Stuart Skinner
{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (born 1998)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| name = Stuart Skinner
| image = Stuart Skinner 3 18.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Skinner with the Edmonton Oilers in 2023
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|11|1}}
| birth_place = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lbs = 230
| position = Goaltender
| catches = Left
| league = NHL
| team = Edmonton Oilers
| prospect_team =
| prospect_league = AHL
| draft = 78th overall
| draft_year = 2017
| draft_team = Edmonton Oilers
| career_start = 2018
| career_end = present
}}
Stuart Daniel Skinner{{cite web| url = https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/edmonton-oilers/stuart-skinner-was-youngest-of-nine-kids-and-starting-his-edmonton-oilers-journey | title = Stuart Skinner was youngest of nine children, starting his Edmonton Oilers journey | publisher = Edmonton Journal | date = September 11, 2017 | access-date = September 11, 2017}} (born November 1, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the third round, 78th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Oilers.
Playing career
Skinner was born and raised in Edmonton, and played minor ice hockey at the South Side Athletic Club (SSAC), including overlapping seasons on the SSAC Lions of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League (AMBHL) with future Edmonton Oilers teammates Tyler Benson (two SSAC seasons) and James Hamblin (one SSAC season).{{cite web |title=The South Siders |first=Liam |last=Horrobin |date=November 29, 2022 |website=oilersnation.com |url=https://oilersnation.com/news/three-edmonton-oilers-from-south-side-athletics-club |access-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202121936/https://oilersnation.com/news/three-edmonton-oilers-from-south-side-athletics-club |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |url-status=live}}
=Junior=
Skinner played major junior hockey in the Western Hockey League with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current Broncos.{{cite web| url = https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/edmonton-oilers-use-78th-pick-to-take-stuart-skinner-from-the-lethbridge-hurricanes | title = Edmonton Oilers use 78th pick to take Stuart Skinner from Lethbridge Hurricanes | publisher = Edmonton Journal | date = June 24, 2017 | access-date = January 31, 2021}}
On March 18, 2016, Skinner scored an empty net goal with the Lethbridge Hurricanes against the Medicine Hat Tigers, making him the only goaltender in franchise history and the seventh in WHL history to do so.{{Cite web|title=Lethbridge Hurricanes Goaltender Scores A Goal|url=https://ingoalmag.com/news/lethbridge-hurricanes-goaltender-scores-goal/|access-date=March 21, 2021}}
=Edmonton Oilers=
File:Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers.jpg in 2023.]]
After his selection in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Skinner was later signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers on May 14, 2018.{{cite web| url = https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/oilers-sign-stuart-skinner-to-entry-level-deal/ | title = Oilers sign Skinner to entry-level deal | publisher = Edmonton Journal | date = May 14, 2018 | access-date = January 31, 2021}}
Entering the final year of his entry-level contract, Skinner remained on the Oilers roster to start the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 season. With an injury to veteran Mike Smith, Skinner served as the Oilers backup to Mikko Koskinen through the first 9 games.{{cite web| url = https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/unproven-stuart-skinner-to-get-the-start-for-oilers-vs-ottawa-tonight-reports-ryan-rishaug | title = Stuart Skinner to get the start for Oilers against Senators | publisher = Edmonton Journal | date = February 1, 2021 | access-date = February 1, 2021}} He made his NHL debut and first career start on January 31, 2021, against the Ottawa Senators, collecting his first win in an 8–5 victory.{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/ottawa-senators-edmonton-oilers-game-recap/c-320707888|title=Draisaitl has six assists in Oilers win against Senators|last=Van Diest|first=Derek|date=January 31, 2021|publisher=NHL.com|access-date=January 31, 2021}} Skinner would spend the remainder of the season with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL). He would lead all goaltenders in wins with 20, and helped backstop Bakersfield to the Pacific Division Championship.{{cite web|url=https://oilersnation.com/news/bakersfield-condors-win-ahl-pacific-division-title|title=Bakersfield Condors win AHL Pacific Division title|last=Laing|first=Zach|date=May 30, 2021|publisher=oilersnation.com|access-date=December 8, 2022}}
