Due to his size, <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/08/28/5-interesting-facts-about-oilers-defenceman-troy-stecher/">Tory Stecher</a> was never given the benefit of the doubt. He&#8217;s always had to prove he could defend. He spent his 16-18 years old seasons playing Junior A with the Penticton Vees. He produced 42 points in 53 games in his first year of NHL draft eligibility. He wasn&#8217;t drafted. He tallied 47 points the following season, but still wasn&#8217;t picked. He went to North Dakota to play for the Fighting Hawks. After three seasons in college, he left and on April 13th, 2016, signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks.

He attended his first training camp that fall and played four preseason games before being sent down to Utica. His stay in the American League was brief. He played four games before being recalled on October 24th. He made his NHL debut the next night vs. Ottawa, and Stecher has remained in the NHL ever since. He beat the odds.
The small, undrafted defenseman has now played 494 NHL games. He&#8217;s played the 71st-most games among NHL defenders since the start of the 2016-17 season. Stecher has played the seventh-most games among undrafted NHL defenseman in that time trailing only Brenden Dillon (607), Mark Giordano (556), Torey Krug (537), Nate Schmidt (521), Trevor van Riemsdyk (501) and Chris Tanev (497).
Stecher is currently 92nd all time in games played by undrafted defenseman, sandwiched between former Oilers Marc-Andre Bergeron (492) and Norm MacIver (501). Stecher has carved out quite the unexpected NHL career. But much of his career has been on underachieving or unskilled teams, and that was the main reason he opted to re-sign with the Oilers this summer.
I spoke with Stecher in the hallway of the downtown community rink before they left for their final two preseason road games in Seattle and Vancouver. Stecher is in a battle with <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/09/27/oilers-defenceman-ty-emberson-among-top-breakout-candidates/">Ty Emberson</a>, <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/09/29/should-josh-brown-be-an-nhl-regular-for-the-edmonton-oilers/">Josh Brown</a> and even <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/09/10/oilers-expected-to-invite-defenceman-travis-dermott-to-training-camp/">Travis Dermott</a> for a spot on the Oilers right defense. Evan Bouchard will be the first pair RD, but the battle to play in the second pair with Darnell Nurse and the third pair with Brett Kulak is wide open. No one has emerged as a front runner thus far, and while Stecher has yet to play with either Nurse or Kulak this preseason, he&#8217;s patiently biding his time.
We discussed the competition, his path to the NHL, why he signed in Edmonton and where he feels he can contribute.
Jason Gregor: There are two openings on the right side, and four players competing for those spots. How are you approaching the battle for ice time? 
Troy Stetcher: I&#8217;m just kind of focused on myself right now and making sure I&#8217;m putting my best foot forward and giving my best effort every single day. At the end of the day whatever&#8217;s going to help the team win is what I want to do. I think, not to change your question, but I think you look at the offseason a lot of guys took less. I&#8217;m not one of those guys by any means, but I definitely wanted to be a part of this culture and be a part of this team.
So, whether I&#8217;m in the lineup or not, I&#8217;m going to come to the rink every day with a purpose, give my best effort and try to help this team win.
Jason Gregor: I was told that you basically said money&#8217;s not important I want to be here, I want to be in this situation. Why was it so important at this stage of your career to be here? What was it that made you want to re-sign in Edmonton?
Stetcher: I think it&#8217;s a two-part question. Not to throw shade at any other organization I&#8217;ve been on, but this is by far the best team I&#8217;ve been on. I think like my first three years in Vancouver we weren&#8217;t very good and the bubble year we had a run, but even then, we weren&#8217;t in a playoff spot when the season ended, and we ended up winning the play-in. Then I go to Detroit, and we were rebuilding and got traded to LA.
So, I had a little kick of the can there in the playoffs, but like Detroit wasn&#8217;t an opportunity to win and Arizona obviously we were rebuilding. So being a part of this organization and having a chance to win was super special. And then the second part of it was last year when I was acquired at the deadline, obviously came here hurt and then ended up having to get surgery.
And as frustrating as it was individually, it was super motivating, inspiring too, just to be around the guys and see the level of commitment and work ethic they put in and what they achieved. Ultimately, we fell short, but I just wanted to have a healthy kick at the can and see if I could help this group. I really wanted to be a part of this organization. I think they&#8217;re world-class. It starts with the leadership group inside the room and then there&#8217;s a trickle-down effect. I think through ownership, management, coaching staff, it was a really good place, and I enjoyed my time last year with the limited time that I was here. 
Gregor: I was looking at your numbers and all those stops you mentioned, they weren&#8217;t necessarily good teams, but you&#8217;ve still played over 5,000 minutes against top line forwards. Darnell Nurse needs a partner on that second pair. How confident do you feel that given the opportunity; you can fill that role?
Stetcher: I have belief in myself, and I guess the only thing you can fall back on is experience and I&#8217;ve done it in the past. It might have not been from game one on, but in Vancouver, my most common partner was (Alex (Edler) and in the playoffs, we played against (Ryan) O&#8217;Reilly&#8217;s line, against St. Louis and we played against (Alex) Tuch&#8217;s line in Vegas. I&#8217;ve done it before.
In Detroit, I played with Mark Staal and the second pair was more of a shutdown pair as Filip Hronek handled the offensive side of things. So, definitely I have experience doing it. I don&#8217;t know if maybe there&#8217;s a bias against my size and there&#8217;s not that confidence in the ability of me to do it from day one, but I take a lot of pride in the way I prepare and it&#8217;s a cheesy saying, but if you stay ready, you don&#8217;t have to get ready and that&#8217;s something I really believe in. So, when they come knocking, I feel like I&#8217;m always able to provide good minutes.
