Former Erie Otters head coach Kris Knoblauch has been fired by the Edmonton Oilers after leading the NHL team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances.
The Oilers made the coaching change Thursday, according to ESPN and Sportsnet. Knoblauch took over behind Edmonton’s bench in November 2023 and helped lead the team to the Stanley Cup Final in both 2024 and 2025, but the Oilers fell short of winning the championship both years.
The move comes after Edmonton’s latest playoff disappointment. The Oilers lost in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks after finishing second in the Pacific Division with 93 points, according to The Score.
Knoblauch is well known in Erie for his time with the Otters. He was named the seventh head coach in team history in November 2012 and helped guide the franchise through one of its most successful stretches. The Otters say Knoblauch led Erie to three straight 50-win seasons from 2013 to 2016, making them the first team in Ontario Hockey League history to accomplish that feat.
His biggest moment in Erie came in 2017, when the Otters won the OHL championship. Erie defeated the Mississauga Steelheads 4-3 in overtime in Game 5 of the Rogers OHL Championship Series, giving the franchise its second OHL title and first in 15 years.
Knoblauch later moved on to the professional ranks, including time as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers and head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack, before getting the Oilers job.
His firing comes just months after Edmonton reportedly signed him to a three-year extension that was set to run through the 2028-29 season.