Oilers name Dave Tippett new head coach

Oilers hire new head coach Oilers GM Ken Holland announced Dave Tippett as new head coach. CTV Edmonton’s Darcy Seaton reports.

President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Ken Holland made the announcement on Tuesday morning.

The move is the first major staffing change for the new GM, who announced when he was hired that he would be replacing Ken Hitchcock as head coach.

“Dave brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the organization,” Holland said in a release. “He is a great communicator and has consistently led teams known for their level of compete. I look forward to seeing Dave guide the Oilers this fall and we are all excited to have him on board.”

Tippett is most excited about his new team’s depth beyond the two stars.

“I come to a team here that obviously has good pieces, lots of upside,” Tippett said. “Everybody talks about McDavid and Draisaitl – there’s more pieces here than McDavid and Draisaitl. There’s good players here to build on.”

Tippett is from Moosomin, Sask. He coached the Arizona Coyotes from 2009-17 and played 721 games for the Hartford Whalers, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.