by RLINGTON, VA. – The Washington Capitals have acquired right wing T.J. Oshie (White Earth Nation) from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for right wing Troy Brouwer, goaltender Pheonix Copley and a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
“T.J. is an outstanding skater with a tremendous skill set,” said MacLellan. “He is a powerful player and has consistent track record of production throughout his career in the NHL. We feel that he complements our core group nicely and can help us get to the next level in achieving our ultimate goal. We also want to thank Troy for his contributions to our organization on and off the ice and wish him well in St. Louis.”
Oshie, 28, registered 55 points (19 goals, 36 assists) and 51 penalty minutes in 72 games with St. Louis last season. The 5’11”, 194-pound right wing posted three three-assist games in 2014-15 and registered his second career hat trick and matched his career high with four points (three goals, one assist) on Jan. 3 at San Jose. Oshie was named the NHL’s First Star of the week ending Jan. 4. He finished the season ranked tied for third among Blues skaters in assists, fourth in plus/minus (+17), tied for fourth in game-winning goals (4) and fifth on the team in points and goals.
In 2013-14, Oshie set career highs in goals (21), assists (39), points (60), game-winning goals (5) and plus/minus (+19). He logged his first career hat trick on March 27, 2014, against Minnesota and tallied four assists on Nov. 14, 2013, against Colorado. During the 2010-11 season, Oshie was one of two NHL players (Jarret Stoll) with a perfect shootout conversion rate on home ice (3 for 3) among players with at least three attempts. Oshie led the Blues and ranked third in the NHL in shootout shooting percentage (62.5%) in 2009-10. Oshie has registered 310 points (110 goals, 200 assists) and 239 penalty minutes in 443 career NHL games with St. Louis. He was selected by the Blues in the first round, 24th overall, in the 2005 NHL Draft.
The Everett, Wash., native represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, at three World Championships (2009, 2010, 2013) and at the 2006 World Junior Championship. Oshie helped lead the United States to a shootout win over host Russia at the 2014 Olympics, scoring on four of six shootout attempts.
Oshie registered 142 points (59 goals, 83 assists) and 120 penalty minutes in 129 games at the University of North Dakota (2005-08). In his three seasons at North Dakota, Oshie earned First Team West All-American Honors, was a two-time NCAA All-Tournament Team selection, was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and received North Dakota’s Cliff “Fido” Purpur Award for demonstrating hard work, determination and excitement on the ice.
Brouwer, 29, earned 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) and 53 penalty minutes during the 2014-15 season. Brouwer has registered 255 points (132 goals, 123 assists) and 395 penalty minutes in 531 career NHL games with Chicago and Washington.
Copley, 23, posted a 17-4-3 record with three shutouts, a 2.17 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage in 26 games with Hershey (AHL) last season. The 6’4”, 196-pound goaltender won his AHL debut on Oct. 13 at Norfolk and earned his first career shutout on Oct. 19 at Hartford. The Capitals signed Copley as a free agent on March 19, 2014.
