Kirt Hill takes over as Edmonton Oil Kings GM; Brad Lauer new head coach

Kirt Hill is the new man at the helm as the Edmonton Oil Kings try to climb out of the basement in the Western Hockey League.

Hill, 30, was announced Wednesday at the team’s new president of Hockey Operations and General Manager.

READ MORE: Edmonton Oil Kings GM Hansch moving on, head coach Hamilton let go

Hill played in the WHL from 2004 to 2008. He then played at the University of Waterloo, graduating in 2013 with an undergraduate degree in Recreation and Sports Business.

“I really felt I wanted to be a part of a hockey operations staff in some fashion,” said Hill, who was the WHL’s manager of Player Development and Recruitment as well as the league’s director of Operations from 2014 to 2017.

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“I got to really learn the league and all the people in the league. Most importantly, all my relationships around the league are really strong right now.”

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Hill spent this past season as an amateur scout with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“He had a lot of experience for his age,” said Peter Chiarelli, who hired Hill and is president of Hockey Operations for the Oilers Entertainment Group. “From what he stands for and his vision and how he wants to build the infrastructure, it was impressive to hear.”

READ MORE: Edmonton Oil Kings take forward Dylan Guenther first overall at WHL bantam draft

The Oil Kings finished last overall in the WHL in 2017/18.

“We have a really strong core of young players on our roster right now,” Hill said.

“I’m hoping everyone comes to camp re-energized with a fresh slate for players coming back.”

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The man in charge of getting the most out of those players will be Brad Lauer, who was hired as head coach.

Lauer, 51, has been an assistant coach in the NHL, AHL, and WHL. He was an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the past three seasons.

READ MORE: Oil Kings forward overcomes gruesome facial injury

“I’m not one of those coaches that’s going to a yell or threaten guys to get them to work,” he said. “Accountability is going to be very important. They have to understand what accountability is. They have to understand what they have to bring to the table to have success.”

Hill replaces Randy Hansch, who moved on to a scouting position in the NHL.

Lauer takes over from Steve Hamilton, who was fired in late May.