The Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers accomplished a one-for-one commerce on Monday (Nov. 4) night time, swapping minor-league defenders. The Oilers acquired Ronnie Attard in trade for Ben Gleason, which frees up some area on the blue line for the Bakersfield Condors shifting ahead, and provides them some flexibility with their lineup as an alternative of getting to scratch a veteran defender each night time.
Gleason, who’s 26 years previous and is a left-shot defender, has simply 4 video games of NHL expertise with one help. Within the American Hockey League (AHL), he has performed 359 video games scoring 40 objectives and including 137 assists for 177 factors which comes out to a 0.49 points-per-game common. Having moved on from Gleason, let’s now take a fast take a look at the latest member of the Oilers.
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Attard, who’s 25 years previous and is a right-shot defender, was drafted by the Flyers within the third spherical of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at 72nd general after a robust season in the US Hockey League (USHL) with the Tri-Metropolis Storm the place he scored 30 objectives and added 34 assists for 64 factors by way of 48 video games. The next season, he joined Western Michigan College within the NCAA. In his first season within the NCAA, he scored six objectives and added eight assists for 14 factors by way of 30 video games. In his second season, he scored eight objectives and added 14 assists for 22 factors by way of 25 video games. The 2021-22 marketing campaign was his last season within the NCAA, and he scored 13 objectives and added 23 assists for 36 factors by way of 39 video games. As soon as that season was over, he made the soar to the NHL.
Attard scored two objectives and added two assists for 4 factors in 15 video games with the Flyers after the conclusion of the 2021-22 NCAA season. He would spend nearly all of the the 2022-23 season within the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms the place he scored 12 objectives and added 20 assists for 32 factors by way of 68 video games, solely taking part in two video games within the NHL with out notching some extent. He additionally spent many of the 2023-24 season within the AHL, taking part in 48 video games with the Phantoms scoring ten objectives and including 17 assists for 27 factors. He additionally performed 12 video games within the NHL including two assists.
Attard’s Dimension an Enticing Asset to His Sport
Attard is listed at 6-foot-3, 207 kilos, and has confirmed to be a talented shutdown defender on the AHL degree. This season, he has no factors by way of seven video games however has proven promise as a possible future depth defender on the NHL degree. If he can proceed to develop with the Condors this season and the Oilers have to name somebody up if accidents begin to happen, he might be one of many first ones they contemplate mentioning.
With the carousel of depth defenders that the Oilers are utilizing on the correct aspect of the blue line this season, Attard has an opportunity to earn a promotion if any of them begin to decline or if the crew needs to make a change. Whereas he’ll profit from extra ice time within the minors and will proceed to fine-tune his defensive sport as he develops right into a future bottom-pairing defensive position participant, it wouldn’t be shocking if he earned a number of video games with the Oilers this season.
Attard is a pending unrestricted free agent, so his play this season will determine whether or not or not he earns a brand new take care of the Oilers or in the event that they determine to let him stroll into free company. On the finish of the day, this minor-league swap offers the Oilers extra depth on the right-side of their blue line, however it isn’t a blockbuster deal that shakes the group in an enormous means.
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