3 AHL Head Coaches the Edmonton Oilers Should Consider Hiring

The Edmonton Oilers have been making headlines as the NHL season winds down. One of those stories is about their candidates for the head coach opening. Names like Bruce Cassidy and Mike Babcock have been the big names tossed around; however, these seem like they’ll be tough hirings to get done for different reasons. I believe the team should consider looking at other options for a bench boss, and they don’t have to be names everyone knows. The American Hockey League (AHL) has plenty of stock to look at.

The Oilers have hired head coaches from the AHL before, most recently from their own system when they hired Jay Woodcroft. A coach with a Stanley Cup on their resume and a tough reputation seems to be what teams are looking for, so maybe it’s time for Edmonton to look outside the box. Here are three options out of the minors that I think could be good fits for the Oilers’ head coach vacancy.

John Gruden

For all you NFL fans, no, it’s not that Coach Gruden.

John Gruden is a hockey coach who has been at the helm of the Toronto Marlies for three seasons now. He has led the team to three-straight winning seasons, and they are currently up 2-0 in the Calder Cup Final over the Chicago Wolves. Prior to his stint with Toronto, he spent time as an assistant coach in the NHL with the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders.

Gruden wouldn’t necessarily be a far-fetched hire, given he has NHL experience and has been coaching hockey for 20 years. He also played professional hockey prior to coaching. He has really elevated the Marlies in just a few years and has them on the cusp of a championship. His years as an assistant with USA Hockey also make him a strong developer of talent, and he clearly understands the game really well at all levels. An interview won’t hurt for Edmonton after the AHL season is done.

Derek Laxdal

Another guy with experience at all levels is Derek Laxdal. He just finished his second season as the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He’s been around the game even longer than Gruden, first getting involved as a coach in the mid-90s. His resume is something to look at.

He led the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL to a Kelly Cup victory in 2006-07, then actually coached in Edmonton and helped the Oil Kings capture two Western Hockey League (WHL) championships and a Memorial Cup in 2014. From there, he coached the Texas Stars (Dallas Stars’ farm team) to a Calder Cup appearance in 2018, which would eventually score Laxdal three seasons as an assistant with Dallas’ NHL club.

His last stop before Coachella was with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Oshawa Generals, with whom he made a run to the OHL Championship Series and won OHL Coach of the Year in 2024.

If the Oilers are looking for a guy who just wins (and already did so in their city), Laxdal is a great target. He is another guy who has an incredible reputation for developing talent and working with all levels of professionals. He is a former player and clearly can work with a variety of organizations.

Mark Letestu

Here’s a name a lot of Oilers fans will recognize and also may not even realize is coaching. Mark Letestu played 11 NHL seasons, with about two and three-quarters of that time being spent in Edmonton. He also spent time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Winnipeg Jets. After retirement, he became an assistant coach with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, as well as a development coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 2025-26 season was his first as a head coach, as he headed up a very successful Colorado Eagles team. His team lost in the conference final to the Wolves, but it was quite impressive for a year one head coach. I might be jumping the gun here, but he seems like he’d be a good fit for the Oilers. He was born and raised in Elk Point, Alberta, played for the Oilers, and even played with some of the guys he would be coaching in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

There’s also the argument for guys like Letestu, who are former, notable players and have gotten into coaching. Rod Brind’Amour is probably the best example right now, being an ex-player coaching his former team to a Stanley Cup win. Martin St. Louis is another good one to look at, as he’s been great for the Montreal Canadiens so far. While Letestu may not have been the same level of player as these guys were, it’s still the same principle.

These three are just my favourites, but there are certainly other great ones bouncing around the AHL system waiting to be called on. I believe former players who have become coaches are strong candidates and should at least be considered, and these three fit the bill. The NHL is beginning its investigation into Babcock from his 2023 incident in Columbus, but I don’t think the Oilers should go any further until they consider all options.