Gregor: <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2023/12/18/the-paul-coffey-effect-has-been-noticable-for-edmonton-oilers/">When Paul Coffey came in</a>, the defense raved about the conversations and the communication they had with him. His main point was he wanted them to make plays. How has your interaction been with Paul as far as what he expects from you this year?
Stetcher: I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;ve really had a conversation about what he expects out of me, but I mean, you just touched on it. He wants everybody to make plays, and I love hearing that because there&#8217;s been times where past organizations, I feel like I&#8217;ve had to kind of dial back my game where if I make a mistake, maybe they take away my opportunity just based on my stature, but they&#8217;re going to give a bigger guy more leeway. So, hearing that here is obviously reassuring for myself and I know it was a number of years ago, but I do have an offensive side to my game. I showed it in college.
I ran a power play with five NHL guys, and I did it in Vancouver my first year and I&#8217;m not saying I’m a power play guy by any means, but I do think I have more offense to provide than maybe I have in the past couple years, and I just think a lot of that comes from coaching and confidence.
Gregor: How have you been able to excel being a smaller defenseman and playing tougher minutes? Is it quick stick, quick feet? What allows you to defend well?
Stetcher: I think more than anything, it&#8217;s just limited defending where you can break a puck out quick, so you&#8217;re not spending time in your own zone. I think that&#8217;s the most important and second, just having a really good stick and lastly, I&#8217;m not scared to get hit. I&#8217;m not saying guys are scared to go in a corner, but I&#8217;m kind of fearless in that regard where, I don&#8217;t know, I&#8217;ll just throw a name out, Ryan Reeves, that doesn&#8217;t really bother me going in a corner against him.
My first NHL fight was against Matt Martin, even though he jumped me, but at the end of the day, I take a lot of pride in playing for my teammates and I think that&#8217;s allowed me to have a lot of success in this league and play as many games as I have.
<h1>RIGHT SIDE COMPETITION&#8230;</h1>
<figure id="attachment_149629" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149629" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-149629" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Edmonton-Oilers-Troy-Stecher-1024x682.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher" width="1024" height="682" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Edmonton-Oilers-Troy-Stecher-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Edmonton-Oilers-Troy-Stecher-300x200.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Edmonton-Oilers-Troy-Stecher-768x512.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Edmonton-Oilers-Troy-Stecher-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Edmonton-Oilers-Troy-Stecher.jpg 1718w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-149629" class="wp-caption-text">Mar 19, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defensemen Troy Stecher (51) and goaltender Jack Campbell (36) battle for position during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure>
So far Stecher has played the fewest preseason games and minutes among Dermott, Brown and Emberson. Emberson has practiced mainly with Nurse, while Brown has spent more time with Kulak. Thus far Stecher has looked like the guy starting on the outside, but he&#8217;s used to that. He&#8217;s defied the odds to play 494 NHL games, and I sensed in our conversation he is just waiting for a opportunity to show what he&#8217;s capable of.
He played seven games for the Oilers last year and spent five games with Nurse and two with Philip Broberg. In limited minutes he and Nurse had good numbers. They outshot the opposition 26-22, outscored them 3-0 and had an xGF% of 59.02. Again, it is a very small sample size, but they had success, and while I&#8217;m sure Emberson will get the first opportunity to play with Nurse, I wouldn&#8217;t count out Stecher.
He&#8217;s well aware of how some in the hockey world view him, and he carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder because of it. It is why he&#8217;s been able to play eight NHL seasons and he&#8217;s confident he can be a contributor in his ninth season. He will wait patiently for his chance, and when it comes, he&#8217;ll be ready.
He&#8217;s very competitive and as shown here, he isn&#8217;t afraid to stand up for himself when needed.
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Troy Stecher vs Paul Cotter Mar 16, 2023" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WFRXjTb49nY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>PRESENTED BY ALBERTA BLUE CROSS</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-160239 size-full" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/ABC_Logo_Stacked_RGB_Cyan.png" alt="" width="380" height="117" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/ABC_Logo_Stacked_RGB_Cyan.png 380w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/ABC_Logo_Stacked_RGB_Cyan-300x92.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px" />
Don’t let the hassles and risks of travel keep you from making connections that matter. From lost baggage and trip cancellation to medical emergencies, Alberta Blue Cross has you covered on every adventure. Best of all, Flight Delay Service is included. Travel worry-free with travel insurance from Alberta Blue Cross and get access to 24/7 assistance if you need it. If you’re traveling to the U.S. – you’ll get access to one of their largest healthcare networks which provides direct payment to hospitals. This means you won’t have to pay medical expenses out of pocket. Protect your next trip today at <a href="http://ab.bluecross.ca/travel" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://ab.bluecross.ca/travel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1725719770830000&amp;usg=AOvVaw34YLFUMLPu_6qaXl_jpfuw">ab.bluecross.ca/travel</a>.

