 On 31 May 2006, Thoresen signed a contract with the Oilers as a free agent.He was somewhat of a surprise in training camp and played well enough for Oilers coach Craig MacTavish to publicly state that he had earned a spot on the roster for the 2006–07 season.Thoresen became only the fifth player from Norway to play a game in the NHL, the others being Bjørn Skaare, Anders Myrvold, Espen Knutsen, and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen.