As we keep looking for the next head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, we come across a familiar face, that of Todd Nelson. Nelson spent many years in the AHL as the head coach of the Barons, and this year had an impressive stint as the interim coach of the Oilers following the firing of Dallas Eakins.
Nelson was not handed the job, and as a result must go through the process with the rest of the field of competitors. Can Nelson, who has never been a full-time head coach in the NHL, beat out some veteran options for the job?
Nelson’s Resume:
Todd Nelson had a lengthy playing career that was mostly spent in the AHL. After playing in the WHL for parts of five seasons, Nelson moved on to the pro ranks, playing the 1990-91 season for the IHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. He’d play for the team during the 1991-92 season, and would also get a game in the NHL with the Penguins.
The following year, Nelson would play for the Lumberjacks once more, before moving on to the Washington organization. He played two games for the Caps, and spent parts of three seasons in the AHL, playing for the Portland Pirates and Hershey Bears. He won the Calder Cup during the 1994 season.
Nelson would bounce around the AHL and even Europe until the 2001-02 season, where he took a job as a player/coach for the UHL’s Muskegon Fury. Following that season, Nelson went to coaching full time.
During the 2002-03 season, Nelson served as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, and then returned to the UHL to be the full-time head coach of the Fury from 2003-2006. With Nelson at the helm, the Fury won the Colonial Cup during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
Following his successful UHL stint, Nelson went back to the AHL, serving as an assistant coach for the Chicago Wolves from 2006-2008. During his final season, the Wolves won the AHL’s Calder Cup.
Nelson went to the NHL in 2008, as he served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Thrashers for two years before snagging his first head coaching gig in the AHL. Nelson took over the Oklahoma City Barons, and served as their coach until this past year, when he became the interim coach of the Oilers in December.
In the AHL, Nelson ended with a 161-105-42 record, and guided the Barons to the playoffs in each of his four full seasons. That includes two trips to the AHL’s western conference finals. In the NHL, Nelson finished with a 17-25-9 record as Edmonton’s coach.
What Does He Do Well:
Todd Nelson may be inexperienced, but he does a lot of things right as a coach. Nelson has simple systems, and his teams usually pride themselves on hard work. He’s a player’s coach, someone the guys like playing for, and his players usually respond with a hard style.
He always has good special teams units, something he showed in his NHL stint. The Barons always had solid power-play and penalty killing units, while the Oilers had a terrific power-play this year after Nelson took the reigns. Their penalty-kill also saw an uptick after the hiring of Nelson, at least to the naked eye it looked better.
Nelson also is very good when preparing his players. He’s always had his players practice hard, and has them more than ready for gametime. Instead of whiteboard heavy sessions, Nelson has his players moving their legs and battling. Todd Nelson has his teams practice the way they need to play, which is a very underrated thing.
Lastly, Nelson has won everywhere he has been before. He was very successful as a head coach in the UHL and AHL, and he had a successful assistant coaching stint in the AHL as well. Considering the fact he was given a terrible roster in Edmonton this past year, his record is actually quite respectable.
Nelson is a simple coach that players love. His teams work hard, he always has good special teams units. He’s not the sexy name, but Todd Nelson is a good young coach that probably deserves a chance.
Is The Fit Right?:
As we have seen, yes, the fit is right with Todd Nelson and the Oilers. Nelson has already proven he can get this team to play hard, and has already proven that he can get the Oilers to play a much better team game. Nelson figured out the Oilers’ power-play, and saved the young careers of Nail Yakupov and Anton Lander to a degree.
Todd Nelson has had a lot of success with young players before, something the Oilers have an abundance of. Nelson is a good developer of talent, and is a guy that players enjoy playing for. Todd Nelson did good things with the Oilers this past season, and that cannot be lost here.
Will Nelson get the job? I don’t think so, I think the Oilers will go with a veteran coach, but he should be in the debate. Ideally, Edmonton brings in a veteran and keeps Nelson around as an assistant, but I think it’s Todd as the head man or no Todd at all.
Regardless of what happens, Todd Nelson has emerged as a real coaching prospect of note in the NHL ranks.
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