Kris Knoblauch Reveals Major Training Shift Behind Oilers’ Coaching Changes for Upcoming NHL Season

Just a day ago, Kris Knoblauch surprised fans by revealing a major coaching challenge. He openly admitted that coaching young champions is a challenging task. And even more challenging is ensuring they stay consistent and accountable. This, he said, remains a significant hurdle he faces while training the Oilers. Despite these obstacles, Knoblauch spoke in detail about the crucial changes he wants to see in coaching the Oilers.

Whether it’s improved goalie performance, a sharper power play, or overcoming any other persistent issue the team continues to face, the Oilers are trying to find an answer to it. On the power play side, the Edmonton Oilers’ penalty kill was also a glaring weakness during the 2024–25 playoffs. They operated at just 67.1% and ranked 14th out of 16 postseason teams and far below championship standards. That’s why major changes are on the way.

Kris Knoblauch has highlighted major changes in coaching, as reported by Oilers Nation. HC said, “We will have that, and we’ll probably break up our traditional practices with skill developments, maybe at the beginning of practice or at the end to break it up.” The head coach continued, “We’re very fortunate to have two ice sheets, so we can always do skills with a handful of players on one ice and then have them join our main practice immediately without losing any time with ice scrapes. We want to implement more of that this year.” As Knoblauch highlighted, there are challenges involved: “It’s very difficult to do in the NHL just because of the travel and the schedule and how many games you play, but I think it’s important.” Kris also talked about why they need to focus on skills development.

Kris Knoblauch said, “Our players spend so much time doing skill development over the summer, and then the regular season happens, and it’s (skill work) almost non-existent. I don’t think that’s right. I think we should be incorporating more of that in the regular season. It is a great plan right now, and hopefully, we can execute it during the season.” To further develop the skills, the Oilers have inducted Conor Allen as the new skills coach.

Conor Allen is a UMass graduate from Chicago. Allen spent last season with USA Hockey’s National Under-17 Team. He has worked closely with some of the nation’s top young talent. He also held skill development roles with the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) and Prodigy Prospects in recent years. Allen’s role in particular will be big. He’s expected to play a key part in individual player development. So, as a capable skills coach, he will be on fans’ radar for the upcoming season. But there is one more newly added coach who will also have a major responsibility for improving the goaltending- Peter Aubry. 

Oilers aiming better goaltending future in the upcoming season

A few weeks after the Edmonton Oilers lost the Stanley Cup Final series, the franchise parted ways with its long-time goaltending coach, Dustin Schwartz, who spent 11 seasons in Edmonton. And after desperately looking for a better goalie coach, they hired Peter Aubry. Kris Knoblauch is banking on Aubry to unlock a new level of poise and sharpness in goalies Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. 

Aubrey has played a key role in grooming several goaltending prospects for the NHL. This includes his stint with the Blackhawks. He has served the Chicago Blackhawks organization for eight seasons in various goaltending roles. Aubrey worked both as a developmental goaltending coach and with their AHL affiliate in Rockford. More recently, Aubry spent two seasons as an associate coach with the University of Nebraska Omaha. His return to the NHL now comes with added collegiate experience and a fresh perspective on goaltending development.

His hiring has pumped new energy into the locker room. The Oilers have been facing heavy backlash for their brittle goaltending. Despite the woes, the franchise GM Stan Bowman had said that he would not introduce a new goalie. It will be interesting to see how Aubrey is going to make the situation better. Both of the Oilers’ goalies fared better in the regular season. Pickard and Skinner, who had a .896 and .900 save percentage respectively in the regular season 2024-25, slumped in performance after game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final series. The Oilers have a difficult task ahead in figuring out who their number 1 goalie will be. The wait continues.