Former Oilers coach completely unable to get back into the NHL

Despite only ever having a proven track record of success, former Oilers coach Todd Nelson is still finding himself coaching in the American Hockey League at 54 years old.

Athletic writer Jordan Lewis gave an update on Nelson recently on X. Last year he won his second Calder Cup Championship as head coach in the AHL, and this year his Hershey Bears have an incredible record of 36-8-2, on pace to be the best AHL team of all time.


Nelson has an incredible track record through his career as a head coach in the AHL, but has still coached only 46 games as an NHL head coach with the Oilers in the 2014-15 season. After his stint with the Oilers, Nelson had to return to the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffiths before once again earning an assistant coach job with the Dallas Stars from 2018-2022.



Considering his clear track record of success in the AHL, and even with a quality Dallas Stars team, it's incredible that Nelson hasn't been able to earn another opportunity as a head coach. Now on his way to his second AHL championship with an incredible team of misfits, NHL teams may consider giving Nelson another opportunity. Really, it's confounding that Nelson has never got another opportunity already.