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Friday, May 25, 2018

Oilers Make It Official -- Gulutzan, Yawney, Viveiros Join Coaching Staff

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President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Peter Chiarelli, announced the Edmonton Oilers have hired Glen Gulutzan, Trent Yawney and Manny Viveiros as assistant coaches.

Gulutzan, 46, spent the past two seasons as head coach of the NHL's Calgary Flames. Gulutzan helped the Flames reach the playoffs in 2016-17 and accumulated a record of 82-68-14 in 164 games as Calgary's bench boss.

Prior to joining the Flames, Gulutzan was an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14 and served as the head coach of the Dallas Stars from 2011-2013. Gulutzan also coached the American Hockey League's (AHL) Texas Stars from 2009-2011 and led the Stars to the Calder Cup final in 2009-10. Gulutzan also coached the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers for six seasons, receiving ECHL Coach of the Year honours in 2005-06.

The Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan native played seven seasons of professional hockey in the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) for the Fresno Falcons as a player/assistant coach, winning the championship in 2002. He also spent one season playing for Vassan Sport in Finland. Gulutzan played junior hockey for the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Moose Jaw Warriors, Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades from 1987-1992 and two seasons with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Yawney, 52, brings 17 years of coaching experience with him, most recently serving as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks for the past five seasons. In 2017-18, he helped guide Anaheim to a 100-plus point season for a fifth straight year and an 83.2 penalty killing percentage, ranking fifth in the NHL.

Yawney served as the Chicago Blackhawks head coach from 2005-2007 and served as an assistant coach for eight NHL seasons with three organizations (Chicago, San Jose and Anaheim). He also served as a head coach in the American Hockey League (AHL) for eight seasons with Norfolk and Syracuse, including being named "Minor Pro Coach of the Year" by The Hockey News in 2003-04.

A native of Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, Yawney played 593 career NHL games with Chicago, Calgary and St. Louis, posting 129 points (27G, 102A) and 783 penalty minutes. Yawney also served as captain for Team Canada at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. The Chicago Blackhawks originally drafted Yawney in the third round (45th overall) of the 1984 NHL Draft.

Viveiros, 52, led the WHL's Swift Current Broncos to a championship this season, defeating the WHL's two conference leaders (Moose Jaw, Everett) on route to capturing the Ed Chynoweth Cup and advancing to the Memorial Cup. Viveiros led the Broncos to a 48-17-7 record finishing in second place in the Eastern Conference and boasting a League best 29.4 power play percentage.

The St. Albert, Alberta native brings 11 years of experience with him, most recently with the WHL's Swift Current Broncos for the past two seasons, posting a record of 87-40-17. Viveiros coached in Europe from 2006-2016, leading Klagenfurter AC to an Austrian Hockey League championship in 2009. He also coached Austria's National Team for three years, including the 2014 Winter Olympics. After the Olympics, Viveiros coached ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) as an assistant coach in 2014 and head coach in 2015.

Viveiros was originally drafted by Edmonton in the sixth round, 106th overall, in the 1984 NHL Draft and spent three seasons with the NHL's Minnesota North Stars (1985-1988), appearing in 29 games and posting 12 points (1G, 11A) and six penalty minutes. He spent 16 seasons in Austria, playing with Villach VSV, Lustenau EHC, Vienna and Klagenfurter AC. He also spent two seasons with SERC Wild Wings in the DEL. Viveiros played his junior hockey with the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders, capturing the 1986 Memorial Cup.

(Edmonton Oilers)

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