Top 100 Oilers: No. 19 — Shawn Horcoff

Notable

Horcoff carried a heavy load for the Oilers, especially in five of the six years he played on that big-ticket deal, and maybe now it’s something the fan base can look back on in a better light.

Drafted and developed by the team, it took two years before the 1998 fourth-round pick made his Oilers debut. Those first few years, he fought for ice time, but come 2003-04, his ice time shot up, and slowly, the production would follow. His best year came during 2005-06, when he scored 22 goals and 73 points in 79 games, adding another seven goals and 19 points in 24 playoff games.

Horcoff was never the flashy player, but his hard work ethic earned him a 15-year, 1,008-game career, of which 12 years and 796 games were spent in Edmonton. As put best by Robin Brownlee, “He gave them his best. Even when his best wasn’t good enough. Even when he was being overpaid, as was most certainly the case in his final years in Edmonton.”

The Story

From toiling on the fourth line to being a first-line centre, to being named captain and his eventual fall back down the lineup, Horcoff never cheated. A strong two-way centre who was better in his own zone than the others, Horcoff’s rise to the NHL was far from usual.

He played his Junior A hockey for his hometown Trail Smoke Eaters, playing in the then-RMJHL, before spending a year with the BCJHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, where he burned up the league scoring 49 goals and 145 points in 58 games. It earned him a ride to the NCAA’s Michigan State University, where he spent four years, including the final year as a captain, during which he scored 14 goals and 65 points in 42 games. The Spartans won the national championship and he turned pro the following year. He split his pro rookie season between the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, scoring 10 goals and 28 points, and the Oilers, scoring nine goals and 16 points.

It’s an important part of Horcoff’s journey because it highlighted what made him a beloved player in Edmonton for years. He learned his work ethic along the way, and it never left him.

By the time the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season ended, it was clear it was time for a change. And in July 2013, he was sent to the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenceman Philip Larsen and a seventh-round pick in 2016. Horcoff would spend two years there before playing the 2015-16 season with the Anaheim Ducks, his final in the league.

What Brownlee said

“If there’s a better story of perseverance and work ethic paying off than the tale scripted by Shawn Horcoff during the 12 seasons he spent playing with the Edmonton Oilers, I can’t think of it. From fourth-round draft pick and fourth-line winger when he first broke into the NHL to first-line centre and captain of the Oilers, Horcoff’s ascent was the product of a dash of talent and a heaping helping of being willing to work harder than anybody else.

“From the moment Horcoff arrived in Edmonton by way of the Michigan State Spartans after a stint in the minors with the Hamilton Bulldogs until he was traded away to the Dallas Stars in the summer of 2013, he never, ever cheated the Oilers in terms of effort. He gave them his best. Even when his best wasn’t good enough. Even when he was being overpaid, as was most certainly the case in his final years in Edmonton.”

The Last 10

• No. 29 — Sam Gagner
• No. 28 — Jordan Eberle
• No. 27 — Jason Smith
• No. 26 — Zach Hyman
• No. 25 — Andy Moog
• No. 24 — Steve Smith
• No. 23 — Lee Fogolin
• No. 22 — Randy Gregg
• No. 21 — Craig MacTavish
• No. 20 — Craig Simpson