Mike Babcock has been in the spotlight since he was hired; however, two other coaches have also joined the Edmonton Oilers.

D.J. Smith and Misha Donskov are both highly rated, 49-year-old coaches with a lot to offer. Smith will be on the bench with Babcock, and Donskov will be a consultant. Most recently, Smith worked as an assistant for Team Canada under head coach Donskov at the World Championship.

Associate Coach D. J. Smith

D.J. Smith is a very experienced coach with a long history with Babcock. The Oilers’ new associate coach is from Windsor, Ont., having played defence for his hometown Spitfires in the OHL and was drafted by the New York Islanders. Smith’s NHL playing career included stints with the Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Avalanche.

In his first coaching job in the OHL, he returned to the Windsor Spitfires from 2005 to 2012 and led the team to two Memorial Cup wins. Later, he coached the Oshawa Generals from 2012 to 2015, winning a league title and another Memorial Cup.

In 2015, Smith joined the Maple Leafs as an assistant under Babcock. He worked there until he was hired as head coach of the Ottawa Senators in 2019. Smith led a rebuild in the nation’s capital and won 131 games, the second-most of any Sens coach. However, in December 2023, he was relieved of his duties. He wasn’t out of work for long, though, as the Los Angeles Kings hired him as their interim head coach a couple of months later. With the........

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