Edmonton Oilers hire Kalle Larsson as senior director of player development

The Edmonton Oilers added to their front office on Thursday, hiring Kalle Larsson as their senior director of player development.

Larsson, 42, joins the club after spending the last nine seasons with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, helping them be perennial contenders and make the playoffs each season. His tenure began there after three seasons of coaching the NCAA’s third division before spending parts of two years with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers.

After joining Dubuque in 2015-16 as a director of player personnel, he was promoted to general manager after three seasons and added the role of president of hockey operations in 2022. With him at the helm, 95 percent of Fighting Saints players advanced onto division one schools in the NCAA ranks, while drafting multiple award winners and all-star team members.

Larsson, a native of Gothenberg, Sweden, was named the USHL’s general manager of the year in 2020 after his club amassed a 33-13-3 record. That year’s playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fighting Saints managing partner Brad Kwong praised Larsson’s tenure with the team in a statement released Thursday.

“To say Kalle’s impact on the Dubuque Fighting Saints is significant is one of the greatest understatements in USHL history,” said Kwong. “The results during his tenure speak for themselves but the organization has benefited most from his leadership, his professionalism and his overall character. Kalle’s name has become synonymous with the Fighting Saints. He is a great person that we will all miss and I personally will miss our time together the most. I wish him the very best in Edmonton and know he will go far in his career in hockey.”

Larsson signed a four-year contract extension with the Fighting Saints in February 2023, and at the time, former Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli, a founding member of the Fighting Saints ownership group, spoke highly of him.

“It has been a delight watching Kalle grow into his current role and, frankly, his record speaks for itself,” said Chiarelli. “He is succeeding in player evaluation, managing personnel, coach/GM relationships and connectivity, and many other smaller but equally important aspects of the job. He is cerebral, proactive and very industrious and efficient. The Dubuque Fighting Saints organization is fortunate to have a person like Kalle at our helm.”

With the Oilers, Larsson is expected to work with senior management and coaches at the NHL and AHL levels ” to formulate and implement comprehensive individual development plans for each player in the organization,” the club said.

“He will also be responsible for overseeing and managing all areas of development for Oilers draft selections as well as signed prospects within the organization,” the club added.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.