Former player agent Jeff Jackson, whose client list included superstar Connor McDavid, has been named CEO of hockey operations for the Edmonton Oilers, the team announced Thursday.
The Oilers said Jackson will oversee all aspects of the organization’s NHL, AHL and WHL teams.
Jackson said he is thrilled to join the organization, adding he grew up watching the Oilers during the 1980s glory days and has kept an even closer eye on the team since it signed McDavid eight years ago.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in Edmonton, I’ve watched this team evolve,” he said at a news conference Thursday afternoon at Rogers Place.
“I spent a lot of nights in this building watching the team, and I felt the energy and the passion of the fans. It’s an unparalleled building,” Jackson said, adding he toured the arena while it was being built and knew what vision the team had for the future.
“In the role of an agent, you go around the league and see a lot of games, sit in a lot of buildings. I think this place is unparalleled and I hope to be able to help (Ken Holland) get this team to a point where that fan base is even more proud.”
Jackson had been the executive vice-president of Wasserman Hockey, a prominent global agency well-known for representing numerous NHL stars, including the Oilers captain. Jackson said he’s known McDavid since the player was 15.
Jackson said he was approached by the Oilers about the job shortly before the NHL draft at the end of June, and he took a few weeks to think it over with his family.
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He also talked to McDavid about it, who encouraged him to go for the job.
“It’s a unique opportunity. I don’t think that I would have gone anywhere else. I wasn’t looking to leave the agent business,” Jackson.
He will report directly to Oilers owner Daryl Katz, while Ken Holland remains the general manager and president of hockey operations.
The team said Holland will report to Jackson, who replaces Bob Nicholson as the team’s second-in-command.
Holland called it an exciting day and said Jackson’s experience as an agent will benefit him in his new role.
“He talks to 32 general managers and has a real understanding of how 32 teams operate. So I think Jeff’s going to bring a lot of information to the Edmonton Oilers and to our hockey ops department that’s going to help make us better,” Holland said.
Oilers owner Daryl Katz wasn’t at the news conference but issued a statement.
“(Jackson) brings tremendous industry insight, knowledge and leadership built through a unique career experience that is ideal for this leadership role,” Katz said.
“He understands what it takes to build an elite organization for the modern NHL and will work closely with Ken and our whole team to put the Oilers in the best possible position to win.”
The former corporate and entertainment lawyer brings significant NHL experience to the new role, having served as assistant general manager and director of hockey operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2006 to 2010.
“It’s a tough job being in NHL management,” Jackson said. “It’s 24/7 and it’s most of the year — but I love challenges.”
Nicholson, the former CEO of Hockey Canada, was hired by the Oilers in 2014 and has served as both the team’s CEO and chairman.
He is now listed on the team’s website as a special adviser and alternate governor. A spokesperson at Thursday’s news conference said Nicholson will remain with the organization in that special adviser role.
As a player, Jackson played 263 NHL games with the Leafs, Quebec Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks.
McDavid, the NHL’s reigning MVP who’s widely considered the best hockey player in the world, has three years left on his contract.
“Jeff and I have had a long, fruitful relationship.” McDavid said. “I have witnessed his care, relentlessness and obvious knowledge of the game and industry first-hand. I look forward to working with Jeff in his new role and am excited about what this means for the future of the Oilers.”
Jackson was asked Thursday how coming to Edmonton could keep McDavid with the team for the long run.
“I think, ultimately, the goal is to keep this team, this core group together. I think there’s a lot of runway for success for a number of years. So that’s the goal.”
Jackson said he doesn’t intend to reinvent the wheel, saying Holland has done a good job developing the team’s culture over the past few years.
The team is growing both on and off the ice: McDavid got engaged this summer to his longtime girlfriend Lauren Kyle, while others have also gotten married and started families in recent years.
“The maturity of all those players — whether they have families or they’re getting married or they’ve just been here for a long time — contributes to the team maturity,” Jackson said.
“Connor, Leon (Draisaitl), all the guys and —(Darnell) Nurse, (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) — they all have their own leadership skills and they just continue to build on that every year.”
Every team takes time to become great, Jackson said, making reference to the Oilers of the 1980s and the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s.
“It took them a long time to get to the point where they were cohesive and they were a unit that worked together, were in sync on everything.
“I think the Oilers, they’re at or approaching that level and I think they’re going to continue to get better.”
Wasserman Hockey executive vice-president Judd Moldaver takes over as McDavid’s agent with Jackson joining the Oilers. Moldaver also represents Toronto Maple Leafs star and 2022 MVP Auston Matthews.
Hockey Hall of Famer and former Edmonton defenceman Paul Coffey will assist Jackson in his new role.
“Having the luxury of talking to Connor, I know how good this team is at a lot of things,” Jackson said.
“If we can incrementally get better at some of the other things, I think that will make a big difference.”
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–With files from The Associated Press and Stephanie Swensrude, 630 CHED
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