BLOG: Podkolzin poised to grow offensively over new three-year extension

EDMONTON, AB – “Podzy’s in the middle.”

“He just signed a nice little extension for us.”

When Head Coach Kris Knoblauch pulled winger Vasily Podkolzin into the middle of the final stretch circle and announced his new contract to the players in attendance at Tuesday’s Training Camp session, the news was met with loud cheers, stick taps and plenty of helmet taps from his Oilers teammates.

When you’re able to witness firsthand how hard a worker the Russian forward is and see him be rewarded with a new deal, it’s reason to celebrate both for ‘Podzy’ and the Oilers, who know he’ll give his all every night for the club in pursuit of winning the Stanley Cup.

The 24-year-old’s never-quit ethos, which he demonstrates on a day-to-day basis, now has a long-term place in Edmonton, and both the Oilers and Podkolzin believe it will be a productive partnership that will only increase in value for both parties as time goes on.

And Podkolzin is adamant he can make good on the Oilers’ investment in his talents.

“It's awesome,” Podkolzin said after Tuesday’s skate about signing his extension. “Really happy to be here for the next few years, and it's a great group of guys here. We need to get the job done.”

“Maybe just the way the organization works. I do something for them; they do something for me. That's how it works, and at the end of the day, they gave me a good contract and a good opportunity to be part of this team for the next few years and to finally win a Cup.”

The Oilers signed Podkolzin to a three-year contract extension on Tuesday worth an average annual value of $2.95 million after acquiring the Russian winger from the Vancouver Canucks in August 2024 for a fourth-round pick.

Always the first skater on the ice for practice and one of the last to leave, Podkolzin proved to be a terrific addition for the Oilers with his team-high 211 hits, eight goals and 16 assists in all 82 games last season, while establishing himself as a workhorse who will serve any role necessary to help the team win.

"I don't want to say anything high about me, but think I just love the hockey," he said. "I just love my work. I love what I do, and when I have the opportunity to play with the best players in the world, that's awesome. I really enjoy it and try to be useful for them."

The former top-10 first-round pick of the Canucks at the 2019 NHL Draft began to show his value through his versatility for the Oilers & Coach Knoblauch last season almost immediately by playing up and down the lineup, drawing praise from German superstar Leon Draisaitl for how much he loves to play with him because of his two-way game, tenacity, puck retrieving and skill.

“You always want players on the ice that make other players better, and I think Podz has those attributes,” Knoblauch said. “He’s pretty good defensively, he's hard on the forecheck, and he makes it uncomfortable for the other team because he's a strong guy who's not afraid to finish his checks.

“Last year, I think he had about eight goals, and I think we'd like to see more out of him in that aspect, and I think it's just more of a shoot mentality because he does have a good shot, It's not only Leon praising him for his play. Numerous guys in the lineup like playing with him because of the type of player he is.”

Podkolzin has developed into a complementary player in Edmonton's middle-six forwards, who's efficient at winning pucks and getting them onto the tape of the team's big guns. However, he's putting the onus on himself this season to fire away a bit more, while not losing what made him successful last year.

"I think I should just shoot it more. I should take more shots," he said. "If you have 200 shots in your season and you score 10 percent, it's still 20 goals. But I want a balance between being good offensively, but not losing what I had last season. At the end of the day, I don't really need appreciation from the people around me for what I've done on the ice – as long as we're winning, as long as the result is with our team, I'm fine."