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Oilers name Ralph Krueger assistant coach

Edmonton Oilers new head coach Tom Renney is filling out his coaching staff and going off the radar in doing so. The Oilers have hired Ralph Krueger to be one of Renney’s assistants, joining former Oilers players Kelly Buchberger and Steve Smith on the bench.

If you’re not familiar with the name, it’s understandable as Krueger has never worked as a coach in the NHL before but don’t let that mislead you about his resume. For the last 13 years, he’s worked as the top coach for the Swiss National Team helping the Swiss to go from also-rans in world competition to being one of the trickier teams to defeat in international play. Their standing in the IIHF rankings also improved from 15th when he took over in 1997 to their current rank of 7th in the world.

If the last name strikes you as being familiar, you’re either hung up on “A Nightmare On Elm Street” or you saw his son Justin playing for Team Germany in the 2010 IIHF World Championships or Cornell University. Justin was a 2006 draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes.