OILERS EXTEND AFFILIATION WITH DUCKS, GULLS ON TWO-YEAR DEAL
Tulsa Oilers extend NHL and AHL affiliation for additional two years
Tulsa, Okla.— The Tulsa Oilers, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks and AHL’s San Diego Gulls, announced Thursday a two-year affiliation extension with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks and AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
The two-year extension follows the expiration of the organizations’ previous three-year agreement announced on July 1, 2020.
“I’m pleased we’ve entered another multi-year deal with Anaheim,” Oilers head coach Rob Murray said. “I look forward to growing on our existing relationship with an organization that has a lot of exciting prospects. Affiliated players make a huge difference at our level, and we’ve seen that positive impact in the past. We’ve also helped develop some of those players into better pros at the AHL and even NHL level here in Tulsa.”
Three players have journeyed from Tulsa to Anaheim since the beginning of the Ducks and Oilers agreement — forward Bryce Kindopp, forward Hunter Drew and goaltender Olle Eriksson Ek.
Prior to an official affiliation, the Ducks, Gulls and Oilers had a working relationship for player development dating back to the 2018-19 season. Twenty-three Ducks and Gulls contracts have spent time as Oilers since. In addition, Charlie Sampair, Ryan Tesink, Mike McKee, Jarod Hilderman and Daniel Mannella have appeared for San Diego while contracted with Tulsa.
“Extending our affiliate agreement with Tulsa helps the development pathway of our organization,” said Ducks Assistant General Manager and Gulls General Manager Rob DiMaio. “The Tulsa Oilers have been a vital and valuable part of development from the ECHL to San Diego, and we look forward to continuing our affiliation moving forward.”
Anaheim joined the NHL in 1993 as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Ducks lifted the Stanley Cup in 2007, defeating the Eastern Conference Champion Ottawa Senators in five games. The Ducks have also produced several Hockey Hall of Fame players, including legends Teemu Selanne, Chris Pronger, Paul Kariya and Scott Niedermayer.
The San Diego Gulls joined the American Hockey League in 2015 and took the ice for their inaugural game on Oct. 15 in front of a sold-out crowd at Pechanga Arena San Diego. The Gulls own an all-time record of 258-213-28-14, including 137-98-15-6 at home and 121-115-13-8 on the road to rank second in the Pacific Division in all-time wins and tied for third in all-time points (558) since the division’s inception in 2015-16. San Diego saw 84 players spend time with the Gulls and Ducks, including first-round selections Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale and NHL All Stars Troy Terry and John Gibson.
The Tulsa Oilers, founded in 1928, have produced dozens of NHL alumni, including multiple Stanley Cup champions, Olympic Gold Medalists and Hockey Hall of Famers. The Oilers aim to grow their NHL and AHL alumni bases further via the two-year deal.
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The Tulsa Oilers Family, consisting of the Tulsa Oilers Hockey Team (ECHL) the Tulsa Oilers Football Team (IFL), The Oilers Ice Center and the WeStreet Ice Center aims to provide entertainment and camaraderie for the Greater Tulsa community. Starting originally as a hockey team in 1928, the Oilers added Tulsa Oilers Football, The Oilers Ice Center and announced the construction of the WeStreet Ice Center in 2022. The Oilers Family continues to grow and provide top-tier entertainment in 2023 and beyond.
