Saturday’s third period was a bit of a rollercoaster for Troy Stecher.
Or at least, it would have been for anybody else.
With just under 10 minutes left in regulation and the Oilers already on the penalty kill, Stecher met St. Louis Blues defenceman Scott Perunovich with a cross-check right in the numbers as he came up the ice. Stecher was off to the penalty box, sending the Blues to a 5-on-3 that they would eventually capitalize on to cut the Oilers’ lead to one. Not only was the play unnecessary, but also disastrously ill-timed.
But Stecher rebounded. The Richmond, BC native was right back on the ice after the goal, and just 70 seconds later threw a puck on net from the half-wall that handcuffed Blues goalie Jordan Binnington and extended the Oilers’ lead back to 2, where it would stay for the remainder of the game.
Stecher never let the excitement get to him.
“I don’t go through ups and downs,” he told reporters after the game. “I’m pretty even keel.”
“I don’t know if you can tell by the way I play,” he added with a laugh.
That’s how Stecher has survived nine seasons in the NHL as an undrafted, undersized defenceman in a league that’s always prioritized size on the back end.
Stecher’s NHL career has never been easy. After beginning his career with four seasons playing for his hometown Vancouver Canucks, the 5’10” righty has bounced all over the league, playing for five teams in three seasons from 2021-22 to 2023-24, never spending a full season with one franchise. The Oilers picked him up from Arizona at last season’s trade deadline, only playing him for seven games.
He entered this season in a familiar position: the roster bubble. It was an open competition at Oilers training camp between Stecher, Travis Dermott, and Josh Brown for the last spot on the blueline. Even after making the team out of camp, Stecher had to fight off Dermott for regular playing time.
“That’s kind of been the story of my career,” Stecher said. “just showing up to the rink with a purpose and working hard and proving to my teammates and the coaching staff that I can be an option to play every night.”
He’s certainly been successful this year. Stecher has carved out a full-time role in Edmonton, playing in 23 of the team’s 27 games while splitting time between the second and third pairings. He was finally rewarded on Saturday night with his first goal as an Oiler and first anywhere since November 11th, 2023, with the Arizona Coyotes.
“I’m obviously not known for that, it’s not part of my game or my career,” Stecher said after the game. “Just happy it went in and ended up being a big goal, kind of gave us some cushion.”
Stecher’s play and mindset haven’t been lost on his teammates, either.
“He’s done a great job,” frequent partner Darnell Nurse told reporters. “He comes with such a positive attitude every day, puts his head down and works, has a great knowledge of the game and he’s always hungry to get better.”
That’s not to say he doesn’t know when he’s made a mistake, however.
“I got out of the box and thought my night might be over,” Stecher told the media with a smile. “Thankfully (assistant coach Paul) Coffey put me back out there.”
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