil-kings-down-winterhawks-4-2-for-second-whl-championship-in-three-seasons/ |archive-date=2014-05-20 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=Global News |agency=The Canadian Press}}

At the 2014 Memorial Cup, the Oil Kings again dropped two of their preliminary round games. However, their one win was good enough to advance to the semi-final, where they defeated the Val-d'Or Foreurs in triple overtime—it was the longest game in Memorial Cup history—to advance to the final.{{Cite news |date=2014-05-25 |title=Edmonton Oil Kings beat Guelph Storm in Memorial Cup final |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/edmonton-oil-kings-beat-guelph-storm-in-memorial-cup-final-1.2653856 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140526233937/https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/edmonton-oil-kings-beat-guelph-storm-in-memorial-cup-final-1.2653856 |archive-date=2014-05-26 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=CBC Sports |agency=The Canadian Press}} In the final, Edmonton defeated the Guelph Storm 6–3 to capture the championship, Edmonton's first since the original Oil Kings won in 1966.

= Second run of success =

After four seasons near the bottom of the Central Division, including two years out of the playoffs, the Oil Kings topped the division four seasons in a row beginning in 2018–19. Their run of success was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which cut the 2019–20 season short and resulted in a shortened 2020–21 campaign that was played in-division only and without playoffs.{{Cite web |title=Western Hockey League granted approval to return to play in Alberta |url=https://whl.ca/article/western-hockey-league-granted-approval-to-return-to-play-in-alberta |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128215938/https://whl.ca/article/western-hockey-league-granted-approval-to-return-to-play-in-alberta |archive-date=January 28, 2021 |access-date=April 13, 2021 |website=WHL |language=en-CA}} Regular play resumed in 2021–22; led by Dylan Guenther and Sebastian Cossa, that season the Oil Kings won their third Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions, defeating the Seattle Thunderbirds in the finals and advancing to the 2022 Memorial Cup.{{Cite news |last=Heidenreich |first=Phil |date=2022-06-14 |title=Edmonton Oil Kings capture WHL championship with Game 6 win over Seattle Thunderbirds |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8918456/edmonton-oil-kings-whl-champions-seattle-thunderbirds/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614044159/https://globalnews.ca/news/8918456/edmonton-oil-kings-whl-champions-seattle-thunderbirds/ |archive-date=2022-06-14 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=Global News}} With only an overtime win over the Saint John Sea Dogs in three preliminary round games, the Oil Kings were eliminated from the tournament.{{Cite news |last=Van Diest |first=Derek |date=2022-06-27 |title=Edmonton Oil Kings still champions despite being eliminated from Memorial Cup |url=https://edmontonsun.com/sports/hockey/edmonton-oil-kings-still-champions-despite-being-eliminated-from-memorial-cup |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628025028/https://edmontonsun.com/sports/hockey/edmonton-oil-kings-still-champions-despite-being-eliminated-from-memorial-cup |archive-date=2022-06-28 |access-date=2024-05-14 |work=Edmonton Sun}}

Season-by-season record

File:Hitmen v Oil Kings.jpg in the WHL's Battle of Alberta.]]

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

class="wikitable"
style="text-align:center; background:#dddddd; border-top:#c61a31 5px solid; border-bottom:#ffc526 5px solid;" \| Season	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	GF	GA	Points	Finish	Playoffs
align="center" \| 2007–08	72	22	39	4	7	162	241	55	5th Central	Did not qualify
align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee" \| 2008–09	72	29	34	4	5	191	252	67	5th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal (Hitmen)
align="center" \| 2009–10	72	16	43	4	9	169	285	45	6th Central	Did not qualify
align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee" \| 2010–11	72	31	34	2	5	249	252	69	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal (Rebels)
align="center" \| 2011–12	72	50	15	3	4	310	193	107	1st Central	Won Championship (Winterhawks)
align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee" \| 2012–13	72	51	15	2	4	278	155	108	1st Central	Lost Final (Winterhawks)
align="center" \| 2013–14	72	50	19	2	1	290	179	103	1st Central	Won Championship (Winterhawks) Won Memorial Cup (Storm)
align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee" \| 2014–15	72	34	31	4	3	217	204	75	5th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal (Wheat Kings)
align="center" \| 2015–16	72	29	36	6	1	197	238	65	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal (Wheat Kings)
align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee" \| 2016–17	72	23	43	5	1	193	292	52	5th Central	Did not qualify
align="center" \| 2017–18	72	22	42	6	2	204	315	52	6th Central	Did not qualify
align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee" \| 2018–19	68	42	18	4	4	259	196	92	1st Central	Lost Eastern Conference final (Raiders)
align="center" \| 2019–20	64	42	12	6	4	239	167	94	1st Central	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee" \| 2020–21	23	20	2	0	1	104	41	41	1st Central	No playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic
align="center" \| 2021–22	68	50	14	3	1	295	182	104	1st Central	Won Championship (Thunderbirds)
align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee" \| 2022–23	68	10	54	4	0	131	338	24	6th Central	Did not qualify
align="center" \| 2023–24	68	27	37	3	1	227	301	58	6th Central	Did not qualify
align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee" \| 2024–25	68	37	27	2	2	248	211	78	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal (Raiders)

Championship history

File:Edmonton Oil Kings (7618793058).jpgMemorial Cup: 2014
Ed Chynoweth Cup: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2021–22
Conference titles (4): 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2021–22
Division titles (7): 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22