Oilers' Skinner hopes to perform 'a lot better' in 2nd season
Despite a strong rookie campaign, Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner is targeting improvement in the 2023-24 season.
Last season, the 24-year-old emerged as Edmonton's starter, earned an All-Star nomination, and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy. However, Skinner believes he has more to give in his sophomore campaign to aid the Oilers' Stanley Cup aspirations.
"It honestly felt like I was going into something I was already ready for," Skinner told NHL.com's Aaron Vickers. "It felt pretty good just going in there right away, and the guys made me feel at home and made me feel like a big part of the family right away.
"I know for my rookie year it seems everything went pretty good and pretty smoothly, but I learned a lot of lessons. I've got much, much better to bring next year, and hopefully, I'm going to do that my whole career. I know it was a good year, but I know I've got a lot better."
Skinner finished the season with a 29-14-5 record and .913 save percentage. He outperformed Jack Campbell, who was tabbed as Edmonton's No. 1 netminder after signing a five-year contract with the club last summer.
Despite a strong regular-season showing, Skinner struggled immensely in the playoffs as the Oilers fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2. Edmonton pulled him numerous times across his 12 starts, and he registered an .883 save percentage and 3.68 goals against average.
A better postseason is a key point of focus for Skinner.
"I think success in Season 2 is just sticking to who I am and just trying to get better every single day," he said. "Obviously, I want to go in there and I want to win the Stanley Cup. That's the ultimate goal for the Edmonton Oilers this year and, hopefully, for the next few years. I'm going to do my best to bring that role of stopping as many pucks as I can and just doing what I need to do as a teammate."
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