March 1, 2022 by Ryan Lotsberg

The best teams are built through the draft. We often talk about the importance of drafting and developing players. Having a deep pipeline full of cheap and reliable talent is an essential part of any winning franchise.

There’s an influx of young, homegrown players emerging into full-time NHL players in Oil Country. The core of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Darnell Nurse are all Edmonton Oilers’ draft picks. Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi have become mainstays in the Oilers top six. Evan Bouchard has seen his role on the team expand because of his growth. Ryan McLeod has earned a spot this season. We’ve seen contributions from the likes of Philip Broberg and Markus Niemelainen on the blue line this season.

Now, we’re seeing it behind the bench. New Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft has been in the Oilers organization since 2015 when he was an assistant on Todd McLellan’s staff. He was given the Bakersfield Condors head coaching job in 2018, and he was promoted to head coach of the Edmonton Oilers early in 2022.

The Oilers have relied on experienced head coaches in recent years. Todd McLellan, Ken Hitchock, and Dave Tippett have combined for 3,832 career regular season games, but they combined for one post-season series victory from 2015 to 2021.

Prior to that string of experienced coaches, the Oilers employed three first time head coaches: Ralph Kreuger, Dallas Eakins, and Todd Nelson. The results were poor to say the least.

Woodcroft is in a much better position than the three previous first time NHL head coaches that the Oilers employed. The current roster is much stronger than the ones that the previous coaches had at their disposal, and Woodcroft has coached most of the current Oilers before. He knows their strengths and weaknesses as players. He understands how to put them in positions to succeed.

My impression of Woodcroft based on listening to interviews of his is that he’s a good communicator with a positive mindset. He’s always been open and candid about the development of his players. If he’s open with the media about that, then he’s certainly got to be open with his players about their development. He’s the type of coach that today’s players can thrive under because of the way he communicates.

Here’s an interesting fact about experienced coaches: they were all first time coaches at one point in time. They weren’t born with their experience. There once was a time where that Stanley Cup winning coach hadn’t won a Stanley Cup yet. Past success isn’t always a guarantee that future success will follow. If a coach has paid their dues, then I’m all for giving an inexperienced coach an opportunity.

It’s not as if Woodcroft is green. He was previously a video coach in Detroit, and an assistant coach in San Jose and Edmonton. He guided the Bakersfield Condors to a 105-71-21 record in his time there. He established a winning culture in Bakersfield, and he’s helped thirteen players make their NHL debuts. He’s paid his dues. He’s earned this opportunity.

The Edmonton Oilers are in an exciting position. They have the two best players in the world, and they’re still early in their careers. The team has a core of players that are in their primes, and the team is on an upwards trajectory. This team hasn’t had their best moments yet. Their success is still in front of them. 

We can now say the same thing about their coach. Woodcroft is an up and coming coach. He’s got the skill set, the knowledge, and the familiarity with his players needed to have success. His greatest successes are still in front of him. It’s going to be exciting to watch Woodcroft and the Oilers have their greatest successes together.