Just Who Is Craig Ramsay

The Oilers made numerous moved this off-season at the NHL level that were designed to help improve the roster. It started with forwards Teddy Purcell and Benoit Pouliot, and it went to a trio of defenders in Mark Fayne, Nikita Nikitin and Keith Aulie. While those are solid adds, the best one might be off-ice.

The Oilers made a splash behind the bench, adding a veteran assistant coach and a guy with a great pedigree in Craig Ramsay, most recently an assistant with the Florida Panthers.

The Means Of Entry:

Ramsay was hired in June by the team to replace Kelly Buchberger, who had been reassigned within the organization following the conclusion of last season. Ramsay, like Dallas Eakins, comes from the Roger Neilson tree of coaching, and shares a philosophy with the Oiler head coach.

Ramsay recently was an assistant in Florida and fired this past fall as part of a mass change behind the bench. Prior to that he was the head coach in Atlanta, and before that stop was a key member of the Boston Bruin coaching staff that brought the team back from the depths of 2007.

The Coach:

Ok, so there really aren’t any boxcars for assistant coaches, so we’ll skip that whole part. Ramsay is a very smart coach and has a way of getting the message across to his players. His a solid fit for this squad in a number of different ways, and brings a lot of elements sorely lacking to Edmonton.

Ramsay is a guy that is a great communicator. He’s known and been praised for his ability to teach the same message in many different ways, and having the ability to connect with each player individually. That’s key, because it seemed like a number of Oilers were confused as to what the message was last year. Having a guy that can relay that message on an individual level is key.

Ramsay is a great teacher of fundamentals too, which is sadly lacking in Edmonton. Far too often, skilled forwards have failed to develop a two-way game in Edmonton, and it’s become apparent that there is a lack of defensive fundamentals with this club’s forwards.

Ramsay was a forward himself that was masterful with the two-way game, so he understands how to not only put up offense, but also play responsibly in his own end. That should help guys like Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and especially Nail Yakupov, who all struggled in that regard a year ago.

When Ramsay went to Atlanta, there was a marked improvement in the advanced stats and possession numbers of the players there, and many believe Ramsay’s teaching was a huge part of that. That’s a great sign for the Oil.

Another huge thing is that Craig Ramsay works well with special teams units, and has worked with power-plays before. Not only has he worked with these units in the past, but he’s had real success. Edmonton’s power-play went under last year, and must regain form if a playoff berth is to happen in April of 2015.

He’ll have the tools to work with, and one suspects Ramsay’s ability to teach a power-play will result in Edmonton shooting up the rankings when it comes to team’s with the man advantage.

Lastly, and most importantly, is Ramsay’s ability to teach NHL defenders. Even though at the time he replaced Buchberger on the staff, Ramsay knew he’d be assuming the role that Steve Smith held last year, running the defense.

Edmonton’s defense has been a tire-fire for a number of years now, and hasn’t shown much improvement. A lot of that is on the players, but some of that is on the coaches. Ramsay has worked with developing defenders before, and has a knack for improving the play of guys.

Is he going to come in and turn guys into Chris Pronger? No, but Ramsay has the ability to help guys add somethnig to their game and has the ability to help them become better players, which is very important.

He was key in the development of young Johnny Boychuk in Boston, and helped veteran Dennis Seidenberg really take the next step in his career. In Atlanta, he greatly helped young Zach Bogosian become a top-four defender, and helped Dustin Byfuglien make the adjustment from forward to defender.

He’s no miracle worker, but he’s got a very solid and respectable track record, and should help young defenders like Justin Schultz and Martin Marincin develop, while helping guys like Jeff Petry find another level to their game.

The 2014-15 Outlook:

I don’t think it is out of the realm of possibility to suggest that outside of Mark Fayne, Craig Ramsay will be the addition that has the most impact on the team this season. Ramsay’s coaching strengths are Edmonton’s area of weakness, and his track record suggests we should expect good things.

For the upcoming season, I’d expect we see a new, and likely more successful, power-play formation, an improvement in overall defensive play from both forwards and defenders, and an individual improvement in the game of defender Justin Schultz.

That’s a lot, but Ramsay has done it before, and his track record suggests he can do it again in Edmonton. Teaching won’t be an issue for the Oilers this year.