The newest incarnation of the Oil Kings are the fourth WHL team to play in Edmonton, preceded by the first Edmonton Oil Kings (1951–76), the second Edmonton Oil Kings (1978–79) and the Edmonton Ice (1996–98).^{[citation needed]}

The first Edmonton Oil Kings were a junior hockey team that played in the original Western Canada Junior Hockey League from 1951 to 1956. They then played with the senior amateur Central Alberta Hockey League from 1956 to 1965, winning the 1963 Memorial Cup. They joined the Alberta Senior Hockey League for the 1965–66 season,^[3] prior to jumping to the new Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCHL) in 1966. The Oil Kings were also initially successful in the WCHL, capturing two President's Cup titles. However, with the arrival of the World Hockey Association and the Edmonton Oilers in 1972, the junior club's attendance began to plummet. Approximately 150,000 fans went to Oil Kings games in 1971–72. That number dropped to 90,000 the next year, and 68,000 the following year.^[4] The original Oil Kings moved to Portland, Oregon in 1976, becoming the Portland Winter Hawks.^{[citation needed]}

The Oil Kings were revived in 1978, when Bill Hunter purchased the Flin Flon Bombers and brought them to Alberta's capital. However, the juniors were once again unable to compete at the ticket window with the Oilers, averaging about 500 fans per game, and rumours that the team would again relocate began to swirl before the first season was even complete.^[5] The second Oil Kings relocated again to become the Great Falls Americans, where the team would only last 28 more games before folding.^{[citation needed]}

Despite the long-held belief that major-junior hockey could not survive against the pros, the WHL returned to Calgary (home to the NHL Calgary Flames in 1995, and Edmonton – as the Edmonton Ice – in 1996. At the time, the Oilers were struggling on the ice, as well as attendance. The Oilers refused to work with the Ice, blocking them from playing in Northlands Coliseum, thus relegating them to the substandard Northlands Agricom. The Ice relocated to Cranbrook, British Columbia, becoming the Kootenay Ice, after two underwhelming seasons.^{[citation needed]}

"Return of the Kings" edit

In 2004, with the Flames-owned Hitmen leading the WHL in attendance for the fourth consecutive season, and the Vancouver Giants also proving to be a major attendance success despite the presence of the NHL Vancouver Canucks, the ownership group of the Oilers put out an open offer of $5 million – well over market value – to purchase and relocate any existing WHL franchise.^[6] With no takers, and with the 2004–05 NHL lockout looming, the Oilers chose to relocate their AHL team to Rexall Place as the Edmonton Roadrunners. Despite finishing third in the AHL in attendance, and having publicly promised to operate the team in Edmonton for at least three seasons, the Oilers suspended the Roadrunners after only one season rather than have their minor league team competing against themselves. The Oilers then resumed their quest for a WHL team.^{[citation needed]}

When the sale of the Tri-City Americans to Chilliwack, British Columbia failed, the WHL placed an expansion team in Chilliwack, and the door for Edmonton was finally reopened. While the league had previously refused to consider further expansion, believing 20 teams was enough, the addition of the Chilliwack Bruins left the league with an odd number of franchises. Preferring an even number of teams, the league announced its return to Edmonton on March 16, 2006 with the granting of a conditional expansion franchise, named the Edmonton Oil Kings in homage to the former franchise.^{[citation needed]}

The team began play in the 2007–08 WHL season and finished with a record of 22–39–11, good for 55 points, but not enough to make the playoffs.^{[citation needed]}

The new Oil Kings captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup, as victors of the WHL playoffs, in the 2011–12 and 2013–14 WHL seasons, earning berths to the 2012 and 2014 Memorial Cups. On May 25, 2014 the Oil Kings won the franchise's third, first for the reborn team, Memorial Cup after defeating the Ontario Hockey League champion Guelph Storm by a score of 6–3.^{[citation needed]}

In 2022, the Oil Kings won their third Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions, earning them a spot at the 2022 Memorial Cup.^{[citation needed]}

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

• 2011–12: Win, 4–3 vs Portland
• 2012–13: Loss, 2–4 vs Portland
• 2013–14: Win, 4–3 vs Portland
• 2021–22: Win, 4–2 vs Seattle

• 2012: Eliminated in round-robin
• 2014: Win, 6–3 vs Guelph (OHL)
• 2022: Eliminated in round-robin

Updated February 21, 2024.^[7]

NHL 1st round draft picks

• 2010 NHL Entry Draft – Mark Pysyk #23 Overall (Buffalo Sabres)
• 2012 NHL Entry Draft – Griffin Reinhart #4 Overall (New York Islanders)
• 2012 NHL Entry Draft – Henrik Samuelsson #27 Overall (Phoenix Coyotes)
• 2013 NHL Entry Draft – Curtis Lazar #17 Overall (Ottawa Senators)
• 2020 NHL Entry Draft – Jake Neighbours #26 Overall (St. Louis Blues)
• 2021 NHL Entry Draft – Dylan Guenther #9 Overall (Arizona Coyotes)
• 2021 NHL Entry Draft – Sebastian Cossa #15 Overall (Detroit Red Wings)

• Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)
• List of ice hockey teams in Alberta

• Official website of the Edmonton Oil Kings
• Official website of the Western Hockey League
• Official website of the Canadian Hockey League
• Article about team's return (TSN)