EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Jay Woodcroft on Sunday after a slow start to the season.
Team Alberta also indicated that assistant coach Dave Manson has also been relieved of his duties.
The Oilers have just three wins in 13 games this season. However, they were coming back after a 4-1 victory Seattle KrakenSaturday night.
Kris Knoblauch, head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League, has been hired to lead the Oilers. He will be replaced by Paul Coffey.
Knoblauch especially directed Connor McDavid during his time in the Ontario League for the Erie Otters. He led the Otters to the title in 2016-17, as he previously did with the Kootenay Ice in the WHL in 2010-11.
The Oilers are currently in 15th and penultimate place in the Western Conference with seven points.
Woodcroft has been with the Oilers since January 2022, replacing Dave Tippett. In 133 games behind Edmonton’s bench, he had a performance of 79 wins, 41 losses and 13 overtime losses.
He led the Oilers to the 2022 West Finals, where the Alberta team was swept by eventual Stanley Cup winners,Colorado Avalanche. Last spring, Edmonton also lost to the eventual champion, the Vegas Golden Knightsthis time in the second round.
