Oilers confirm details for annual Skills Competition

Feb 4, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Pacific Division forward Connor McDavid (97) of the Edmonton Oilers competes in the fastest skater event during the 2022 NHL All-Star Game Skills Competition at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Pacific Division forward Connor McDavid (97) of the Edmonton Oilers competes in the fastest skater event during the 2022 NHL All-Star Game Skills Competition at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

The Edmonton Oilers announced information on Monday for this season’s Skills Competition, a family-friendly event which includes individual and team challenges such as fastest skater and hardest shot.

It’s getting closer to that special event, which only comes around once a year. No, we don’t mean Christmas; we’re talking about the Edmonton Oilers’ annual Skills Competition.

On Monday, the Oilers announced details for the 2023-24 edition of their Skills Competition, with it set to take place on Thursday Jan. 4 at Rogers Place, beginning at 7:00 pm. Tickets will go on sale this Friday (Dec. 15) at 10:00 am.

The prices are $15 for upper bowl seating and $20 for lower bowl seating. People will be able to purchase tickets, by going to EdmontonOilers.com/SkillsCompetition.

The annual event is always a fun occasion, as well as being reasonably priced and family-orientated. It provides fans with an opportunity to mix with each other and interact with the players in a more relaxed setting compared to game nights.

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Not that the players don’t get extremely competitive, as they take on a series of individual and team challenges, such as fastest skater, hardest shot and most accurate. There’s also the potential for new challenges, which last year included getting the player’s dogs involved.

Last year the fastest skater produced a surprise, as Markus Niemelainen took the title from regular winner Connor McDavid. Brett Kulak replaced Darnell Nurse as hardest shot winner, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins won most accurate.

Despite Niemelainen being the reigning winner for fastest skater, McDavid will still be favourite this year. The Oilers captain will also be in contention for most accurate shot, while Evan Bouchard should be in the running for hardest.

Of course what’s most important — aside from having fun — is the money raised for charity. Net proceeds will go to the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation and the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund.

It is appreciated that not everyone will be able to attend the Skills Competition for whatever reason. As such, the event will be shown on a live stream at OilersPlus.com.