"We are very much looking forward to working with the Oilers for a third straight season," said Chapman. "We take our affiliation with them very seriously and realize the importance of developing their players to play at a higher level. The Oilers have a storied history in the National Hockey League and we are committed to working with them for the betterment of both of our organizations."

"We are pleased to once again extend our agreement for another year with Stockton," said Kevin Prendergast, the Oilers Vice President, Hockey Operations. "Dan Chapman, Chris Cichocki and the Thunder organization have provided our players with a positive environment that enables them to develop as professionals. We look forward to another successful season with Stockton in 2008-09."

For the third consecutive season, Stockton will serve as the AA minor-league affiliate for Oilers prospects. Since the Thunder and Oilers began their partnership in 2006-07, the Thunder has advanced to the Kelly Cup Playoffs two consecutive years and two former Thunder players - defenseman Bryan Young and left wing Liam Reddox - have gone on to play in the NHL. Young became the first player to earn a call-up to the NHL in Thunder history and carved his path from Stockton to Edmonton in the same season. After appearing in 17 games with Stockton, Young made his NHL debut at Anaheim on March 9, 2007 and played in 15 games with the Oilers in 2006-07.

Reddox, who scored 26 points (8g-18a) in 70 regular season games and added three points (1g-2a) in six Kelly Cup games with the Thunder in 2006-07, made his NHL debut with the Oilers at Rexall Place on December 7, 2007 against the St. Louis Blues. Rookie defenseman Theo Peckham, who appeared in one preseason game with the Thunder last year, also made his NHL debut with the Oilers in 07-08.

"I'm excited to have the Oilers return as our NHL affiliate for the third year in a row and I'm looking forward to continuing our role as an active developer of future Edmonton talent," said Thunder head coach Chris Cichocki. "I have great respect for Kevin Lowe, Kevin Prendergast and the rest of the Oilers organization as they take an active role in monitoring their prospects' progress at this level. I've always admired Edmonton's tenacious style of play and it's a benchmark that I expect our players to emulate."

In total, five Thunder players, including two who have been selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, have been named to play in the ECHL All-Star Game in the last two years while in the Oilers farm system. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk, a first-round selection of the Oilers (14th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, set Thunder single-season records in 06-07 for wins (24), minutes played (2,529), lowest goals-against-average (2.56) and save percentage (.921). Dubnyk made a game-high tying 17 saves in the second period of the 2007 ECHL All-Star Game for the National Conference.

Center Ryan O'Marra, who was selected in the first round (15th overall) by the New York Islanders in the 2005 draft and an Oilers trade acquisition in 2006-07, was originally named to the National Conference squad at the 2008 Chase Chevrolet ECHL All-Star Game shortly before earning a recall to Springfield of the American Hockey League. O'Marra scored 20 points (11g-9a) in 24 games with the Thunder last year and added nine points (2g-7a) in six Kelly Cup Playoff games.

Right wing Troy Bodie, selected in the ninth round (278th overall) by the Oilers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, ranked fifth on the Thunder with 38 points (21g-17a) in 2006-07 and was second on the club with 21 goals through just 46 games. The 22-year old tallied an assist for the National Conference at the All-Star Game.

Left wing Jacob Micflikier and defenseman Brad Farynuk, playing under AHL contracts with the Springfield Falcons, were named to represent the hometown Thunder at the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game for the National Conference before Micflikier earned an AHL recall to Springfield. Micflikier ranked third among ECHL rookies and led the Thunder with 33 points (10g-23a) in 27 games and finished the year with Stockton, posting a Thunder playoff record 13 points (4g-9a) in six contests.

Farynuk, serving as the second captain in Thunder history, led the National Conference to a 10-7 win at the ECHL All-Star Game and scored 15 points (3g-12) in just 28 regular season games for Stockton, adding three assists in six Kelly Cup Playoff games.

The Oilers, a member of the NHL's Western Conference and Northwest Division, have been a member of the National Hockey League since the 1979-80 season. A winner of five Stanley Cup Championships (1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1989-90), the Oilers became the NHL's first-ever eighth playoff seed in league history to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2005-06 as the league's Western Conference Champion, falling in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Finals.

Currently led by ninth-year General Manager Kevin Lowe, the Oilers have sent six players to the Hockey Hall of Fame - a list of "who's who" in hockey history - including Wayne Gretzky (NHL's all-time leading scorer), Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey and Glenn Anderson. Glen Sather (President and General Manager) and Rod Phillips (Radio Broadcaster) have also earned spots in the Hall of Fame.