The Okotoks Oilers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) have signed head coach and general manager Tyler Deis (Calgary, AB) to a long-term contract extension, the team announced today.
“Tyler’s success has spoken for itself, especially in the number of players he has moved on to high-end post-secondary institutions,” said Chairman of the Board Wayne Lauinger. “He is in every way a development coach, in every aspect of the game, mentally and physically, demanding respect while focusing on making the best of each individual player.”
The extension secures Deis’s position for the next five seasons, through to the completion of the 2027-28 AJHL campaign, with options that could retain his services through to the end of the 2029-30 season.
“I’m extremely proud of what our staff has accomplished for the organization over the last six years,” Deis said, “and very excited about the future, with the potential to expand on what we’ve done.
“I’m happy to have our staff back for the coming year after a season full of exciting young prospects who we hope to see take the next step in their careers this season.”
Deis has served with the organization for nearly a decade, beginning in the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach before being named its fourth head coach on June 6th, 2016. Since taking over the team, the Oilers have never failed to reach the final four of the AJHL playoffs, winning the South Division Championship for the first time in franchise history in the 2018 postseason, capping off the team’s first-ever first-overall finish as well.
The 48-year old was named AJHL Coach of the Year in both 2018 and 2020, winning national CJHL Coach of the Year honors for the 2017-18 campaign.
He crossed the 200-win mark this past season, and has now recorded a 209-79-18 (.712) regular season record with the team, with a playoff record of 34-20 (.630). 21 players have committed to NCAA Division I schools while playing in-season with the team during his tenure, which has also included six alumni being drafted into the NHL, two of which were first round selections.
“Tyler’s teams have consistently been one of the most competitive in the AJHL each year, and one of the best at developing Albertan players, particularly from the south of the province,” Lauinger added. “Both of these have been a significant source of pride for our organization.”
In addition to Deis’s retention, the Oilers also announced the return of his support staff, including Assistant and Goaltending Coach Derek Purfield, Assistant Coach and Equipment Manager Brody Hailwood, and Assistant Coach Reid Hnatowich, who return for their tenth, third, and fifth seasons on the staff respectively.
A graduate of Minnesota State University Mankato, where he played 4 seasons, Deis coached for the Edge School in Calgary prior to his time in the AJHL. In three years of junior hockey in Saskatchewan, he scored 176 points in 168 games with Melfort and Yorkton, before adding 164 points in 131 games of college hockey. Subsequently he played over 300 professional games in the ECHL, scoring 217 points and adding 682 penalty minutes.
The Oilers open training camp on August 26th ahead of their preseason opener on Tuesday, August 30th in Calgary against the Canucks. Season tickets for the 2022-23 season of Oilers hockey are on sale now at http://tickets.okotoksoilers.ca.