After spending his freshman year at
Lakeville North High School, Oettinger committed to the
USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) Juniors for the 2014–15 season. Oettinger played two seasons with the USNTDP Juniors while committing to
Boston University. He was drafted in the first round, 26th overall, of the
2017 NHL entry draft by the
Dallas Stars.
Collegiate During his freshman season at Boston University, Oettinger posted a 2.11 goals-against average and .927 save-percentage. During that season, Oettinger was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Month for the month of October, was a two-time Hockey East Rookie of the Week, a two-time Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week and was named Hockey East Top Performer four times. Thus, he was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and Hockey East Second Team All-Star at the end of the year. Prior to the
2018–19 season, Oettinger was named an
alternate captain for the Terriers, along with Chad Krys.
Professional On March 25, 2019, Oettinger signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars and was assigned to their
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Texas Stars, on an amateur tryout contract. Upon joining the Texas Stars, Oettinger recorded a .897 save percentage and a 3.34 goals-against average in his first eight games. On March 3, 2020, he earned his first NHL call up as
Ben Bishop dealt with a lower-body injury. He served as
Anton Khudobin's backup during the
2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. On September 8, he made his NHL debut in relief of Khudobin in the third period of the second game of the Western Conference finals against the
Vegas Golden Knights. With Bishop remaining unavailable during the following
2020–21 season, Oettinger became the Stars' backup goaltender to Khudobin, making his regular season debut on January 28, 2021, in a 7–3 victory over the
Detroit Red Wings. Over the course of the season he made 24 starts and appeared in relief a further five times, gradually edging ahead of Khudobin as the team's starting goaltender. He finished with a .911 save perentage. Oettinger began the
2021–22 season playing in the AHL, appearing in 10 games with a 4–5–2 record. However, he was soon called up to play in the NHL again, with injuries plaguing the team's other goaltenders. He became the starter on arrival, and earned a 30–15–1 record with a .914 save percentage in the regular season, credited as a key factor in the Stars qualifying for the
2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Stars earned the final wild card berth and drew the
Calgary Flames in the first round, a matchup where they were considered underdogs. However, the series proved far more competitive than expected, a fact that was widely attributed to Oettinger, who was dubbed "bar none, the first star of the first round" by
The Hockey News. Oettinger led all goaltenders in the first round with a .954 save percentage, also the second-highest in the history of the Stars, behind only
Ed Belfour during the
1998 conference semifinals. The climax came in game seven, where the Stars took the game to overtime despite the Flames making twice as many shots and attempts as the Stars, with Oettinger recording 64 saves, the second-highest in a game 7 behind only
Kelly Hrudey's 73 during the 1987
Easter Epic. of the
Seattle Kraken during the
2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. On September 1, 2022, Oettinger signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Stars. He began the
2022–23 season impressively, with a 5–1–0 record and a .960 save percentage over those games, before exiting an October 29 game against the
New York Rangers with an unspecified lower-body injury. He returned to the Stars' active roster two weeks later. He finished that season with a 37–11–11 record and .919 save percentage. He posted his second career shutout during the
2023 Stanley Cup playoffs in game five against the
Minnesota Wild. The team went on to beat them in game six, moving onto the second round with a 4–1 victory. The Stars advanced to the conference finals after beating the
Seattle Kraken in a seven-game series. Their season came to end after losing in a six game series against the
Vegas Golden Knights. Oettinger finished that playoffs with a 10–9–0 record, .895 save percentage and a goals-against average of 3.06. Following the team's playoff exit, Oettinger required off-season surgery on his ankle. Oettinger struggled early on in the
2023–24 season, however, he went 35–14–4 that season and finished with a .905 save percentage and 2.72 goals-against average. He represented the team at the
2024 NHL All-Star Game. After losing game one to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the
2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, he had gone 8–4 and recorded a save percentage above .940. The team beat the
Colorado Avalanche in six games, as Oettinger stopped 30 of 31 shots, helping the team advance to the conference finals. Oettinger earned his first shutout in the
2024–25 season, during the Stars' home opener against the
New York Islanders, winning the game 3–0. On October 17, 2024, he signed an eight-year, $66 million contract extension. He was also selected as one of the United States' goaltenders for the
4 Nations Face-Off. He played one game in the tournament, which resulted in a 2–1 loss against Sweden. He recorded a .913 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.06. The Stars faced the Avalanche in the first round of the
2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, beating the team in seven games. They then played against the
Winnipeg Jets in the following round, winning the series in six games. Through two rounds, he recorded a .918 save percentage. Oettinger was pulled in game five against the Edmonton Oilers of the conference finals after giving up two goals on two shots, as the team went on to the lose the series. ==International play==