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Tulsa Oilers

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For other sports teams using the same name, see Tulsa Oilers (disambiguation).
Tulsa Oilers
File:TulsaOilers.png
CityTulsa, Oklahoma
LeagueECHL
ConferenceWestern
DivisionCentral
Founded1992 (In the CHL)
Home arenaBOK Center
ColorsMaroon, navy blue, gray, white
       
Owner(s)Rodney Steven
Brandon Steven
Johnny Steven
General managerTaylor Hall
Head coachJason Christie[1]
AffiliatesWinnipeg Jets (NHL)
Manitoba Moose (AHL)
Franchise history
1992–presentTulsa Oilers
Championships
Ray Miron President's Cup1993
Current season

The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma which plays in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tulsa Oilers name was shared with Tulsa's former minor-league baseball team that pre-dated the Tulsa Drillers. To reduce confusion in local news reporting, the hockey team was often called the "Ice Oilers", a moniker that continues to this day among many Tulsans.

Formerly a member of the Central Hockey League, the Oilers are one of only two teams which played every one of the CHL's 22 seasons (the other being the Wichita Thunder).[2] The Oilers established a winning tradition, making the playoffs in 9 of their first 13 seasons. However, their performance in recent years has been less successful making the playoffs three times since 2005.[3]

Original owner Jeff Lund played an integral part in assembling the 1992–93 team, led by veteran minor league coach and former NHL ironman Garry Unger. The team, anchored by high-scoring forward Sylvain Naud and veteran goalie Tony Martino, finished the regular season in second place, right behind intrastate rival Oklahoma City Blazers. However, in the revived league's first championship series the Oilers handily defeated the Blazers, clinching the title on OKC's home ice. Lund assumed ownership of the franchise in February 1999 after being the team's General Manager.[4]

On June 23, 2013, Lund sold the team to the owners of the Wichita Thunder, the Steven brothers.

History

Tulsa has previously had several other hockey teams named the "Oilers."

Tulsa Oilers (1968)

The original Oilers joined the five team American Hockey Association as an expansion team in 1928. Their first home game was January 1, 1929, against the Duluth Hornets as part of the grand opening of the Tulsa Coliseum. The team won the AHA championship that season, and again in the 1930–31 season. For the 1932–33 season, the Oilers moved to St. Paul, Minnesota and became the St. Paul Greyhounds, but halfway through the season they moved back to Tulsa once again becoming the Tulsa Oilers. At the end of the 1941–42 season, the AHA and the Oilers disbanded due to World War II. Hockey Hall of Famers Duke Keats and Bill Cowley played for short periods on the Tulsa Oilers during this period.

The AHA was reorganized as the United States Hockey League for the 1945–46 season as a seven team league, once again including the Oilers. That league folded after the 1950–51 season. The team played at Avey's Coliseum during this time. Hockey Hall of Famer Clint Smith played the 1947–48 season with the Tulsa Oilers after a stellar 11-year career in the NHL with the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks and won the USHL Most Valuable Player award.

Tulsa Oilers (2006–2013)
Tulsa Oilers (1972–1982)

In 1964, a new Tulsa Oilers team joined the Central Professional Hockey League (later shortened to Central Hockey League) in its second season of operation. The Oilers won the Adams Cup as the CPHL/CHL champions in 1968, 1976, and 1984.The Oilers played in the CHL until 1984 when the league folded.

1992–2014 (CHL)

A new Central Hockey League was created in 1992 as a centrally owned league, owned by Ray Miron and Bill Levins. The league was operated by Ray and Monte Miron and funded by Chicago businessman and minor league sports entrepreneur Horn Chen. With the creation of the new CHL the Tulsa Oilers were a team once again. Ray Miron once coached the Oilers in the old CHL and his son Monte had played for the Oilers in 1973–74. Tulsa claimed the CHL championship in the CHL's inaugural season under General Manager Jeff Lund as head coach Garry Unger.[5]

The Oilers established a winning tradition, making the playoffs in nine of their first 13 seasons. However, with a decline in their performance and not qualifying for the playoffs since 2005 nor winning a playoff series since 1994, owner Jeff Lund hired former player Taylor Hall as Oilers General Manager on May 3, 2008.[6] After finishing third to last in the CHL with 18 wins in 64 games in the 2008–09 season, Hall hired Head Coach Bruce Ramsay, fresh off a trip to the IHL's Turner Cup finals with the Muskegon Fury, on May 21, 2009.[7]

In Ramsay's first season as coach in 2009–10 season, the Oilers rebounded with 28 wins in 64 games to post the second highest point total increase in the CHL from the previous season.[8] On September 2, 2010, the Oilers announced their first National Hockey League affiliation since their reformation in 1992 with the Colorado Avalanche, joining the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL.[9]

2014–present (ECHL)

On October 7, 2014, soon before the 2014-15 Central Hockey League season was set to begin, it was announced that the Central Hockey League ceased operations and the Oilers, along with the Allen Americans, Brampton Beast, Quad City Mallards, Missouri Mavericks, Rapid City Rush and Wichita Thunder, were all approved the expansion membership application into the ECHL for the 2014-15 season.[10][11]

On July 31, 2015, the Oilers announced their affiliation with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets and the AHL's Manitoba Moose.[12]

