Every Player the Oilers Have Signed From a PTO Over the Last 10 Years

Professional tryout contracts, or PTOs as they are commonly referred to, are short-term deals in the NHL that allow veterans to attend training camp and play in the preseason.

For players that remain unsigned as the season approaches, PTOs provide opportunity to make an impression that leads to a standard NHL contract. For teams that may still have some holes on their roster, PTOs are a risk-free way to audition players that could address said needs.

The Edmonton Oilers are one team that’s made great use of PTOs in the past: Since 2016, Edmonton has brought in 17 players on professional tryout contracts, seven of whom were signed to a standard contract before the season, and another two who eventually signed a standard contract during the season.

Here’s a look at all the players who parlayed a PTO into a full-time gig with the Oilers over the last 10 years.

Eric Grbya

Stay-at-home defenceman Eric Gryba suited up for 53 games with Edmonton in 2015-16, so the Oilers already knew what they were working with when the team signed him to a PTO on Sept. 21, 2016.

Gryba parlayed his PTO into a one-year, two-way contract. Then, after playing 40 games for Edmonton and recording the second most hits on the team in 2016-17, he wound up signing a two-year extension with the Oilers on June 27, 2017.

Gryba, however, suited up for just 21 Oilers games in 2017-18 and was bought out with one season remaining on his deal. He signed with the New Jersey Devils when free-agency opened on July 1, 2018.

Alex Chiasson

Edmonton’s biggest PTO success story might be that of Alex Chiason, who converted a professional tryout in 2018 into a one-year contract and went on to score a career-high 22 times in 2017-18, totalling the fourth most goals on the Oilers that season.

On July 1, 2018, Edmonton rewarded Chiasson for his strong campaign with a two-year contract worth $2.15M annually. The winger never reached those heights again but remained a regular in Edmonton’s lineup for the duration of his contract.

When his contract expired following the 2020-21 season, the Oilers elected not to re-sign Chiasson. He concluded his time in Edmonton with 32 goals and 36 assists in 183 regular season games.

Jason Garrison

Left with a huge void on its blueline after Andrej Sekera tore his Achilles tendon during the offseason, Edmonton signed veteran defenceman Jason Garrison to a PTO on Aug. 28, 2018.

A veteran of 10 NHL seasons, Garrison was impressive enough during training camp to receive a one-year contract from the Oilers, which he signed just before the season began.

Garrison’s time in Edmonton would prove to be relatively brief, however. He suited up for just 17 of the Oilers’ first 39 games of the season before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 30, 2018.

Devin Shore

Centre Devin Shore signed a PTO with the Oilers on Dec. 29, 2020, during the midst of the global pandemic. The NHL was starting its season more than three months later than usual, with an abbreviated training camp and no pre-season games.

But while those circumstances might have limited Shore’s opportunity to make an impression, he showed the Oilers enough to receive a one-year, two-way contract. That marked the beginning of a three-year stint in Edmonton, a rarity for players who started on a professional tryout contract.

After totalling nine points in 36 games during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, Shore inked a two-year contract extension with Edmonton. He suited up for 49 games in 2021-22 and appeared in 37 contests during the 2022-23 season. Shore joined the Seattle Kraken after his contract expired.

Colton Sceviour

A veteran of 10 NHL seasons, Colton Sceviour came to Oilers training camp on a professional tryout in 2021 and had a very strong pre-season: appearing in seven games, the Red Deer native showed ability to contribute offensively and kill penalties.

Just before the start of the regular season, Edmonton signed the centre a one-year, two-way contract. Sceviour appeared in 30 of Edmonton’s first 39 games but was sent to the American Hockey League (AHL) after the Oilers signed Evander Kane midway through the schedule.

Sceviour would suit up for just five more contests with the Oilers during the 2021-22 season. He never played in the NHL again, finishing his career in Switzerland.

Jason Demers

Edmonton signed Jason Demers to a PTO on Sept. 15, 2022. At that point, the veteran blueliner was age 34 and had been out of the NHL for an entire for an entire season, having spent 2021-22 playing for the Canadian Olympic team and AK Bars Kazan in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Demers didn’t initially sign a standard contract with the Oilers. He was released from his professional tryout with the NHL club, then signed a PTO with Edmonton’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.

After more than two months playing in Bakersfield, Demers finally signed a one-year, two-way deal with Edmonton on Dec. 18, 2022. He would suit up just once for the Oilers, on April 8 against the San Jose Sharks, playing would turn out to be the 700^th and final regular season game of his NHL career.

Adam Erne

Forward Adam Erne attended Oilers training camp in 2023 on a PTO, and played well during the preseason, scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks.

On Oct. 13, 2023, two days after the start of their 2023-24 schedule, the Oilers signed Ernie to a one-year, two-way contract. He made his Oilers regular season debut the next night, at Rogers Place, against the Canucks.

Erne would play 24 games with the Oilers during the 2023-24 season, notching one goal and one assist. The winger did not play in the NHL in 2024-25 but spent all last season with the Dallas Stars.

Sam Gagner

Forward Sam Gagner’s first stint with the Oilers lasted seven seasons, 2007-08 to 2013-14, and 481 games. His second time in Edmonton comprised 61 games over two seasons, 2018-19 and 2019-20. The centre’s attempt to join the team for a record third stint began when he signed a PTO with the Oilers on Aug. 28, 2023.

Gagner, however, was unable to participate in training camp or the preseason, as the veteran was still recovering from a pair of hip surgeries that he’d undergone the prior spring while a member of the Winnipeg Jets. When he was ready to play again, Gagner signed an AHL contract with the Condors on Oct. 23, 2023. Just over a week later, he agreed to a two-year, one-way contract with Edmonton.

In his season debut, on Nov. 1, he electrified Rogers Place by scoring twice in a span of 3:01 against Dallas. Gagner went on to suit up 27 more times for the Oilers that season, playing his final NHL game on April 18, 2024, with the same team that had drafted him nearly 17 years earlier.

Travis Dermott

Defenceman Travis Dermott signed a PTO with the Oilers on Sept. 13, 2024. After a very solid showing on the blueline throughout Edmonton’s preseason schedule, he was awarded with a one-year, two-way contract on Oct. 8.

He made his Oilers regular season debut in their first game of the season, a 6-0 loss to Winnipeg on Oct. 9. Dermott suited up nine more times for Edmonton, and then things got crazy.

First, Dermott was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 13. The veteran rearguard suited up nine times with Minnesota, including a game against the Oilers. Then Dermott was reclaimed by Edmonton after being placed on waivers by Minnesota in late February. However, he was immediately reassigned to the AHL and never played again for the Oilers.  

Last year, the Oilers didn’t bring any players to training camp on a PTO, their first time in more than a decade that they went through the preseason without signing at least one veteran to a professional tryout. But it’s expected the Oilers will be dipping their toes back in the PTO waters again this year, especially given the recent rash of offseason injuries that has left some potential roster holes.