Oilers Lock Down Key Part of Off-Ice Staff Until 2029

Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch Signs Three-Year Extension

Kris Knoblauch has had a pretty successful career in hockey to this point. He played five years for the University of Alberta Golden Bears during his playing days. After that, he tried one year of pro, before getting into coaching. He began his coaching career in the junior ranks. Furthermore, twice he won league championships, in 2011 in the WHL with the Kootenay Ice, and the 2017 OHL title with the Erie Otters. That was the fifth year of his time in Erie, and it would be the last. It is worth noting, that he coached Connor McDavid in all three of his seasons in Erie. That relationship was a big reason why Knoblauch got the gig in Edmonton to begin with in the first place.

After his time in Erie, Knoblauch moved on to the professional coaching ranks. He was an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers for two years, before getting a head coaching job. That was with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf pack. He was there for parts of five seasons, and only left to take the Oiler job in 2023-24.

His NHL Coaching Career

Knoblauch replaced Jay Woodcroft that year. Despite having a terrific winning percentage overall in his time in Edmonton, the Oilers were off to a bad start in 2023-24. The Oilers only had three victories through their first 13 games when Knoblauch took over. Then, the Oilers went on a terrific run to finish the season. They finished that campaign with a .703 winning percentage after Knoblauch took over. Also, they capped it off with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

We all know what happened, and in fact, it happened again last year. The Oilers have currently lost two Stanley Cup Finals in a row now, each time to the Florida Panthers. However, the fact that they made it to the finals, is a sign that Knoblauch has managed the bench well. He finds the combinations that work well. Also, he has balanced the goaltending situations between Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard very well. The Oilers still search that allusive price, but now they have a coach in place for a few years, they know can get them there. It will be up the players to get it done for coach Knoblauch, if the opportunity comes up again.