Oilers sign James Hamblin to two-year contract

The Edmonton Oilers announced Monday the signing of forward James Hamblin to a two-year contract with an AAV of $775,000.

HAMMER TIME 🔨

The #Oilers have re-signed forward James Hamblin to a two-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000 at the @NHL level.#LetsGoOilers https://t.co/3hRXFOhAUk

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 1, 2024

The 25-year-old Hamblin split the 2023-24 season with the Oilers and their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. In 31 games with Edmonton, the left-handed winger scored two goals and an assist for three points. Meanwhile, in the minors, he had four goals and four assists for eight points in 13 games with the Condors.

The Edmonton native scored his first career NHL goal on Nov. 18 in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

First @NHL goal for 57! IT'S HAMMER TIME 🔨 pic.twitter.com/paKvBBInFT

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 18, 2023

He would be sidelined for the rest of the season in March with an undisclosed injury.

His best professional season came in 2021-22, where in 64 games with the Condors, he scored 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points.

The undrafted forward spent five seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers between 2015-16 and 2019-20. In his final junior season, he scored 36 goals and 56 assists for 92 points in 63 regular-season games.

It’s been a busy July 1 for the Oilers, who lost in seven games to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals last month. Earlier in the day, the club re-signed Connor Brown to a one-year, $1 million.

In 71 games last season, Brown scored four goals and eight assists for 12 points, the lowest point total over a full season in his career. In nine NHL seasons, Brown has 94 goals and 134 assists for 228 points in 519 career games with the Oilers, Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.