The Edmonton Oilers announced on Thursday that Misha Donskov will be joining the organization as a coaching consultant.

Donskov, 49, has most recently worked as Hockey Canada’s vice president of hockey operations and as a coach of their national men’s team. He will continue to hold onto those roles, while joining the Oilers in Edmonton “for a select number of days at home each month.”

Donskov has experience at the NHL level, having served as an assistant coach of the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights for a combined six seasons. Now, he will attempt to help recently hired head coach Mike Babcock and the rest of the staff lead the Oilers to a Stanley Cup.

“We are excited to have Misha join our coaching staff,” Babcock said. “We believe his wealth of experience, people skills and professionalism will make our group better. We look forward to the positive impact he will have on our staff, players and the Oilers organization.”

Donskov will coach Canada at the World Junior Championship this winter and was also an assistant coach for Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. He brings some winning pedigree to the organization, having won a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.

“We consider this a tremendous experience for Misha, especially as we prepare to host the World Juniors with him as our head coach in December,” said Scott Salmond, the senior vice president of high performance and hockey operations with Hockey Canada. “Misha is a proven winner and a tremendous leader, and we are excited that he will continue to develop his skills through this new position with the Edmonton Oilers, which we know will positively impact both of our organizations on and off the ice.”

The Oilers are in desperate need of a bounce-back season after finishing the 2025-26 campaign with just 93 points. Those struggles continued into the playoffs, as they were eliminated in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks.

As a result of those struggles, GM Stan Bowman has made several changes to his coaching staff, while also making some much-needed adjustments to his roster.

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