EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers announced Sunday morning that Head Coach Jay Woodcroft and Assistant Coach Dave Manson have been relieved of their duties.
Kris Knoblauch will assume head coaching duties immediately, while special advisor Paul Coffey will join the bench as an assistant.
Knoblauch was in his fifth season as bench boss of the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolf Pack – affiliate of the New York Rangers – and had led the team to a 7-3-1 record.
Prior to joining Hartford, Knoblauch spent two season as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers after guiding the Erie Otters to the Ontario Hockey League championship in 2016-17.
The 45-year-old from Imperial, Sask. played five seasons as a winger with the University of Alberta Golden Bears before starting his coaching career in 2006-07 as an assistant with the Western Hockey League's Prince Albert Raiders. He won a WHL title with the Kootenay Ice in 2010-11 before taking over as bench boss of the Otters in 2012-13.
He coached Oilers captain Connor McDavid in Erie for all three of his OHL seasons.