Due to his size, <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/08/28/5-interesting-facts-about-oilers-defenceman-troy-stecher/">Tory Stecher</a> was never given the benefit of the doubt. He's always had to prove he could defend. He spent his 16-18 years old seasons playing Junior A with the Penticton Vees. He produced 42 points in 53 games in his first year of NHL draft eligibility. He wasn't drafted. He tallied 47 points the following season, but still wasn't picked. He went to North Dakota to play for the Fighting Hawks. After three seasons in college, he left and on April 13th, 2016, signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks.



He attended his first training camp that fall and played four preseason games before being sent down to Utica. His stay in the American League was brief. He played four games before being recalled on October 24th. He made his NHL debut the next night vs. Ottawa, and Stecher has remained in the NHL ever since. He beat the odds.

The small, undrafted defenseman has now played 494 NHL games. He's played the 71st-most games among NHL defenders since the start of the 2016-17 season. Stecher has played the seventh-most games among undrafted NHL defenseman in that time trailing only Brenden Dillon (607), Mark Giordano (556), Torey Krug (537), Nate Schmidt (521), Trevor van Riemsdyk (501) and Chris Tanev (497).

Stecher is currently 92nd all time in games played by undrafted defenseman, sandwiched between former Oilers Marc-Andre Bergeron (492) and Norm MacIver (501). Stecher has carved out quite the unexpected NHL career. But much of his career has been on underachieving or unskilled teams, and that was the main reason he opted to re-sign with the Oilers this summer.

