On July 1, in the early hours of free agency, the Edmonton Oilers signed a 24-year-old defenceman to his first NHL contract.
Noel Hoefenmayer is not a well-known pro hockey player, and what fame he does carry owes much to his unusual last name.
Those who were familiar with him before Oilers training camp might have witnessed one of his booming shots finding the net for the AHL Toronto Marlies.
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Here’s a look at a player who you may not know about, but could see in the NHL one day.
Hoefenmayer is a direct comparable to Vincent Desharnais in terms of a career path to an NHL contract. Both men were drafted (Hoefenmayer by Arizona, Desharnais by Edmonton) but went unsigned by their drafting teams once turning pro.
Both signed AHL-only deals and played extended periods (Hoefenmayer 160 games, Desharnais 146 games) in the minors before signing an NHL deal.
Desharnais has appeared in 38 NHL games; Hoefenmayer is waiting for the call.
Hoefenmayer is a left-handed defenceman who can play either side. He is more effective on his natural side. Hoefenmayer can fight and has some rugged elements to his game. His shot is the calling card and he can get on hot streaks and carry a team at the minor league level. Hoefenmayer is a plus passer and creative enough to be a worry with the puck and time on his side. He went 1-9-10 in a 10-game run in October and early November 2022 with the Marlies.
He is best described as an offensive defenceman. His coverage and goal suppression is solid if unspectacular compared to other Marlies defencemen last season.
All numbers even strength via Pick224.
One of the factors that needs to be considered is Hoefenmayer’s time on the right side. It’s likely he is less effective on the off-side, and that would obscure a more substantial defensive player.
It’s fair to say that he’s an impact offensive defenceman (No. 8 in AHL goals last season), a tough guy (his 114 PIMs were No. 4 among defenders) and a capable defender at the minor-league level.
Will that result in an NHL career? The answer is not yet known, but the resume has some interesting bullet points as he enters the next phase of his career.
Joshua Kloke wrote about Hoefenmayer in January for The Athletic. Kloke noted that “Hoefenmayer has leaned into the Marlies coaching staff’s demands for him to be more of a physical, shut-down defender” while noting that he was taking too many penalties and losing position on the ice. Fans who have watched Niemelainen in Bakersfield and Edmonton will recognize the issue of leaving the correct defensive position to make things happen.
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Kloke also noted he was “an extremely coachable defenceman and with the ice time he’s received, he’s shown how creative he can be with the puck in the offensive zone.”
Quick and effective movement of the puck by defencemen gets more important to NHL coaching staffs each year. Added to Hoefenmayer’s toughness it means he is more than a one-dimensional chaos defenceman.
Hoefenmayer’s skates well enough to make the NHL but it won’t be considered a strength. A bigger impediment to his NHL career (with Edmonton) is the left-handed depth chart with the Oilers and the minor league Bakersfield Condors.
Darnell Nurse and Mattias Ekholm are major NHL defencemen, with Brett Kulak (when healthy) a strong third-pairing blue who can move up the depth chart ably. Add the team’s top young defender (Philip Broberg) plus the training camp phenom (Ben Gleason) and Hoefenmayer probably ranks as the No. 7 left side option (Markus Niemelainen also ranks ahead of him).
On the right side, all of Evan Bouchard, Cody Ceci, Desharnais and possible recall Phil Kemp would rank ahead of him. The right side might be his quickest route to the NHL, although Broberg does play the opposite side in Edmonton as required.
Hoefemayer’s shot from the point is a monster. Although the Oilers continue to struggle offensively (No. 22 in GF-60) at five-on-five, the team’s power play is scoring well and it’s extremely unlikely Hoefenmayer would see time with the man advantage in Edmonton.
This player is blocked for now, but showing well enough to keep an eye on.
In his first game with the Condors, Hoefenmayer mashed the game-winner with something close to a rocket launcher. He also had 17 minutes in penalties courtesy of a run-in with Coachella Valley Firebirds forward Jacob Melanson.
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Hoefenmayer played the right side with Gleason during the game, and the duo was effective.
In the second game of the season on Saturday night, Hoefenmayer again played the right side with Cam Dineen. Through two games, he owns a 50 percent goal share.
All numbers even strength
Hoefenmayer was the first star of the game last weekend, and gave a strong Coachella Valley team fits physically and on the scoreboard.
The right side of the Condors defence is perfect for Hoefenmayer.
Kemp is a shutdown defender and Wanner is a rookie who will need to gain experience before taking on a feature role with Bakersfield.
That should give Hoefenmayer lots of playing time in all three game disciplines and allow him to show Oilers management he is worth a look at the NHL level.
He’s blocked right now as an NHL option, but things can change.
Can Hoefenmayer help the Oilers? Only time will tell.
The Oilers pro scouting staff may have uncovered a useful NHL player. The Coyotes drafted him, the Maple Leafs coached him up and worked on his development and good scouting may give Edmonton a player via an astute signing early in free agency.
That would be a unique occurrence in recent team history.
(Photo of Noel Hoefenmayer playing for the Toronto Marlies: Jonathan Tenca / Cal Sport Media via AP Images)
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