Edmonton Oilers hire Rick Pracey as Director of Amateur Scouting

The Edmonton Oilers announced a couple of staff changes Tuesday afternoon. The Oilers hired Rick Pracey as Director of Amateur Scouting. The club also announced that they had mutually parted ways with Tyler Wright.

Pracey brings over two decades of scouting expertise to the table in Edmonton. Most recently, he served as an amateur scout with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2014-2023. He got his break in the NHL when he joined the Colorado Avalanche in 2001 as an amateur scout after serving as a goaltending coach for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He served in an amateur scout role until he received a promotion in 2008 that made him the Director of Amateur Scouting. Pracey oversaw draft selections for the Avs from 2008-2014 and helped orchestrate the picks of Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O’Reilly and Tyson Barrie. He spent a total of 13 years in Colorado before moving east to Philly.

Before his scouting career, the 52-year-old was a goaltender and spent five seasons with Wilfred Laurier University and two seasons with the University of Windsor. In 1989-90, Pracey appeared in 10 games with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, posting a 1-6-0 record. Following University, in 1997-98, he played 22 games for the Brantford Smoke of the UHL and got one appearance with the Saint John Flames in the American Hockey League (AHL) before moving into a scouting role.

Wright, a former NHLer with 613 career games with the Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks, was brought into the Oilers system in 2019 alongside general manager Ken Holland from the Detroit Red Wings, where he had previously served since 2013.