I spoke with Stecher in the hallway of the downtown community rink before they left for their final two preseason road games in Seattle and Vancouver. Stecher is in a battle with <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/09/27/oilers-defenceman-ty-emberson-among-top-breakout-candidates/">Ty Emberson</a>, <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/09/29/should-josh-brown-be-an-nhl-regular-for-the-edmonton-oilers/">Josh Brown</a> and even <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/09/10/oilers-expected-to-invite-defenceman-travis-dermott-to-training-camp/">Travis Dermott</a> for a spot on the Oilers right defense. Evan Bouchard will be the first pair RD, but the battle to play in the second pair with Darnell Nurse and the third pair with Brett Kulak is wide open. No one has emerged as a front runner thus far, and while Stecher has yet to play with either Nurse or Kulak this preseason, he's patiently biding his time.

We discussed the competition, his path to the NHL, why he signed in Edmonton and where he feels he can contribute.

Jason Gregor: There are two openings on the right side, and four players competing for those spots. How are you approaching the battle for ice time? 

Troy Stetcher: I'm just kind of focused on myself right now and making sure I'm putting my best foot forward and giving my best effort every single day. At the end of the day whatever's going to help the team win is what I want to do. I think, not to change your question, but I think you look at the offseason a lot of guys took less. I'm not one of those guys by any means, but I definitely wanted to be a part of this culture and be a part of this team.

So, whether I'm in the lineup or not, I'm going to come to the rink every day with a purpose, give my best effort and try to help this team win.

Jason Gregor: I was told that you basically said money's not important I want to be here, I want to be in this situation. Why was it so important at this stage of your career to be here? What was it that made you want to re-sign in Edmonton?

Stetcher: I think it's a two-part question. Not to throw shade at any other organization I've been on, but this is by far the best team I've been on. I think like my first three years in Vancouver we weren't very good and the bubble year we had a run, but even then, we weren't in a playoff spot when the season ended, and we ended up winning the play-in. Then I go to Detroit, and we were rebuilding and got traded to LA.

So, I had a little kick of the can there in the playoffs, but like Detroit wasn't an opportunity to win and Arizona obviously we were rebuilding. So being a part of this organization and having a chance to win was super special. And then the second part of it was last year when I was acquired at the deadline, obviously came here hurt and then ended up having to get surgery.

And as frustrating as it was individually, it was super motivating, inspiring too, just to be around the guys and see the level of commitment and work ethic they put in and what they achieved. Ultimately, we fell short, but I just wanted to have a healthy kick at the can and see if I could help this group. I really wanted to be a part of this organization. I think they're world-class. It starts with the leadership group inside the room and then there's a trickle-down effect. I think through ownership, management, coaching staff, it was a really good place, and I enjoyed my time last year with the limited time that I was here. 

Gregor: I was looking at your numbers and all those stops you mentioned, they weren't necessarily good teams, but you've still played over 5,000 minutes against top line forwards. Darnell Nurse needs a partner on that second pair. How confident do you feel that given the opportunity; you can fill that role?

Stetcher: I have belief in myself, and I guess the only thing you can fall back on is experience and I've done it in the past. It might have not been from game one on, but in Vancouver, my most common partner was (Alex (Edler) and in the playoffs, we played against (Ryan) O'Reilly's line, against St. Louis and we played against (Alex) Tuch's line in Vegas. I've done it before.

In Detroit, I played with Mark Staal and the second pair was more of a shutdown pair as Filip Hronek handled the offensive side of things. So, definitely I have experience doing it. I don't know if maybe there's a bias against my size and there's not that confidence in the ability of me to do it from day one, but I take a lot of pride in the way I prepare and it's a cheesy saying, but if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready and that's something I really believe in. So, when they come knocking, I feel like I'm always able to provide good minutes.

Gregor: <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2023/12/18/the-paul-coffey-effect-has-been-noticable-for-edmonton-oilers/">When Paul Coffey came in</a>, the defense raved about the conversations and the communication they had with him. His main point was he wanted them to make plays. How has your interaction been with Paul as far as what he expects from you this year?

