Former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft must be feeling pretty good these days.
It took a while for Woodcroft to get back behind an NHL bench, taking the entirety of the 2024-25 season off. He hasn’t been able to secure a head coaching job, but he was hired as an assistant on Joel Quenneville’s staff with the Anaheim Ducks this past summer.
So far, it looks to be a good match, as he’s helped the Ducks climb out of the league’s basement last season to be one of the most dangerous teams in the entire NHL through the first month and a half.
The Ducks sit atop the Pacific Division right now with a 12-6-1 record, while the Oilers are toiling away in fifth place at 9-8-4.
NHL.com
One of Woodcroft’s strengths as a coach has been coaching a relentless offence. He helped the Oilers focus on their firepower up front and turned them into a formidable goal-scoring machine throughout the lineup. Funnily enough, that is one of the things that this year’s Edmonton squad is lacking.
The Ducks, on the other hand, appear to be embracing that coaching style. While Woodcroft isn’t the head coach, there is no doubt that he has had a big impact on Anaheim. The proof is in the pudding, as the Ducks are tied for third in goals scored this season (69), fourth in shots per game (30),
In contrast, Edmonton ranks 11th in goals scored (63), despite playing two more games than Anaheim, and is 15th in shots per game (28.4).
The start has made some fans wonder if letting go of Woodcroft was the right idea after all. It’s hard to ignore that Kris Knoblauch has led this team to the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons, but it feels like his coaching style may have gotten a bit bland this season.
Woodcroft will get his first chance against his old club on Jan. 26 when the Ducks visit the Alberta capital.