Edmonton Oilers Officially Name Mike Babcock Coach After NHL's Review

The Edmonton Oilers announced Mike Babcock as their newest coach and D.J. Smith as associate coach.

Babcock is now the 19th coach in Oilers history following the NHL's investigation into his conduct during his brief time working with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023.

"Our investigation has concluded that, even in a light least favorable to Mr. Babcock, there is no current basis to restrict his employment in the league," the NHL's statement said on June 18.

'I Think Players Want To Be Pushed': Why Oilers Are Trying To Hire Mike Babcock

Mike Babcock has been accused of being a bully and not treating players well. So why are the Edmonton Oilers considering hiring him? Former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau gave his analysis.

As for the Oilers' new associate coach, Smith was most recently an interim head coach with the Los Angeles Kings, going 11-6-6 in relief of fired coach Jim Hiller.

Smith coached the Ottawa Senators from 2019-20 to partway through the 2023-24 campaign. He amassed a 131-154-32 record while the team was rebuilding, and it was his first opportunity as a head coach after working on Babcock's staff with the Maple Leafs beforehand.

Babcock and the Oilers have scheduled an introductory media availability at 12 p.m. MT, 2 p.m. ET.

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Copyright The Hockey News, Roustan Media Ltd.

This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 11:14 AM.