Skinner would split the 2021–22 season between the AHL and the NHL. On February 14, 2022, Skinner recorded his first NHL shutout against the San Jose Sharks, making 20 saves to win the game 3–0.{{Cite web|last=Wilkins|first=Reid|date=February 15, 2022|title=Edmonton Oilers shut out Sharks|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8620296/edmonton-oilers-skinner-shutout-sharks/|access-date=February 15, 2022|website=Global News}}
During the 2022–23 season, with the departure of Mikko Koskinen and injury to Mike Smith, Skinner was initially expected to be the backup to newly signed goaltender Jack Campbell. Skinner's strong play along with Campbell's struggling performance led Skinner to take over the starter position.{{Cite web |last=Nugent-Bowman |first=Daniel |title=Stuart Skinner has been the Oilers' saviour — and that's not a good thing |url=https://theathletic.com/3974417/2022/12/06/stuart-skinner-oilers-savior/ |access-date=December 9, 2022 |website=The Athletic}} On January 19, 2023, the NHL announced Skinner as one of three final players of the Pacific Division voted in the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, along with teammate Leon Draisaitl.{{Cite web |title=Edmonton Oilers: All-Star berth completes hat-trick for Stuart Skinner |url=https://edmontonsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/edmonton-oilers/edmonton-oilers-all-star-berth-completes-hat-trick-for-stuart-skinner |access-date=January 30, 2023 |website=edmontonsun}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=January 19, 2023 |title=Auston Matthews Leon Draisaitl Stuart Skinner Bo Horvat Connor Hellebuyck 2023 NHL All-star Game |url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/auston-matthews-leon-draisaitl-stuart-skinner-bo-horvat-connor-hellebuyck-2023-nhl-all-star-game-1.1908620 |access-date=January 30, 2023 |website=TSN}} Skinner ultimately appeared in 50 games in the regular season, recording a 29–14–5 record with a .914 save percentage. He was voted a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the NHL's Rookie of the Year award.{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/news/matty-beniers-owen-power-stuart-skinner-named-calder-trophy-finalists/c-344120976 |title=Beniers, Power, Skinner named Calder Trophy finalists |website=NHL.com |first=David |last=Satriano |date=May 3, 2023 |access-date=May 3, 2023}}
On January 23, 2024, during the 2023–24 season, Skinner recorded his 11th consecutive win, beating the franchise record of 10 previously held by Grant Fuhr.{{Cite news |date=2024-01-23 |title=Oilers win 14th in a row with 4-1 decision over Blue Jackets |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/article-oilers-win-14th-in-a-row-with-4-1-decision-over-blue-jackets/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}
Personal life
Skinner is the youngest of nine siblings, all of whom have first names that begin with the letter "S".{{Cite web |last=Nugent-Bowman |first=Daniel |title=How Stuart Skinner became Oilers' 'young goalie on the rise' and what's next for him to realize potential |url=https://theathletic.com/3021884/2021/12/17/how-stuart-skinner-became-oilers-young-goalie-on-the-rise-and-whats-next-for-him-to-realize-potential/ |access-date=January 14, 2023 |website=The Athletic}} He met his wife, Chloe, after a WHL game he played in Lethbridge; they married in June 2020. Their first son, Beau, was born in 2023 and their second son, Darcy, was born in 2025.{{cite news |last=Umbach |first=Jamie |date=January 23, 2023 |title=BLOG: Chloe, Stuart welcome first-born Beau to Skinner family |url=https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/blog-chloe-stuart-welcome-first-born-beau-to-skinner-family/c-340043896 |accessdate=February 10, 2023 |work=NHL}}{{Cite web |date=2025-01-28 |title=BLOG: Skinner family celebrates the birth of their second son Darcy {{!}} Edmonton Oilers |url=https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/blog-skinner-family-celebrates-the-birth-of-their-second-son-darcy |access-date=2025-01-28 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="width:75%; text-align:center;" | |||||||||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="9" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"|Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="8" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"|Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! W !! L !! OTL !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV% ! GP !! W !! L !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV% | |||||||||||||||
| 2011–12
