Oilers sign Tom Gilbert to six-year deal
by Edmonton Oilers Press Release / Edmonton OilersThe Edmonton Oilers have signed Tom Gilbert to a six-year contract that will keep the 25-year-old defenceman with the team through the 2013-14 season.
The 6’3”, 210-pound native of Bloomington, Minnesota enjoyed an outstanding rookie season with the Oilers in 2007-08. One of five Oilers to appear in all 82 games, Gilbert finished eighth on the Edmonton scoring list and first among defencemen with 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points. He ranked eighth in both goals and assists and had three powerplay goals and one game winning goal.
![]() |
Photo by Andy Devlin Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club |
He established two new Edmonton rookie scoring records during the season. His 13 goals broke the previous record for most goals by a rookie defencemen shared by Paul Coffey and Marc-Andre Bergeron, who scored nine times in 1980-81 and 2003-04, respectively. On March 28th, Gilbert scored a goal and an assist at Colorado to give him 33 points and break the previous team record of 32 points set by Coffey in 1980-81. Coffey scored 9-23-32 in 74 games during his first NHL season.
Related Multimedia:
|
Gilbert made his professional debut with Edmonton in 2006-07, splitting the season between the Oilers and the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.
He played four seasons with the University of Wisconsin Badgers prior to joining the Oilers organization and was a member of Wisconsin’s NCAA championship team in 2005-06. He scored the winning goal in the Badgers’ 2-1 victory over the Boston College Eagles in the Frozen Four championship final.
Gilbert was obtained by the Oilers from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Tommy Salo and Edmonton’s sixth round choice (Justin Mercier) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft on March 8, 2004. He was the Avalanche’s fifth choice, 129th overall, in the 2002 Entry Draft.