- Oilers hire Misha Donskov as a coaching consultant on Mike Babcock’s staff
- Donskov keeps his Hockey Canada job and coaches Canada at the World Juniors in December
- Read below for Babcock’s take and the rest of Donskov’s resume
Mike Babcock has another voice joining him behind the Oilers bench.
Edmonton announced Thursday that Misha Donskov is coming aboard as a coaching consultant. The 49-year-old keeps his job as Hockey Canada’s vice president of hockey operations and men’s national teams coach, and he will work with the Oilers for a select number of days at home each month.
Babcock addressed the hire in the team’s release:
“We are excited to have Misha join our coaching staff. 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.”
There is a second layer to this one. Donskov is Canada’s head coach for the World Juniors in December, and Edmonton is co-hosting that tournament. Reporter Janson Duench called the Oilers gig a warmup:
Hockey Canada rounded out that World Juniors staff back in July, putting Ryan Getzlaf and three others alongside Donskov. We covered the full group here.
Hockey Canada executive Scott Salmond was asked what his side gets out of loaning a coach to an NHL club, and he pointed straight at December.
“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. 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.”
The London, Ontario native spent seven seasons in Vegas, running hockey operations from 2016 to 2020 before moving behind the bench as an assistant in 2019. He was on that staff when the Golden Knights won the Cup in 2023, then coached two seasons in Dallas as an assistant.
Earlier stops include consulting work with the Blue Jackets and Thrashers plus assistant jobs in the OHL with the London Knights and Ottawa 67’s. He also took silver as an assistant at the Milano Cortina Olympics and gold at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Stan Bowman gutted the coaching staff after Edmonton limped to 93 points and a first-round exit against Anaheim. Babcock got the top job, D.J. Smith came in as associate coach, and now Donskov is in the building too.
He just happens to have a World Juniors roster to sort out in the same city a few months from now.
