FUTURE WATCH: Skinner still learning, growing

EDMONTON, AB -Goaltender Stuart Skinner got a glimpse of National Hockey League life.
Summoned to the Edmonton Oilers as an emergency recall in December, Skinner had the best seat in the house when he emerged from the visitor's dressing room tunnel at Rogers Arena to nestle on the Oilers bench, serving as backup for Mikko Koskinen while Mike Smith was day-to-day with a leg injury.

A wide-eyed Skinner took it all in. This was the setting he had always hoped to be in - with his hometown team, no less - so the netminder soaked the experience like a sponge.
"It was super cool but it was a little bit nerve-racking, as well," Skinner told EdmontonOilers.com. "I had tons of emotions kind of going through it."
Skinner, chosen by the Oilers 78th-overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, peered through his facemask to see just what it takes for players to be NHL-ready. To see what goes into an NHL pre-game ritual and how it assists in being as prepared as possible for the drop of the puck. To see the encounters on the bench and what goes into earning a 'W' in 'The Show.'
"Going into the dressing room, I just tried to take it all in," Skinner, who owns a 15-11-3 record this season in the American Hockey League, said.
"The guys were great. I kind of just watched them prepare for a big game. It was a lot of fun playing sewer ball with them, doing my warm-up and seeing how other people make sure they're ready for the start of the game."
Once Skinner was back in Bakersfield, what he learned from being around the Oilers stuck. The Condors experienced consecutive losses in Skinner's return - a 7-3 drubbing from the Stockton Heat and a 6-2 loss to the San Jose Barracuda - but the 21-year-old has been a revelation, sitting third in wins among AHL rookie goaltenders and earning AHL Player of the Week honours for the week ending on Jan. 26.
The Edmonton product's performance has been a welcomed sight for Condors Head Coach Jay Woodcroft, who detailed some of the adversity his club has had to endure in the 2019-20 campaign.
"What adversity does is it forces you to find different ways to be successful given your certain set of circumstances," Woodcroft, now in his second season as Condors Head Coach, said.
"For us, our starting goaltender was injured the third game into the season. That opened the door for somebody else to step up and assume those responsibilities."
Enter Skinner, who took the ball and ran when keeper Shane Starrett was sidelined with a core-muscle issue.

"Finding ways to come through those situations, especially when new people step forward and assume more responsibility, I think it's healthy for individuals and I think it's healthy for our team," Woodcroft continued.
"Stuart Skinner has had ebbs and flows to his season. Post-Christmas, he's given us a real shot in the arm."
Skinner's been the winning goalie in three of his last four starts and even captured his first AHL shutout in a 35-save, 5-0 win over San Jose on Jan. 22.
Starrett has since been cleared for action but the goaltending tandem - which also includes pipes prospect Dylan Wells - has only enhanced Skinner's game.
The two net protectors were interviewed together for an episode of
Oilers In Depth: The Podcast
and revealed their collective attitude.
"We both have a competitive side to us and know we're fighting for the same spot but that doesn't mean we're going to be putting each other down," Starrett said. "We want to earn a spot where you have to earn it over the other guy, not have him lose it.
"We want to see the other person succeed because that will just push us to be better each day."
The end goal is to bring that game to the NHL level, where Skinner saw what it takes to win.
"We're always there supporting each other and we want each other to be at our best so that we can get better ourselves," Skinner reaffirmed.
"It's a competitive nature that's involved lots of growing and lots of learning."