Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm played a huge role for the team this season and now he's giving a shout out to their fans and the city of Edmonton. The Oilers have been a team defined by their offense for many years now. This is why the team decided to go out and get Mattias Ekholm last year in a trade with the Nashville Predators. Ekholm immediately provided a huge boost to the team's defense core. <q>The #Oilers have acquired defenceman Mattias Ekholm & a 2024 sixth-round pick from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenceman Tyson Barrie, forward Reid Schaefer, a 2023 first-round pick & a 2024 fourth-round pick.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1630713450145140736'> </a></blockquote></div> This season he was even more effective as Evan Bouchard took another major step forward playing with the seasoned veteran for the entirety of the season. The duo was a large part of the reason the Oilers were able to get to the Stanley Cup finals. That being said, not everything is about the product on the ice. Ekholm realizes this, which is certainly part of the reason he felt compelled to shout out Oilers fans on social media. <q>Mattias Ekholm released a heartfelt message on Instagram to fans regarding the end of the NHL season.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/BarDown/status/1811505721416253838'> </a></blockquote></div> <q>Our first full season has now come to an end and we are beyond grateful for the way the city has welcomed us. Although we wish we could have written a different end to this amazing season, we will always remember how a hockey team and a city came together and shared one big dream. Keep on believing, see you in the fall.</q> Ekholm clearly feels at home in the new city, which is certainly a lot more similar to Sweden than Nashville was, at least in terms of the climate. Feeling conformable at home certainly makes going to work every day a bit easier, which could help explain Ekholm's tremendous performance this season. Ekholm has 11 goals and 45 points for the Oilers in the regular season, as well as a remarkable +44 rating. He followed that up with 5 goals and 10 points as well as a +9 rating in 25 playoff games. With another year like that, the Oilers could have a very good chance of making it back to the Stanley Cup finals next season. Source: OilersInsider <a href='https://www.oilersinsider.com/nhl/news/heartfelt-remark-shared-on-social-media-by-mattias-ekholm' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Heartfelt remark shared on social media by Mattias Ekholm</a>