Stetcher: I don't think we've really had a conversation about what he expects out of me, but I mean, you just touched on it. He wants everybody to make plays, and I love hearing that because there's been times where past organizations, I feel like I've had to kind of dial back my game where if I make a mistake, maybe they take away my opportunity just based on my stature, but they're going to give a bigger guy more leeway. So, hearing that here is obviously reassuring for myself and I know it was a number of years ago, but I do have an offensive side to my game. I showed it in college.

I ran a power play with five NHL guys, and I did it in Vancouver my first year and I'm not saying I’m a power play guy by any means, but I do think I have more offense to provide than maybe I have in the past couple years, and I just think a lot of that comes from coaching and confidence.

Gregor: How have you been able to excel being a smaller defenseman and playing tougher minutes? Is it quick stick, quick feet? What allows you to defend well?

Stetcher: I think more than anything, it's just limited defending where you can break a puck out quick, so you're not spending time in your own zone. I think that's the most important and second, just having a really good stick and lastly, I'm not scared to get hit. I'm not saying guys are scared to go in a corner, but I'm kind of fearless in that regard where, I don't know, I'll just throw a name out, Ryan Reeves, that doesn't really bother me going in a corner against him.

My first NHL fight was against Matt Martin, even though he jumped me, but at the end of the day, I take a lot of pride in playing for my teammates and I think that's allowed me to have a lot of success in this league and play as many games as I have.
<h1>RIGHT SIDE COMPETITION...</h1>
[caption id="attachment_149629" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="size-large wp-image-149629" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Edmonton-Oilers-Troy-Stecher-1024x682.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher" width="1024" height="682" /> Mar 19, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defensemen Troy Stecher (51) and goaltender Jack Campbell (36) battle for position during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]

So far Stecher has played the fewest preseason games and minutes among Dermott, Brown and Emberson. Emberson has practiced mainly with Nurse, while Brown has spent more time with Kulak. Thus far Stecher has looked like the guy starting on the outside, but he's used to that. He's defied the odds to play 494 NHL games, and I sensed in our conversation he is just waiting for a opportunity to show what he's capable of.

He played seven games for the Oilers last year and spent five games with Nurse and two with Philip Broberg. In limited minutes he and Nurse had good numbers. They outshot the opposition 26-22, outscored them 3-0 and had an xGF% of 59.02. Again, it is a very small sample size, but they had success, and while I'm sure Emberson will get the first opportunity to play with Nurse, I wouldn't count out Stecher.

He's well aware of how some in the hockey world view him, and he carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder because of it. It is why he's been able to play eight NHL seasons and he's confident he can be a contributor in his ninth season. He will wait patiently for his chance, and when it comes, he'll be ready.

He's very competitive and as shown here, he isn't afraid to stand up for himself when needed.

https://youtu.be/WFRXjTb49nY?si=irA0w1dmSHLC7r37
<h2>PRESENTED BY ALBERTA BLUE CROSS</h2>
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-160239 size-full" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/ABC_Logo_Stacked_RGB_Cyan.png" alt="" width="380" height="117" />

Don’t let the hassles and risks of travel keep you from making connections that matter. From lost baggage and trip cancellation to medical emergencies, Alberta Blue Cross has you covered on every adventure. Best of all, Flight Delay Service is included. Travel worry-free with travel insurance from Alberta Blue Cross and get access to 24/7 assistance if you need it. If you’re traveling to the U.S. – you’ll get access to one of their largest healthcare networks which provides direct payment to hospitals. This means you won’t have to pay medical expenses out of pocket. Protect your next trip today at <a href="http://ab.bluecross.ca/travel" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://ab.bluecross.ca/travel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1725719770830000&amp;usg=AOvVaw34YLFUMLPu_6qaXl_jpfuw">ab.bluecross.ca/travel</a>.

Troy Stecher is ready for an opportunity with the Oilers

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