With the number of players on injured reserve and in COVID protocol growing by the day, the Edmonton Oilers recalled Cooper Marody and Seth Griffith from the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors on Friday (Dec. 17). Both forwards will be available to play in Edmonton’s road game against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday (Dec. 18).
While Marody has previously suited up for the Oilers, making six appearances in the 2018-19 season, Griffith is poised to play his first game with Edmonton’s NHL team.
A product of Wallaceburg, Ontario who starred with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, Griffith’s hockey career has followed an interesting path. From being drafted in the fifth round 2012 NHL draft by the Boston Bruins to signing a two-year, two-way contract with the Oilers in October 2020. At the time of being called up, Griffith was leading Bakersfield in goals (6), assists (12) and points (18) this season.
He turns 29 years old on Jan. 4, stands 5-foot-9, and weighs 190 pounds. Here’s more of a by-the-numbers look at Edmonton’s newest addition.
2 – OHL Championship Titles
Griffith played a pivotal role in London’s back-to-back championship seasons, helping the Knights capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup and advance to the Memorial Cup in 2012 and 2013.
In the 2012 OHL playoffs, Griffith led London with 10 goals and 23 points and scored the championship-winning goal against the Niagara Ice Dogs. Griffith recorded 25 playoff points in 2013 when the Knights famously won the title by defeating the Barrie Colts in Game 7 of the championship on a Bo Horvat goal with 0.1 seconds left.
The Knights were runners-up at the 2012 Memorial Cup and finished third the following year. Griffith had a team-high six points for London at the tournament in 2013.
3 – NHL Teams in the 2016-17 Season
Every NHL season, there seem to be one or two players that are perpetually cycling through waivers, never fully unpacking their suitcase before it’s time to pack up again. In 2016-17, that was Seth Griffith.
His merry-go-round started with the Bruins, for whom he played 34 games the previous two seasons. On the eve of the 2016-17 schedule, Boston waived Griffith, and the Ontario native was scooped up by Toronto Maple Leafs.
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His stay within Toronto lasted one month and one day. Griffith appeared in three games with the Leafs before being waived again. This time, the Florida Panthers claimed him.
Griffith became a semi-regular in the Panthers lineup, skating in 21 games from mid-November to mid-January but just when it looked like he might have found a home in Sunrise, Fla., he instead found himself back on waivers. On Jan. 20, 2017, Griffith was re-claimed by the Leafs, the third time he had switched teams in barely more than three months.
He would end up spending the remainder of the 2016-17 season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies but had one last move to make-on July 1, the opening day of free agency, he signed with the Buffalo Sabres.
7 – Oilers Called up from Bakersfield
Along with Griffith and Marody, there are seven total Condor call-ups presently with the Oilers: fellow forwards Ryan McLeod and Brendan Perlini; defensemen William Lagesson and Markus Niemelainen; and goaltender Stuart Skinner. All of those players except McLeod and Perlini began the season in Bakersfield. McLeod is currently in COVID protocol and Niemelainen was placed on injured reserve Friday.
Related Link: Oilers’ Niemelainen Outplaying Fellow Young Defensemen
Blueliner Philip Broberg, who is currently in Bakersfield, has already been recalled and subsequently reassigned twice this season, bringing the total to 8 players in the organization who have spent time in both the AHL and NHL roster over the last two months.
53 – AHL-Leading Assists in 2015-16
Griffith served up 53 assists in just 57 games for the Providence Bruins in 2015-16, finishing first in the AHL for the season. He also scored 24 times totaling 77 points, which was second-most in the league., while his average of 1.35 points per game was highest among players who dressed for at least half their team’s games.
The 2015-16 season was the most decorated of Griffith’s pro career: he was named a First-Team AHL All-Star, played in the AHL All-Star Game, and won the AHL Player of the Month award for December.
1,382 – Days Between NHL Games
Griffith last played in an NHL game on March 7, 2018, with the Sabres against the Calgary Flames. Since that night, he has appeared in 194 games over parts of five seasons in the AHL (10 games with the Rochester Americans, 127 with the Manitoba Moose and 57 with the Condors).
His most recent NHL goal came 1,507 days ago: Nov. 7, 2017, for the Sabres against the Arizona Coyotes. He has scored 68 times in the AHL since then.
Griffith would like to reset both of those totals to zero by playing and scoring for the Oilers. Maybe as soon as Saturday night in Seattle.