The Edmonton Oilers have nabbed one of junior hockey’s most successful executives, hiring former NHL defenseman Steve Staios as a special advisor to the hockey operations staff. Staios will report to general manager Ken Holland and work closely with the team’s prospects.
Notably, the announcement also ends Staios’ time with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL, a team he led to the league championship earlier this year. He joined the Bulldogs in 2016 after spending several years in the Toronto Maple Leafs player development department, a role that followed his long playing career.
That playing career included parts of eight seasons in Edmonton, where he played 573 regular season games for the Oilers, more than half of his career total. The physical defenseman racked up 743 penalty minutes and 146 points during those games and wore an “A” as alternate captain at times. In 2011-12, Staios eclipsed the 1,000-game mark for his career while playing in his final season with the New York Islanders, before retiring at the age of 38.
As general manager and president of the Bulldogs, he twice took home the OHL Championship, while also winning the GM of the Year award this past season. Many of the top contributors to the recent Hamilton squad were undrafted talents that were helped along and put in prime positions for success, something that the Oilers could certainly use some of as they continue to try and surround Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with depth.
If Staios can help set up a pipeline of junior talent to the Oilers, his presence will certainly be worth it.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Oilers decided Staios’recent coaching hires were even better than the on ice success he’s had