Oilers hire former Spruce Grove Saints head coach, announce other front office changes

The Edmonton Oilers announced a number of changes within their hockey operations department for the 2025-26 season as three staff members were promoted and another five were hired.

One of the moves has ties to hockey in the Edmonton area, as the team hired former Spruce Grove Saints head coach Ryan Marsh to work as an assistant to the coaching staff.

He spent the last two years behind the Saints’ bench, and the former captain of the University of Alberta Golden Bears brings 20 years of other experience behind the benches of the Golden Bears, the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings and Saskatoon Blades, and the DEL’s Schwenninger Wild Wings.

Two longtime members of the front office received promotions: Brothers Justin and Shaun Mahé. Justin, now in his 17th season with the team, was promoted to director of hockey analysis, while Shaun, in his 13th year, was promoted to manager of hockey systems and design.

Justin got his start as a video scouting intern in 2009, spending the last number of years as Manager, Hockey Analysis. His new role will see him handle data analysis for the hockey operations department, while planning and executing the team’s annual development camp, the team said.

Shaun, meanwhile, held the role of coordinator of hockey operations prior to this season, now getting a bump to “leading design and data visualization initiatives for hockey operations platforms.” He will also partner with senior leadership to “deliver analytical intelligence, manage reporting workflows and optimizing systems across scouting, player development and hockey analytics departments.”

Another member of the front office promoted was Nik Coric, who spent last year, his first with the Oilers, as an amateur scout, now getting the bump to being a pro scout.

Among the five hires were a pair of scouts Jesse Saarinen, an amateur scout and Ron Anderson, a college scout.

Saarinen, 40, joins the scouting department after retiring in 2022 from a long playing career in Finland. He recently worked on Finnish national hockey broadcasts as an analyst.

Anderson, 75, meanwhile, joins the front office after a 26-year run in scouting and player recruitment with the Chicago Blackhawks, spending years as a scout and the most recent four as a senior advisor.

The team also announced the hiring of Kris Horn as a manager of team services. He spent the last three seasons as the AHL Bakersfield Condors’ manager of team services and video.