The Edmonton Oilers’ acquisition of defenceman Ty Emberson from the San Jose Sharks in mid-August was a difficult one for Oilers fans to form a quick opinion on.
He wasn’t a famous prospect, and in fact, had barely played in the NHL. What’s more, he arrived in San Jose as a waiver-wire pickup. That’s many miles from a sure thing.
A quick look at his resume on trade day showed there was a story to tell. A player who showed spine, effective defence and the ability to win battles despite being a little undersized (6-foot-2 but just 193 pounds) for the heavy work of NHL defencemen.
Emberson’s splits
In the first part of the season, Emberson was finding his way and looked tentative at times, overwhelmed at other times. As time marches along, he’s showing what he can do and becoming a more prominent player on the Oilers’ top-six defence.
Let’s begin with a quick look at his performance this season, splitting the early and late games in order to get an idea about usage by coach Kris Knoblauch and the rest of the coaching staff.
In his first three games for Edmonton, Emberson played 20:15 (in all game states), 14:39 and then followed a healthy scratch with just 10:21 in the fourth game of the season. After his first three games, he was moving down the depth chart quickly.
The appeal of splits, especially with new players finding their way, is the second portion of the split often tells us what the coach is seeing, and who he’s rewarding.
| Category | First 15 | Last 14 |
|---|---|---|
|
Five-on-Five TOI |
13:09 |
12:47 |
|
Five-on-Five Points-60 |
0.3 |
0.34 |
|
Five-on-Five Goal Pct |
35 |
50 |
|
Five-on-Five GA-60 |
3.35 |
2.68 |
|
PK TOI |
1:19 |
2:16 |
|
PK GA-60 |
6.02 |
3.76 |
All numbers via Natural Stat Trick
In the case of Emberson, the playing time and offence at five-on-five stayed in the same range when splitting his season in two.
The spike came in five-on-five goal share and a strong reduction in GA per 60 in the game state. He remains a complementary partner on the third pairing (Brett Kulak the mentor) but the results are improving markedly as the season rolls along.
The big story for Emberson is his march up the depth chart on the penalty kill. He leads Edmonton’s defence in time on ice per game during the most recent 14 games and the GA per 60 is stunning. His 3.76 GA per 60 on the PK during this run ranks No. 3 across the NHL among regulars. The Oilers have allowed two goals in this period while Emberson has been on the ice, and scored twice. His 50 percent goal share in the most recent 14 games is the top total in the NHL.
What else?
Emberson is a good fighter with no fear. He battles hard and makes life difficult for opposition forwards, who are often carrying 25-plus pounds more than the young Edmonton defender.
In this way, he reminds older Oilers fans of Hall of Fame defender Kevin Lowe in that he can battle much bigger men to a standstill. That’s a huge leap from Emberson’s current status (a young NHL player trying to establish himself) but the gumption required to take on stronger players is the same then and now.
Emberson owns good speed and is tenacious as a checker. He’s a strong coverage defenceman.
Kulak
One of the surprises early this season in Edmonton has been the exceptional play of Kulak. He has flourished on the second pairing with Darnell Nurse, and is also the key player on the third pairing with Emberson.
Kulak and Emberson have been together so much during the first 29 games it’s a little difficult to evaluate Emberson’s individual play. If Kulak is zooming Emberson’s numbers, it could deliver a skewed view of the young player.
For the Oilers, that doesn’t matter this season because the results are so strong. The Kulak-Emberson pairing has played 269 minutes at five-on-five and owns a 12-14 goal share (46 percent) and a 53 percent expected goal share.
Using Puck IQ, we get an idea about how sheltered Emberson has been so far this season.
| Level | TOI | DFF Pct | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Elite |
79 mins |
41.3 |
3-3 |
|
Mid-Level |
75 mins |
64 |
4-6 |
|
Low-Level |
115 mins |
55 |
4-5 |
All numbers five-on-five
The ice time totals are surprisingly close, indicating the coaching staff is willing to roll Kulak-Emberson against elites and mid-level more often than a strict sheltering would reflect.
The outscoring results are solid, although it’s fair to acknowledge the duo has been running luck heavily in those minutes versus elites so far in 2024-25.
Value contract and the deadline
Emberson is delivering more value than his contract ($950,000) this season, and should get a new deal (he is a Group-6 free agent, meaning it’s possible he reaches full free agency this coming offseason) from the Oilers.
It’s also possible the club moves him at the deadline for a more substantial player.
A team like the Columbus Blue Jackets might be willing to offload a veteran, say Ivan Provorov, and Emberson might be part of the ask.
Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman may have to make that kind of decision at the deadline.
Possible future as an Oilers defenceman
If Emberson continues to progress at his current rate, it’s possible he will leapfrog Troy Stecher on the right-side depth chart. That could mean Edmonton acquires a player for the second pairing (Provorov an example) and runs Kulak-Emberson as the third pair next spring during the 2025 playoffs.
A new contract wouldn’t break the bank, meaning Emberson could deliver value on a contract for at least the next couple of seasons before reaching a huge payday.
The organizational depth chart on the right side for next season includes Evan Bouchard (who will be RFA and is eligible for an offer sheet), Stecher (signed at a solid value of $787,500 for 2025-26) and Emberson.
Alec Regula, a recent waiver pickup by the team, will be an RFA in the summer of 2025. It’s impossible to estimate where he’ll be until Regula (currently injured) plays some games with the team.
Bubbling under with the Bakersfield Condors are Josh Brown and Max Wanner.
None of those names represent a clear and present danger for Emberson on the depth chart, and the only NHL player with a value deal (Stecher) is his strongest competition for a future role with the team.
One player in junior, Beau Akey, is a mobile puck mover and may be pushing for NHL time by the spring of 2026. His playing style doesn’t resemble Emberson’s, so they aren’t likely to be in competition for the same job.
Bottom line
Emberson has recovered from a slow start and announced his presence with authority. He has two assets (young and inexpensive) that are rare on this roster.
If he continues to perform well and takes on even more of the five-on-five and PK minutes, Emberson could be in Edmonton for years.
(Photo: Brad Rempel / Imagn Images)
