Edmonton Oilers hire Misha Donskov as coaching consultant

It’s an interesting alignment for the Oilers on multiple fronts.

Many Oilers fans were interested in Donskov as a potential candidate for the head coaching job before they hired Babcock. As of today, the length of Babcock’s contract has never been disclosed.

Plus, Donskov will be Canada’s World Junior head coach in 2027, the tournament hosted in Edmonton and Red Deer. So if he plans to make Edmonton home base for a while, he can also take a look at the Oilers’ operations.

Before Donskov took the Hockey Canada job, a unique one considering the overlap between coaching World Juniors and the national team at the World Championships, he stood on NHL benches and worked in front offices.

From 2023 to 2025, he was an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars. For several seasons before that, he was with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he was the team’s director of hockey operations from 2016 to 2020 and an assistant coach from 2019 until 2023, winning a Stanley Cup in 2023.

“We consider this a tremendous experience for Misha, especially as we prepare to host the World Juniors with him as our head coach in December,” said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations with Hockey Canada. Donskov reports to Salmond.

“Misha is a proven winner and a tremendous leader, and we are excited that he will continue to develop his skills through this new position with the Edmonton Oilers, which we know will positively impact both of our organizations on and off the ice.”

Beyond the head coaching duties, he was also an assistant coach at the 2026 Olympics and the 2025 4 Nations Face-off.