The summer is long and the news is scarce, but the rumour mill is always churning and the latest rumour has the Edmonton Oilers finalizing their coaching staff ranks by adding Brian Wiseman as an assistant coach. Wiseman has been an assistant with the NCAA Michigan Wolverines programs since 2011.
Sources tells me Brian Wiseman, Associate Head Coach at Michigan is leaving to be assistant coach with the @EdmontonOilers and Dave Tippett. #CawlidgeHawkey pic.twitter.com/OOM0aAcvzn
— Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) July 22, 2019
Brian Wiseman will join Jim Playfair on Dave Tippett’s coaching staff. Glen Gulutzan remains as an assistant from the previous two coaching regimes (Ken Hitchcock and Todd McClellan).
Who is Brian Wiseman?
Well, to be honest, it’s been a while since I have heard the name Wiseman and so I fired up the old google machine and while his playing career was short (multiple stints in the IHL, a cup of coffee in the AHL and three whole games in the NHL) his stats were nothing short of special:
| Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1990-91 | U. of Michigan | CCHA | 47 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 58 | ||||||
| 1991-92 | U. of Michigan | CCHA | 44 | 27 | 44 | 71 | 76 | ||||||
| 1992-93 | U. of Michigan | CCHA | 35 | 13 | 37 | 50 | 40 | ||||||
| 1993-94 | U. of Michigan | CCHA | 40 | 19 | 50 | 69 | 44 | ||||||
| 1994-95 | Chicago Wolves | IHL | 75 | 17 | 55 | 72 | 52 | -3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1995-96 | Chicago Wolves | IHL | 73 | 33 | 55 | 88 | 117 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996-97 | St. John’s Maple Leafs | AHL | 71 | 33 | 62 | 95 | 83 | -11 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 8 |
| 1996-97 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997-98 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 78 | 26 | 72 | 98 | 86 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 1998-99 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 77 | 21 | 88 | 109 | 106 | 28 | 19 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 26 |
| 1999-00 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 72 | 15 | 38 | 53 | 52 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| NHL Totals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
Near as I can tell, he is a bit of cult hero in the Houston hockey scene. After walking away from the playing days in Houston, it didn’t take long for Wiseman to end up back in the arena when he was hired by the Dallas Stars in 2002. The man that added him to his staff as a video coach? The newest bench boss in Edmonton, Dave Tippett. So the connection makes sense, as Wiseman comes full circle with his Aeros teammate Tippett, after working as an assistant at Princeton and in Houston with the Aeros before landing in Michigan with the Wolverines since 2011.
