How skills coach Ned Lukacevic helped Oilers’ Vasily Podkolzin work on his game this summer

Before the 2025-26 campaign began, I wrote about what a successful season could look like for Vasily Podkolzin. I mentioned that success for him would include being a leader in hits on the Edmonton Oilers — which he currently is with 46 hits — and also surpassing the 30-point plateau. I wrote that surpassing that point total is possible because he should be heading into the season with more confidence, and because he worked with a skills coach this past offseason, former Los Angeles Kings draft pick Ned Lukacevic (@nedlukacevichockey). In my view, Podkolzin’s game looks more refined. He appears more confident with the puck, assertive, and creative off the rush, and just over a month into the season, he’s on pace for over 30 points. With that in mind, we sat down with his skills coach, Ned Lukacevic, to chat about how he got into the role, how he connected with Podkolzin, the specific skills they worked on, and his relationship with the hardworking Oilers winger. Q: You were born in Serbia, which isn’t exactlRead More