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Bowman: Babcock will build right habits, have Oilers ‘very prepared’

Credit: Edmonton Oilers. Stan Bowman speaks before training camp on Sept. 16.

By Michael Menzies

Sep 16, 2026, 15:45 EDTUpdated: Sep 16, 2026, 15:47 EDT

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Edmonton Oilers head coach Mike Babcock says he spent the summer studying and is ready to steal the systems that are working across the NHL.

In a way, it’s his own boot camp as he’s set to return behind an NHL bench for the first time in seven years. It’s this mindset that made him an attractive hire for Oilers general manager Stan Bowman.

“He’s got tons of energy,” said Bowman about his new coach at Wednesday’s press conference to begin training camp. “Being around Mike every day, he’s got so many ideas. He’s incredibly detailed. Our team is going to be very prepared to play. Nothing goes unnoticed by Mike.”

Babcock did not speak at the podium.

One of the biggest improvements they hope for is building their game throughout the season, which the Oilers couldn’t sustain last season.

But as Babcock has alluded to in lead-up interviews, he has plans, but until he gets on the ice and really gets to know what his players are like, he isn’t going to know whether those ideas will work.

“If you can build up the habits, the payoff might not necessarily be early in the year,” said Bowman.

“This is such a fast game that you have to be able to play on instinct. And I think Mike’s strength is to be able to instill those habits in our team, so that the guys understand exactly what their role is, what the other four guys on the ice are doing, so that they can play fast.

“I think that’s the biggest thing is talking to Mike — having the ability for our team to be able to play a fast game. When I say fast, I don’t just mean skating fast. That’s part of it. But you’ve got to think the game quickly to be able to react. And I think that’s all about those habits that we’re going to start building over the next two weeks here.”

Oilers won’t tolerate Babcock’s past tactics

While Babcock has a great track record of winning, he obviously comes with baggage and situations in his past where he appears to have crossed the line verbally with his coaching tactics.

McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman have given glowing endorsements and their seal of approval. As the rest of the team returns, they’ve also spoken about their initial interactions with Babcock — so far, so good.

Bowman was asked about organizational “checks and balances” with the 63-year-old coach, and how they’ll ensure everything remains above board.

“We’ve been very clear with Mike about what we expect of him,” said Bowman. “We’re not going to tolerate any of the stuff that you just alluded to. Mike’s been fantastic. He’s been energetic. He’s been upbeat, positive.

“He wants nothing more than for our younger players to come and thrive in this situation, and it’s about building up their habits so that they can be effective players for us. We’re going to be on top of that and make sure that that’s the way it goes.”

On the doorstep of the season, one of the grand narratives is that the Oilers need to play better defensively.

Not a new trope, but an important one. That involves playing a stronger five-man game, not putting all the weight on the defencemen on the ice or the goalie.

“It really is the way that the five players interact on the ice, the decisions that they make when they have the puck in the neutral zone or high in the offensive zone,” said Bowman. “We gave up far too many odd-man opportunities last year, so we have to be better at that. So does that come at the expense of scoring goals? You might say it could.

“That’s the balance: how do we still generate the offence without being as risky and handing opportunities to the opposition? That’s for the coaches to figure out, and I’m sure you’re going to have X-and-O questions for them.”

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.

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