EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers announced the following hockey operations additions for the upcoming season:
Tobias Salmelainen – Player Acquisition & Development (Europe)
Andreas Karlsson – Player Development Coach
Vincent Malts – Mental Performance & Player Development Coach
Salmelainen, 39, joins the Oilers after most recently serving as General Manager of HIFK in Finland (Liiga) from 2017 through the 2023-24 season. His teams reached Liiga semifinals four times and won a pair of bronze medals during his tenure.
Bringing experience as a former player, agent and executive, the Espoo, Finland native will be based in Helsinki. Following his playing days, Salmelainen moved into player representation, spending almost five years as an agent primarily with Acme World Sports from 2014 to 2017 before being appointed to his role with HFIK.
Karlsson, 49, joins the club after spending the past six seasons in the Ontario Hockey League as an Assistant Coach with the Brantford/Hamilton Bulldogs and Kitchener Rangers. In 2022, he helped the Bulldogs capture the OHL championship.
After a 19-year professional hockey career that included 264 NHL games split between the Atlanta Thrashers and Tampa Bay Lightning, and an IIHF World Championship gold medal in 2006, the Ludvika, Sweden native began his coaching career during the 2011-12 season as an Assistant Coach with the U18 Frolunda Hockey Club and as a Development Coach with the SHL's Frolunda Hockey Club.
From 2012 until 2015 he served as the Head Coach of Frolunda's U20 Hockey Club before moving over to North America to accept an Assistant Coach position with York University's men's hockey program, a position he held for two seasons before moving to the OHL.
Malts, 45, joins the organization after working as a Mental Performance Coach with the North American Hockey League's Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Prior to that, he served in the same capacity with the ECHL's Indy Fuel for two seasons.
The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania product had a 10-year professional playing career before becoming a scout in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League with the Victoriaville Tigres from 2011 to 2017.
"I’m excited about the additions of Tobias, Andreas and Vincent," said Oilers Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Stan Bowman. "Player development is critical to our long-term success and this kind of investment is an important step."
