Oilers Hire Misha Donskov As Coaching Consultant

With training camps now less than three weeks away, the Oilers have added to their coaching staff.  The team announced that they have hired Misha Donskov as a coaching consultant.  As part of the release, head coach Mike Babcock released the following statement:

We are excited to have Misha join our coaching staff. We believe his wealth of experience, people skills and professionalism will make our group better. We look forward to the positive impact he will have on our staff, players and the Oilers organization.

Donskov is also currently employed by Hockey Canada, serving as the head coach of their National Men’s teams for the World Juniors and World Championship.  He was also an assistant on their staff at the Olympics.  Accordingly, he won’t be with Edmonton on a full-time basis.  Instead, the team’s announcement indicates that he will work “a select number of days at home each month” when the Oilers are at home.

Donskov spent time in consulting roles in the past with Columbus and Atlanta before becoming a full-time assistant coach in the OHL for five seasons between Ottawa and London.  That ultimately provided a pathway back to the NHL as Donskov joined Vegas in 2026, spending seven seasons with them, some as Director of Hockey Operations and others as an assistant coach.  He then held the same role with Dallas for two seasons, leaving at the end of the 2024-25 season.

It stands to reason that this could be a trial run toward a full-time role for Donskov with the Oilers.  Donskov’s coaching contract with Hockey Canada runs through the end of the season, opening an opportunity for him to potentially return to a full-time coaching role in the NHL for 2027-28.