Just Who Is Keith Aulie

The Edmonton Oilers went to market on July 1st looking to fill a number of holes. They did just that, coming away with three defenders and a free agent forward. It was a large turnover, and it started at the bottom of the defensive depth chart with former Lightning defender Keith Aulie.

The Means Of Entry:

The Oilers acquire Keith Aulie as a free agent on July 1st, signing him as their third and final transaction of the day. Aulie signed a one-year contract for cheap money to come in an compete for a third-pairing or seventh defenders spot in Edmonton, and to provide insurance for the young prospects developing in OKC and in junior leagues across Canada.

Aulie played the last two and a half seasons in the Tampa Bay organization, and previously had stops in both the Maple Leaf and Flame organizations. He’s already been traded twice, and the former fourth rounder has had his fair share of address changes over the years.

The Boxcars:

Keith Aulie saw his role decrease this past season as the Bolts saw a few defenders rise through their system. He played in 15 games, battling both injuries and depth, and recorded just one point and a -3 rating. The season prior he split between the AHL and NHL, playing in 20 AHL games and recording six points, while recording seven points in 45 NHL contests, along with a +1 rating and 60 penalty minutes.

Aulie split 2011-12 between a few different teams, playing 17 games for the Maple Leafs and 23 games for the Marlies. He had one point for the Marlies in his stint there, while he posted just two in his NHL stint. Towards the deadline, he was shifted to Tampa, where he joined the Bolts for 19 games, recording a single point. He was assigned to the AHL, where he played three regular season games, adding two points, and 18 playoff games, where he had six points.

Prior to that, Aulie spent 2010-11 split between the Marlies and Maple Leafs, and 2009-10 split between the Abbotsford Heat and the Marlies. He’s been the roaming nomad on defense.

The Player;

Aulie turned 25 just over two months ago, and still has a long way to go in his pro career. He’s a mammoth of a man, standing in at 6’6” and a monstrous 228 pounds. He’s a physical defender that uses his size to set the tone in games, and provides teams with a punisher of sorts on the back-end.

Aulie isn’t a guy that takes risks, and is a player that usually will just make the safe and simple play. He’s the kind of defender that will retrieve the puck and just move it out of the zone. He’s more of a shut-down defender, and prides himself on his play in his own zone.

He’s a decent skater for a big man, which is key on an Oilers team that has tons of speed up front and some other defenders that can wheel, namely Jeff Petry and Justin Schultz. He’s also valuable in the sense that he can play on the PK too, and is a player the easily clears the front of the net when needed.

The Hockey News calls Aulie a guy that displays a little all-around ability, and calls him a player that is solid in his own end. His possession stats indicate a stay-at-home defender that doesn’t move the puck a ton and is more focused with not allowing a scoring chance in his own-zone. It’s a dying breed, but someone still needs to do the job.

Aulie isn’t a guy that logs huge minute totals, and is more of a third-pairing defender at this stage of his career, but his size, physical play, and shut-down ability make him a dark-horse to eventually become a solid defender at the NHL level. He’s only 25, and he’s bounced around quite a bit over the last few seasons.

Also of note, Aulie is a known commodity for Dallas Eakins, who coached him during his multiple stints in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. Clearly, Eakins saw something he liked with the player, and I’d have to think he was behind this signing to a degree.

The 2014-15 Outlook:

Keith Aulie has an NHL roster spot right in front of him. At this point, he’s safely penciled in as the seventh defender for the Oilers, and is first up for spot duty when injuries occur and when players hit slumps and need a night off. He’ll likely play anywhere between 35-50 games on the season, so he’ll play a bigger role than the last few years.

The only way he isn’t on the opening night roster is if he is hurt, or Darnell Nurse is simply to good to send back to juniors, in which case Aulie could end up on waivers, although that is doubtful. Keith Aulie hasn’t been able to grasp an NHL job full-time, but his best shot is coming up in just a few weeks when Edmonton goes to training camp.