FEATURE: Steady Sheahan

EDMONTON, AB - As the middleman, Riley Sheahan proved to be as steady as they come.
The centre's penchant for playing a two-way game provided the Oilers with instant stability in the 2019-20 season, instilling the roster with depth down the middle while implementing his smothering checking, faceoff acumen and added offence to the squad.
Sheahan was key in decreasing the club's goals against this season - most notably, on the penalty kill - in what was a clear mandate from the incoming Oilers management and coaching staff before the puck dropped on '19-20.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

WRITTEN
FEATURE: Kassian Country
GENE'S BLOG: Cup Run Memories
FEATURE: Archie's World
FEATURE: Kolossal Rising
OTHER
Colby Cave Memorial Fund
VIDEO
2006 | Roloson, Stoll, Moreau
REWIND 19-20 | Archibald & Sheahan
"We wanted to get some speed and I think we signed some players like (Josh) Archibald, who has got speed, (Joakim) Nygard's got speed, Haas can skate, (Tomas) Jurco can skate and Sheahan's got some size," Oilers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Ken Holland said during the off-season.
"So, we brought in different dimensions. Now, it's up to the coaching staff and players to find that identity."
That dimension of defence which Sheahan delivered, supplementing the star-studded offensive exploits of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, aided in bringing the squad's goal-differential down from minus-42 in the '18-19 campaign to plus-eight in '19-20.
"We've made some steps in camp to put things in place to help our goals against," Oilers Head Coach Dave Tippett said as the schedule approached.
"The personnel we brought in to penalty kill have a mindset that they're penalty killers. They're not just other guys doing it because there's nobody else here to do it; they're penalty killers."

On the PK, the Oilers transformed from second-worst in the League last season to second-best in this year, going from a dismal 74.8 rating to an impressive 84.4 percent - with Sheahan and his shorthanded partner in crime, Josh Archibald, doing much of the heavy lifting.
"You need everybody throughout your lineup to chip in," Tippett said of the checking duo. "Not just chip in with points, but the work they put in. We needed that right through our lineup and those guys epitomize that."
Sheahan was well-known to Holland when the Oilers President of Hockey Operations offered the pivot a one-year contract during the off-season. The former Detroit Red Wings GM drafted the St. Catharines, ON, product in the first round (21st overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, and watched his career take off in the Motor City.
In Edmonton with the Oilers, the nine-year NHL veteran re-connected with his former GM to help form the new-look club's identity on the ice and culture off of it.
"Culture isn't something that I pack into a suitcase and I put into the trunk of my car and drive it from Detroit with me or fly on the plane to Edmonton," Holland said. "You've got to build it. Build the team and believe in one another. Build a team that has some depth and some different dimensions. That's what we tried to do this summer."
It took some time for Sheahan, who joined the Oilers after brief stints with the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, to get acclimated offensively in his Oilers silks. The centre notched his first point with the organization in his 18th game but slowly gained more confidence as the season progressed. In 66 outings with the Oilers, Sheahan tallied eight goals and seven assists for 15 points and carried with him a 49 percent faceoff rating over the 834 draws he took.

No goal was more fulfilling than the one he scored in Buffalo against the Sabres, in front of a large group of family and friends. Sheahan lost the offensive zone draw but his winger Archibald won back possession of the puck, filtering it up-top to Adam Larsson at the point. Larsson released a wrist shot and Archibald tipped it, placing it right on Sheahan's blade with a wide-open net for his fourth of the year.
Just six games later, Sheahan had yet another unforgettable night adorned in Orange & Blue, collecting one goal and three assists to record his first career four-point night in a 7-3 defeat over the Arizona Coyotes.
"You get some confidence and it's fun to be out there in the offensive zone," Sheahan, who has 66 goals and 164 points in 513 career NHL games, said.
"I think I'm just supporting our top guys. They carry so much of a heavy load on their shoulders. It's nice to provide some secondary scoring and I think we've been doing a good job of that lately."
Steady Sheahan was a beacon of support and stability during the 19-20 schedule, who embodied the team's work ethic and provided the depth required to put the postseason into the picture.
"The teams that do well are the teams that have depth," Sheahan said. "You see that in playoffs and down the line - a lot of guys stepping up. We rely so much on our big guys, they do a great job and lead our team, but some nights they need some help.
"It's good when we can chip in."