Because for now (just 65 games into what could become a long, stable NHL career) he’s happiest when you’re not even sure he suited up for the game you just watched.
“If someone says, ‘Hey, I didn’t notice Emberson much tonight,’ that’s probably a good thing,” the Edmonton Oilers defenseman said, heading into Friday’s home game against the Anaheim Geese. “If I was calm, if I made good passes and they didn’t beat me anywhere, if I didn’t hand over the puck…
“Sometimes it’s good to get attention. Other times it is good to go unnoticed.”
Meet Ty Emberson, regular manager Stan Bowman’s quiet acquisition who could turn out to be a steal, on some level.
The biggest thing we noticed about Emberson when he came into the Cody Ceci trade last summer? He had 30 games on his NHL resume, compared to Ceci’s 786.
How was this trade, other than the $2.3 million in cap space it provided the Oilers, going to help a team that plans to win a Stanley Cup this season? A solid veteran for an untested tower; then Vincent Desharnais and Philip Broberg moved on, and it became clear that this Emberson cat was going to have to play right away.
Well, fast forward to today, and the Oilers are trying to secure the 24-year-old a new contract.
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“My agent mentioned something to me about that a couple of days ago,” Emberson said. “If it turns out to work, I would be excited. “I love it here…and I hope to spend more time here.”
Today, Edmonton finds itself with a 24-year-old defensive defenseman who is barely scratching the surface of what he could one day be. Looks like a safe third pairing on most National Hockey League D corps right now.
Where will his game be at 200 games? 300 games?
“In the first 20-25 games, he was finding his way. Watching,” said veteran Mattias Ekholm. “’Where am I located? Where do I fit in? How am I supposed to play to help this team? “Now you see where he excels in his game.”
Ekholm was a youngster a dozen seasons ago, albeit with many more physical tools to work with. He remembers being the guy who played well and got a seat in the press box the next game, simply because the team needed to make a change and he was the lowest man on the totem pole.
“Your first 100 games have to be the hardest,” Ekholm recalled. “Sometimes you’re just there to not make a mistake. You’re just trying to stay in the lineup, get some traction, maybe get five games in a row. Six games in a row. Then your skill and your ability to take risks can take over.”
Which brings us back to Emberson, who is listed as six-foot-two and 190 pounds.
I stood next to him and he was in his stockings. I’m five inches tall. He wasn’t taller than me.
How much does it weigh? It’s on the small side, but sure, it could weigh 190.
However, the size that matters here cannot be calibrated. It is trust that will take you further with your coaches and your belief in your own game.
“Once you have more confidence, you get a little more control with your ice time and your coaches, then you can make the plays that are a little riskier. That may not always work. Try to slide it up the middle, instead of making an easy indirect play,” said Emberson, who has played in all but two games this season.
“It’s about confidence, the timing of joining the race, making sure I’m in the right place, not too far ahead and not too far behind. “Leon and Connor will get you the puck if you’re in the right spot.”
We’re not sure that one day there won’t be more offense in his game, but for now, he has the prerequisites of an effective NHL defenseman in 2025: he can skate, he makes a good pass, he’s smart and he has some grit too with a couple of snippets this season.
In the final moments of a New Year’s Eve game, with Utah’s goalie on the bench, Emberson took the puck out of his zone. He looked to his right, toward Viktor Arvidsson, and all of Utah’s skaters headed that way, hoping for an easy pass.
Emberson held on tight, looked to his left, and saw Draisaitl suddenly wide open. He threw a pass right on Draisaitl’s tape, and the big German came in to score an easy, empty goal.
“It’s an open goal,” Ekholm said. “But I could have changed that, made a change and called it a day. But he made a move and kept the puck, found León and the game was over.
“It’s hard for me to say where his offensive skills lie… but as a defender, he has all the tools in the world to be one of the best defenders in this league for years to come.”
It is a small work. But it’s a great work, you know?
“In Game 1, I probably would have said, ‘I’ve got the puck.’ I have to get rid of him,’” Emberson said. “Even if… it wasn’t going to be a good move anyway. I probably would have gotten rid of it.
“Now I have the confidence to be able to analyze that and then find a new option.”
Looks like Bowman just found one.