Season records

Season GP W L OTL SOL PTS GF GA PIM Regular Season Finish
(Division/Conference)		 Playoffs
Central Hockey League
2000–01 70 36 26 — 8 80 259 250 2030 5th of 6, Western Division Lost 1st Round, 0-3 vs. Oklahoma City Blazers
2001–02 64 30 30 — 4 64 204 215 1701 2nd of 4, Northwest Division Did not qualify
2002–03 64 37 22 3 2 79 218 195 1704 3rd of 4, Northwest Division Did not qualify
2003–04 64 26 25 4 9 65 194 210 1198 4th of 5, Northwest Division Did not qualify
2004–05 60 32 25 1 2 67 206 210 1307 2nd of 5, Northeast Division Lost 1st Round, 1-4 vs. Colorado Eagles
2005–06 64 29 28 4 3 65 209 227 1687 4th of 4, Northwest Division Did not qualify
2006–07 64 27 28 6 3 63 225 246 2044 4th of 4, Northeast Division Did not qualify
2007–08 64 25 35 3 1 54 194 243 1438 4th of 5, Northwest Division Did not qualify
2008–09 64 18 38 3 5 44 179 270 1668 4th of 4, Northeast Division Did not qualify
2009–10 64 28 29 4 3 63 203 230 1576 6th of 7, Northern Conference Did not qualify
2010–11 66 35 25 5 1 76 242 234 1063 3rd of 9, Berry Conference Lost 2nd Round, 2-3 vs. Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
2011–12 66 29 29 7 1 66 207 222 1000 5th of 7, Berry Conference Did not qualify
2012–13 66 22 39 3 2 49 177 254 897 10th of 10, Berry Conference Did not qualify
2013–14 66 34 29 0 3 71 225 215 1170 7th of 10, Berry Conference Lost 1st Round, 2-4 vs. Denver Cutthroats
ECHL
2014–15 72 37 29 3 3 80 248 244 1350 4th of 7, Central Division Lost 1st Round, 1-4 vs. Allen Americans
2015–16 72 37 30 3 2 79 191 191 1083 3rd of 4, Central Division Did not qualify

Championships

Year League Trophy
1992–93 CHL William “Bill” Levins Memorial Cup

Current roster

Updated October 27, 2015.[13][14]
Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
15 Canada Kyle Bochek C L 36 2015 Port Severn, Ontario Oilers
73 Canada Phil Brewer F R 34 2015 Cambridge, Ontario Oilers
27 United States Dennis Brown D R 35 2015 Cypress, California Oilers
37 United States Kevin Carr G L 34 2014 Unionville, Ontario Oilers
11 United States Dan DeSalvo F R 32 2015 Rolling Meadows, Illinois Oilers
22 Canada Darian Dziurzynski LW L 33 2015 Lloydminster, Alberta Oilers
25 Canada Mathieu Gagnon LW L 32 2015 Montreal, Quebec Oilers
6 United States Matt Konan D L 31 2015 Tustin, California Oilers
42 Canada Jordan Kremyr LW L 38 2015 Cloverdale, British Columbia Oilers
14 Canada Tom Kroshus D L 32 2015 Calgary, Alberta Oilers
28 United States Connor Kucera D L 33 2015 Twin Lakes, Indiana Oilers
4 Canada Nathan Lutz (C) D L 46 2013 Mistatim, Saskatchewan Oilers
23 United States Justin Mansfield F L 34 2015 Arlington, Massachusetts Oilers
16 Canada Brian Nugent LW L 36 2015 Victoria, British Columbia Oilers
30 Finland Jussi Olkinuora G L 34 2015 Helsinki, Finland Moose
18 Canada Adam Pleskach RW L 36 2011 Beausejour, Manitoba Oilers
19 Canada Brady Ramsay RW R 31 2015 Calgary, Alberta Oilers
24 Canada Brennan Serville D R 31 2015 Pickering, Ontario Moose
51 United States Joe Sova D L 36 2015 Berwyn, Illinois Oilers
95 Russia Igor Vladykovskii F L 29 2015 St. Petersburg, Russia Oilers
21 United States Ben Walker RW R 31 2015 Edina, Minnesota Moose
10 Canada Brandon Wong LW L 37 2015 Victoria, British Columbia Oilers

References

  1. ^ "CHRISTIE NAMED OILERS' HEAD COACH". ECHL. July 23, 2015.
  2. ^ Bill Haisten, "Blazers' end might spell trouble for Tulsa Oilers", Tulsa World, July 15, 2009.
  3. ^ "CHL Playoffs 2011". Central Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-01-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Tulsa Oilers owner Jeff Lund wins 2008-09 CHL Rick Kozuback Award". mlntherawfeed.com. 2009-03-19. Retrieved 2010-09-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Unger in Alumni game". Tulsa Oilers. 2010-08-26. Retrieved 2010-09-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Former player Taylor Hall rejoins the Oilers as General Manager". mlntherawfeed.com. 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2010-09-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ "Tulsa Oilers name Bruce Ramsay coach". mlntherawfeed.com. 2009-05-21. Retrieved 2010-09-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Oilers to play in Berry conference". Tulsa Oilers. 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2010-09-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "Tulsa announces affiliation with Avs". Colorado Avalanche. 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-09-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ "CHL Clubs Join ECHL for 2014-15 Season". Central Hockey League. October 7, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  11. ^ "ECHL Accepts Seven Members". ECHL. October 7, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  12. ^ "Winnipeg Jets announce ECHL affiliation with the Tulsa Oilers". Winnipeg Jets. July 31, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  13. ^ "Tulsa Oilers - Team". Tulsa Oilers. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  14. ^ "The Center of Hockey - News". Central Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
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