2023-11-12 17:14:00
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Jay Woodcroft on Sunday following a slow start to the season.
The Alberta team also indicated that assistant coach Dave Manson had also been relieved of his duties.
The Oilers have only three wins in 13 games this season. However, they were coming back from a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.
Kris Knoblauch, head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League, has been hired to helm the Oilers. He will be accompanied by Paul Coffey as deputy.
Knoblauch notably managed Connor McDavid during his time in the Ontario League with the Erie Otters. He led the Otters to the title in 2016-2017, as he had previously done with the Kootenay Ice in the WHL, in 2010-2011.
The Oilers currently find themselves in 15th and penultimate place in the Western Conference with seven points.
Woodcroft had been with the Oilers since January 2022, replacing Dave Tippett. In 133 games behind the bench in Edmonton, he had a record of 79 wins, 41 losses and 13 overtime losses.
He led the Oilers to the Western Final in 2022, where the Alberta team was swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche. Last spring, Edmonton also lost to the eventual champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, this time in the second round.
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