Edmonton Oilers Best Player of All Time From Each Canadian Province and Territory – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

It’s July 1st^Stwhich means the opening of free agency in the NHL, where hundreds of millions of dollars in contacts will be signed. But the first of July is also Canada Day, so in celebration of the Great White North, we’re taking a break from the league’s busy schedule to look at the best player in Edmonton Oilers history in every state and territory (except Nunavut, which has never had a resident nickname for an Edmonton NHL team).

British Columbia: Glenn Anderson

Vancouver native Glenn Anderson spent 12 seasons (1980-81 through 1990-91 and 1995-96) with the Oilers, amassing 906 points in 845 games. The winner is one of the leading scorers in franchise history, tallying 498 goals for the Oilers in the regular season and playoffs combined.

Anderson is one of six skaters to be a part of all of Edmonton’s Stanley Cup victories (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990), and is one of only eight players to have his number retired by the Oilers.

Alberta: Mark Messier

Coming out of St. Albert, just outside Edmonton, Mark Messier played for the Oilers from 1979-80 to 1990-91, serving as captain the last three seasons. He was instrumental in all of the team’s Stanley Cup victories, especially in 1984 when he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Messier, whose No. 11 hangs at Rogers Place, is one of five players to surpass 1,000 points as an Oiler. He won the Hart Trophy in 1989-90 after scoring a career-high 129 points.

Saskatchewan: Kelly Buchberger

Arguably the greatest blueliner in franchise history, Langenburg native Kelly Buchberger was drafted in the ninth round in 1985 and went on to play 795 games in 12 seasons (1986-87 to 1998-99) with the Oilers, becoming the team’s all-time leader with 1,747 minutes.

A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Buchberger served as team captain for his final five seasons in Edmonton. He won the Oilers’ Top Defensive Forward award for five consecutive years from 1993 to 1997.

Manitoba: Bill Ranford

Brandon’s Bill Ranford spent parts of 10 seasons in Edmonton (1987-88 to 1995-96 and 1999-2000), appearing in a total of 449 games, still the most in Oilers history.

Ranford led Edmonton to its last Stanley Cup championship in 1990 when he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. He won the team’s Molson Cup four times and received the Zane Feldman Trophy as the Oilers MVP for four consecutive seasons, from 1990-91 to 1993-94.

Ontario: Wayne Gretzky

Brantford product Wayne Gretzky is not only the best Ontario player in Oilers history, he is the best player anywhere in NHL history.

The Oilers’ all-time leader in nearly every statistical category, Gretzky spent the first nine seasons of his NHL career in Edmonton, including five as captain, tallying 583 goals and 1,086 assists. The center won the Hart Trophy eight times and the Art Ross Trophy seven times during his tenure with the Oilers.

Quebec: Kevin Lowe

A defenseman with the Oilers for 15 seasons (1979-80 to 1991-92, and 1996-97 to 1997-98), Lachute product Kevin Lowe is simply an important thread in the fabric of the team.

Lowe was Edmonton’s first NHL draft pick, scored the team’s first NHL regular season goal, served as team captain in 1991-92, won five Stanley Cups as an Oiler, is Edmonton’s all-time leader in games played in both the playoffs and the regular season, and had his number retired by the franchise.

Newfoundland and Labrador: Daniel Cleary

Before he became a bottom-six player on the Detroit Red Wings’ powerhouse teams in the 2000s, Carbonear native Daniel Cleary spent his formative years with the Oilers.

Originally acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in March 1999, Cleary was a part of Edmonton’s NHL program from 1999-00 to 2002-03. The winger had 35 goals and 51 assists in 220 regular season games as an Oiler.

New Brunswick: Calvin Pickard

One of the best and most valuable netminders in Oilers history, Moncton’s Calvin Pickard helped Edmonton make back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025.

In parts of three seasons (2023-24 to 2025-26) with the Oilers, Pickard appeared in 75 regular season games, compiling a 39-23-4 record. He was 8-2 in the playoffs with a winning percentage of .800, the highest of any goaltender to start at least one postseason game for the Oilers.

Prince Edward Island: Josh Currie

In 2018-19, Charlottetown’s Josh Currie became the first player from his home state to suit up for the Oilers in nearly four decades, since defenseman John Hughes in 1980-81.

After a few seasons of struggling in the minor leagues, Currie was recalled to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) in February 2019. The forward spent the entire season with the Oilers, playing in 21 games, scoring two goals and adding three assists.

Yukon Territory: Bryon Baltimore

During Edmonton’s 47 years in the NHL, there has only been one player from the Yukon Territory to suit up for the Oilers, and surprisingly, that happened in the first few weeks of the franchise’s first NHL season.

Whitehorse native Bryon Baltimore, a defenseman, played just two games for the Oilers in November 1979. He didn’t register a point but tallied 4 plus/minus. Baltimore spent the entire 1979-80 season in the minor leagues and never played another NHL game in his career.

Northwest Territories: Geoff Sanderson

The most accomplished player from the Northwest Territories in NHL history, Hay River product Geoff Sanderson spent the final seasons of his career with the Oilers in 2007-08.

During his time in Edmonton, Sanderson was far from a player who had scored at least 30 goals in six different seasons. The defenseman appeared in just 41 games, scoring just three goals and adding 10 assists on an Oilers team that missed the postseason.

Players from all over the country have contributed greatly to the Oilers throughout the years, and that theme continues today, with several states represented on Edmonton’s current roster.