Stuart Skinner

Did You Know?

• He is the youngest of nine siblings, all with first names starting with 'S'.
• Skinner met his wife, Chloe, after a WHL game in Lethbridge; they married in June 2020.

Playing career

Skinner played minor hockey at the South Side Athletic Club (SSAC), where he shared the ice with future Oilers teammates Tyler Benson and James Hamblin on the SSAC Lions of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League (AMBHL). He then moved to major junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current Broncos. On March 18, 2016, Skinner scored an empty-net goal for Lethbridge against the Medicine Hat Tigers, becoming the only goaltender in Hurricanes history and the seventh in WHL history to accomplish that feat. After being drafted by Edmonton in 2017, he signed a three-year entry-level contract on May 14, 2018. In the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 season, Skinner began the year on the Oilers roster and made his NHL debut on January 31, 2021, earning a win against the Ottawa Senators. He spent most of that season with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL), leading all AHL goaltenders in wins with 20 and helping the Condors win the Pacific Division Championship. During the 2021–22 season, he split time between the AHL and NHL, recording his first NHL shutout on February 14, 2022, with 20 saves against the San Jose Sharks. In the 2022–23 season, Skinner began as the backup to Jack Campbell but took over the starting role due to his strong play. He was voted into the 2023 NHL All-Star Game as one of three Pacific Division finalists, alongside Leon Draisaitl. Skinner appeared in 50 regular-season games that year, posting a 29–14–5 record with a .914 save percentage, and was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year.