Kris Knoblauch

Kris Knoblauch (born September 24, 1978) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who most recently was the head coach for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He had previously been the head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

He had a total of 13 seasons of coaching experience before joining Hartford, including two seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL and seven years as a head coach in the Canadian junior leagues. He compiled a record of 298–130–16–13 during that time. but never played at the NHL level.

Erie Otters Knoblauch became the head coach of the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), a position he held from 2012 to 2017. In his first year as Oilers head coach, Knoblauch led the team to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. After rallying back from a 3–0 series deficit, the Oilers were ultimately defeated in the pivotal seventh game.

General manager Ken Holland left at the expiration of his contract and was replaced in that capacity by Stan Bowman. Nonetheless, Knoblauch's second season was just as successful, leading the Oilers to the 2025 Stanley Cup Final—the Oilers' first back-to-back appearances in 40 years, in a rematch against the Panthers. This series saw the Oilers have home-ice advantage for the majority of their games, but they would again experience defeat at the hands of the Panthers, this time in six games.

On October 3, 2025, the Oilers announced they had agreed to a three-year extension with Knoblauch, keeping him under contract until the end of the 2028–29 NHL season. However, at the conclusion of the season, Knoblauch was fired after losing to the Anaheim Ducks in six games in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. His release garnered mixed reactions from local news outlets; some found the move poorly handled while others believed the firing was necessary.

Career statistics

Playing career Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1995–96 Red Deer Rebels WHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1996–97 Red Deer Rebels WHL 43 4 14 18 29 — — — — — 1996–97 Edmonton Ice WHL 24 7 7 14 73 — — — — — 1997–98 Edmonton Ice WHL 72 18 23 41 193 — — — — — 1998–99 Kootenay Ice WHL 21 7 3 10 36 — — — — — 1998–99 Lethbridge Hurricanes WHL 52 20 22 42 102 4 1 3 4 6 1998–99 Asheville Smoke UHL — — — — — 4 0 0 0 5 1999–2000 Alberta Golden Bears CWUAA 47 25 26 51 30 — — — — — 2000–01 Alberta Golden Bears CWUAA 42 31 34 65 12 — — — — — 2001–02 Alberta Golden Bears CWUAA 35 13 30 43 12 — — — — — 2002–03 Alberta Golden Bears CWUAA 31 11 24 35 22 — — — — — 2003–04 Alberta Golden Bears CWUAA 36 14 25 39 32 — — — — — 2004–05 Austin Ice Bats CHL 60 18 22 40 76 — — — — — 2005–06 Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne Division 1 28 29 17 46 24 — — — — —

Head coaching record

NHL Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L OTL Pts Finish W L Win % Result EDM 2023–24* 69 46 18 5 (97) 2nd in Pacific 15 10 Lost in Stanley Cup Final (FLA) EDM 2024–25 82 48 29 5 101 3rd in Pacific 14 8 Lost in Stanley Cup Final (FLA) EDM 2025–26 82 41 30 11 93 2nd in Pacific 2 4 Lost in first round (ANA)Total 233 135 77 21 31 22 3 playoff appearances – Mid-season replacement

Other leagues Team Year League Regular season Postseason G W L OTL Pts Finish Result KOO 2010–11 WHL 72 46 21 5 97 3rd in Central Won Ed Chynoweth Cup (POR) KOO 2011–12 WHL 72 36 26 10 82 4th in Central Lost in first round (EDM) ERI 2012–13 OHL 29 12 25 4 28 5th in Midwest Did not qualify ERI 2013–14 OHL 68 52 14 2 106 2nd in Midwest Lost in third round (GUE) ERI 2014–15 OHL 68 50 14 4 104 1st in Midwest Lost in J. Ross Robertson Cup Finals (OSH) ERI 2015–16 OHL 68 52 15 1 105 1st in Midwest Lost in third round (LDN) ERI 2016–17 OHL 68 50 15 3 103 1st in Midwest Won J. Ross Robertson Cup (MSA) HFD 2019–20 AHL 62 31 20 11 73 4th in Atlantic Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic HFD 2020–21 AHL 24 14 9 1 29 2nd in Atlantic No playoffs due to COVID-19 pandemic HFD 2021–22 AHL 72 32 32 8 72 7th in Atlantic Missed playoffs HFD 2022–23 AHL 72 35 26 11 81 5th in Atlantic Lost in third round (HER)WHL total 144 82 47 15 179 2 playoffs appearancesOHL total 301 216 83 14 446 4 playoffs appearancesAHL total 230 112 87 31 255 1 playoff appearance