Video coach Jeremy Coupal parting ways with the Edmonton Oilers
By Zach Laing
1 year agoThe Edmonton Oilers are losing a significant member of their coaching staff as video coach Jeremy Coupal will be leaving the team.
News of Coupal’s departure was first reported by TSN’s Ryan Rishaug.
Coupal, 34, joined the Oilers’ staff in his role back ahead of the 2016 season and has held that role for the past seven years. Before that, he worked with the Nashville Predators for three years as a video coordinator, and first got his break into hockey as a volunteer assistant coach with Bemidji State University in 2012.
It’s not yet been reported where Coupal will land next.
For the Oilers, his lost is significant. Coupal has been a key cog in helping the team over recent years and has been one of the best video coaches in the league. He had been relied upon to help Jay Woodcroft in challenging calls on the ice. Coupal worked closely alongside Noah Segall, who would make sense to fill in on a larger basis.
Woodcroft: “We have two video coaches who do a really good job for us, and we have a process we believe in. We spend a lot of time studying what gets called around the league.“We ask a lot of questions and in the end, when you do your work like that, when the pressure time comes, we have a process that we follow. Tonight, we were proven right on a few, but it wouldn’t happen without Jeremy and Noah.”Ekholm: “It’s been a comfort for me. (He) was probably the guy I knew the best coming here and I don’t think those guys get credit enough with what they do. They’re doing long hours, they grind it out, and if you look at it, what’s their margin of error? It’s an offside by inches sometimes, right? Because you’re supposed to always be right when you challenge too, so it’s a kind-of-not-so rewarding job at times and pretty hard because you always have to be right.”
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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@oilersnation.com.
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