| SSAC Lions | AMBHL | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2.59 | .910
| 11 | — | — | — | — | — | 2.60 | .900 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2012–13 | SSAC Lions | AMBHL | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1.75 | .929
| 11 | — | — | — | — | — | 1.45 | .947 |
| 2013–14
| WHL | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 197 | 17 | 0 | 5.17 | .866
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2014–15 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 43 | 13 | 20 | 5 | 2,327 | 143 | 1 | 3.69 | .909
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 44 | 27 | 10 | 1 | 2,238 | 102 | 3 | 2.73 | .920
| 4 | 1 | 3 | 191 | 12 | 0 | 3.76 | .862 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2016–17 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 60 | 34 | 18 | 2 | 3,386 | 184 | 2 | 3.26 | .905
| 20 | 10 | 10 | 12,43 | 64 | 0 | 3.09 | .916 |
| 2017–18
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 31 | 14 | 15 | 0 | 1,737 | 98 | 4 | 3.38 | .897
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2017–18 | WHL | 25 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 1,433 | 64 | 2 | 2.68 | .914
| 26 | 16 | 10 | 1,609 | 59 | 6 | 2.20 | .932 |
| 2018–19
| ECHL | 41 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 2,260 | 119 | 4 | 3.16 | .903
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2018–19 | AHL | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 362 | 18 | 0 | 2.99 | .879
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 175 | 7 | 0 | 2.39 | .918 |
| 2019–20
| Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 41 | 16 | 17 | 6 | 2,267 | 125 | 1 | 3.31 | .892
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2019–20 | Wichita Thunder | ECHL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 182 | 11 | 0 | 3.62 | .894
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21
| NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 5.03 | .868
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2020–21 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 31 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 1,787 | 125 | 2 | 2.38 | .914
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 336 | 15 | 0 | 2.68 | .907 |
| 2021–22
| Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 35 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 2,088 | 77 | 5 | 2.21 | .920
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 298 | 14 | 0 | 2.82 | .911 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2021–22 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 13 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 735 | 32 | 1 | 2.62 | .913
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23
| Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 50 | 29 | 14 | 5 | 2,904 | 133 | 1 | 2.75 | .914
| 12 | 5 | 6 | 619 | 38 | 0 | 3.68 | .883 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2023–24 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 59 | 36 | 16 | 5 | 3,362 | 147 | 2 | 2.62 | .905
| 23 | 14 | 9 | 1,373 | 56 | 1 | 2.45 | .901 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3"|NHL totals ! 123 !! 72 !! 36 !! 10 !! 7,059 !! 317 !! 4 !! 2.69 !! .910 ! 35 !! 19 !! 15 !! 1,992 !! 94 !! 1 !! 2.83 !! .894 |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em;" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! Result ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP !! W !! L !! T !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV% | ||||||||
| 2014
| Canada Black | U17 | 7th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 177 | 12 | 0 | 4.05 | .831 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2016 | Canada | U18 | 4th | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 6 | 0 | 2.82 | .860 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4"|Junior totals ! 6 !! 3 !! 2 !! 0 !! 304 !! 18 !! 0 !! 3.55 !! .849 |
Awards and honours
| class="wikitable"
! Award ! Year ! Ref |
| colspan="3"|AMBHL |
|---|
| Champion (SSAC Lions)
| 2012 | |
| Best GAA (1.75)
| 2013 | |
| Top Goaltender
| 2013 | |
| colspan="3"|WHL |
| Ed Chynoweth Cup champion
| 2018 | |
| colspan="3"|NHL |
| NHL All-Star Game
| 2023 | |
| NHL All-Rookie Team
| 2023 |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Ice hockey stats|hr=s/skinnst01}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Stuart}}
Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen
Category:Bakersfield Condors players
Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Category:Edmonton Oilers draft picks
Category:Edmonton Oilers players
Category:Ice hockey people from Edmonton
Category:Lethbridge Hurricanes players
Category:National Hockey League All-Stars