Todd Nelson is a former professional ice hockey player and current coach. He began his career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Prince Albert Raiders in 1986. He played for several teams in the minor leagues before making his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1993. He played a total of three NHL games with the Penguins and the Washington Capitals.
After his playing career, Nelson transitioned into coaching. He began as an assistant coach with the Muskegon Fury of the United Hockey League (UHL) in 2001. He then moved on to become the head coach of the UHL's Muskegon Fury in 2002, leading them to a championship in his first season.
Nelson continued to coach in the minor leagues, including stints with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL. In 2010, he was named head coach of the Oklahoma City Barons, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. He led the Barons to the playoffs in each of his four seasons as head coach.
In 2014, Nelson was named interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers after the firing of Dallas Eakins. He finished the season with a 17-22-7 record. Despite his success with the Barons and his brief stint with the Oilers, Nelson was not retained as head coach and instead joined the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins as an assistant coach.
In 2015, Nelson was named head coach of the Griffins, replacing Jeff Blashill who had been promoted to head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. Nelson led the Griffins to the playoffs in his first season as head coach and was named the AHL's Coach of the Year. He continued to coach the Griffins until 2018 when he was hired as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars.
Nelson's coaching career has been marked by success at the minor league level, including multiple playoff appearances and a championship. While his NHL coaching career has been limited, he has shown the ability to lead and develop players at all levels of the game.
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