Oilers sign goaltender Matt Tomkins to two-way contract

Born in Edmonton, Tomkins played for the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the Alberta Junior Hockey League before spending four seasons with Ohio State University. The Tampa Bay Lightning selected Tomkins in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Draft, but he never inked an entry-level contract with the club.

After a few seasons playing on minor-league contracts in the AHL and ECHL, Tomkins continued his career in Sweden. He posted a .908 save percentage in 33 games with Frolunda HC in 2021-22 and then put up a .911 save percentage with Farjestads BK Karlstad in 2022-23. Tomkins also represented Canada at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, going 2-1 with a .963 save percentage.

Those two strong seasons in Sweden along with Tomkins’ showing at the Olympics put him back on the radar as a prospect with the Lightning. He agreed to a two-year contract with Tampa Bay in May of 2023, more than a decade after he was drafted by the team.

Tomkins played in six games with the Lightning in 2023-24, going 3-2-1 with a .892 save percentage. He posted a .904 save percentage for the Syracuse Crunch in 29 games in 2023-24 and had a .907 save percentage in 26 AHL games in 2024-25.

After the team’s decision not to issue Olivier Rodrigue a qualifying offer, it looks like Tomkins will be the starting goaltender for the Bakersfield Condors in 2025-26.