Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Edmonton Oilers’ Recent Hires Demonstrate Emphasis on Analytics and Salary Cap Management

Oilers Expected to Hire New GM In Next Two Weeks


The Edmonton Oilers are making significant moves to prioritize data, analytics, and cap management under CEO Jeff Jackson. With the recent hiring of Stan Bowman as General Manager, Jackson and Bowman are reshaping the front office and organizational roles of the team, focusing on development and analytical experts to help shape their next big decisions.

Last year, the Oilers took a crucial step by appointing Michael Parkatti as Senior Director of Data and Analytics. He previously worked for Suncor Energy in Calgary as the Manager of Advanced Analytics. In other words, this is a numbers guy. He helped develop some of the universal measurements NHL teams now use related to expected goals.

This offseason, the Oilers are diving in even more. They hired Dominik Zrim as Director of Hockey Strategy. Zrim, a co-founder of the popular CapFriendly website, brings over 20 years of experience as a systems analyst. His expertise, combined with Parkatti’s, positions the Oilers among the league’s top analytical teams.

The Oilers Had Little Choice But To Shift Their Focus

The Oilers, for many years, were considered a team that moved slowly on this type of data analysis. These new moves show a priority towards not only catching up but also moving ahead as a potential leader in the field. Frankly, the Oilers don’t have much choice. As a team with elite-level talent that is going to include the two highest-paid players in the league, Edmonton has to find an effective way to build around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and it can’t just be by spending money.

The Edmonton Oilers are hiring staff to focus on analytics and salary cap moves

This is where someone like David Evanochko becomes critically important. He has been appointed as Lead Solutions Architect within the data and analytics group. His role will focus on developing data-driven solutions to support decision-making in hockey operations. The idea is to better navigate the salary cap effectively, which is something Edmonton will need to get extremely good at.

Oilers Have Also Added More Scouts

Edmonton is also investing in its scouting department. The Oilers expanded their hockey operations staff to include Warren Rychel as Director of Pro Scouting and Zack Kassian as a Pro Scout.

Rychel, a former NHL player with significant scouting experience, has been promoted. Kassian, who enjoyed a 13-year NHL career is starting on a new path. He’ll take the more traditional route of watching and assessing talent.

The team also welcomes Aaron Nagy as an amateur scout and Erik Elenz as the Video & Analytics Coaching Coordinator.

With these strategic hires, this is not the Oilers of old. Long gone are the days of the Boys on the Bus. This is a staff that is become well-versed in all areas of hockey analysis and they understand that playing the salary cap game and finding talent in the most unlikely of places could be key to continually building a winner.

Next: Insider Offers Approx. Return Date for Oilers Evander Kane