One of the biggest reasons that the Edmonton Oilers have struggled out of the gate this season is injuries. The Oilers have missed Taylor Hall, David Perron, Ryan Smyth, Sam Gagner, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jesse Joensuu, Justin Schultz and Devan Dubnyk at points so far. That’s nearly half of the team’s roster.
Add to that the fact defenders Corey Potter and Denis Grebeshkov were injured during camp and are now in the AHL. How could any team handle that amount of injuries? It isn’t easy, but a big reason why the Oilers have been able to ice decent rosters on most nights is Todd Nelson, the head coach of the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons.
Nelson, in three years in OKC, has been very successful. In year one, he took the Barons to the Calder Cup playoffs, where they lost in round one to the Hamilton Bulldogs. In years two and three? Nelson coached the Barons to the conference finals, falling to Toronto and Dallas Eakins the first time and the Grand Rapids Griffins last year.
The wins/losses record has been a success for Nelson in OKC, which is within itself a big step. The Oilers previous AHL affiliate was a mess and couldn’t produce players or wins. Nelson has coached the Barons to a lot of wins in both the regular season and playoffs the last three years.
The AHL isn’t just about wins and losses though, and Nelson is proving that. Todd Nelson has helped develop a good number of players and prepared them for the NHL. With all the injuries this season in Edmonton, this fact has become very apparent. The Oilers have been able to recall players and insert them in the lineup with ease.
It starts up front with Mark Arcobello. Arcobello took a roster spot after injuries to RNH and Gagner, and he ran with it. Arcobello has 12 points in 16 games as a rookie, and has had a big impact on the Oiler lineup. He leads rookies with 10 assists and has two goals, including an overtime winner.
Arcobello has also been very good in the face-off circle, and defensively has been very good too, rarely out of position and rarely making mistakes. He’s been a big surprise and has played his way into the NHL. Arcobello took big strides under Nelson the last two years, and it is showing.
Tyler Pitlick struggled the first two years of his career, but turned it around last year in the playoffs for the Barons. Nelson spent time coaching up Pitlick and gave him a bigger role during the playoffs last year. This year, Pitlick had a great camp and start to the AHL season, and ended up on the NHL roster due to injury. He too got hurt, but played well when he was healthy.
Anton Lander is another guy who came up this year and played a good defensive game. He’s really matured as a player in the AHL under Nelson, and the difference between his game two years ago and now is massive. He’s really improved as a defensive forward with the Barons, and Nelson has been a big part of that.
Defensively, Nelson is really responsible for the return of Taylor Fedun. Fedun nearly lost his career when his leg shattered in an incident on an icing call in a pre-season game. Fedun missed an entire year of pro hockey and returned to action last year. Under Nelson, Fedun improved his game and turned into a useful puck-mover and smart overall player.
He played a major role last year in the AHL and earned an NHL chance this year as a call-up when injuries hit, once again giving the Oilers depth options they can trust. Nelson is at the root of Fedun’s return and career revival.
Nelson has also played a big part in young players adjusting to the pro game. Defenders Martin Marincin and Brandon Davidson have both improved vastly since heading to Oklahoma, and both look like they might have NHL careers ahead of them. Nelson coached both up and eased them into big roles with the team.
On top of helping the young players, Nelson has had a positive impact on veteran players that he has coached. Forward Colin MacDonald reinvented himself under Nelson in Todd’s first year and he ended up carving an NHL career out of it in New York. Ryan Jones spent time with the Barons this year and ended up reinventing himself as well, getting back to being that solid energy forward.
Since getting recalled? Jones has been good for the Oilers and has filled his role perfectly. He credited his time in the AHL to getting his head straight again and getting back to basics as a player.
Todd Nelson is a guy that you don’t hear about a lot in the media, a guy who doesn’t get much face time news wise. That being said, Nelson has had a big impact on the Oilers, and has done an awesome job in the last three plus seasons on the farm.
He’s helped start a winning culture on the farm, helped reinvent the games of some veteran players and helped young prospects develop their game and prepare for the NHL game. Nelson’s job on the farm has given the Oilers options during these injuries, and he deserves the credit for it.
He might not get a job with the Oilers, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that Nelson will one day be coaching in the NHL. Todd Nelson is an unsung hero for the Oilers, and if they do turn it around he deserves some credit for helping the development of the depth.
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