As the Edmonton Oilers prepare for their NHL season, they brought in experienced hockey coach and executive Misha Donskov to join the coaching staff. Donskov will serve as a coaching consultant for the Edmonton team and will join head coach Mike Babcock with years of experience in the NHL and the international game.
Donskov brings to the coaching art lots of success from working as a coach with the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights. Played in Vegas even prior to my team’s first season and since then went on to coach from a behind-the-scenes perspective. He played for the Golden Knights, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2023. He then served two seasons as an assistant coach for Dallas.
He has also extensive experience in international hockey. Donskov previously had exposure with Hockey Canada at a number of key tournaments, and a coaching role at Canada’s 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. He is a past World Junior and past Olympic Team member of Canada in Milan Cortina.
The Edmonton engagement is based on a consulting model. Donskov will remain with Hockey Canada and is looking forward to heading to Edmonton with the Oilers for a regularly scheduled number of days each month handling the duties there, as well as with the Canada’s men’s national team.
The transfer is also close to the heart of Babcock. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman explained Babcock was a good choice due to his knowledge, experience and previous working arrangement with Bowman. They are professionals and international hockey, making Donskov a familiar trusted presence in the coaching environment.
The Edmonton addition makes it another season with an experienced voice for the Jets as they begin a new season. The Edmonton Oilers could benefit from Don’s winning ways, international success, knowledge of the video analysis and the knowledge of the game operations from an NHL coaching perspective in the fight against what is sure to be a busy campaign throughout.
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