A secret weapon: Inside Misha Donskov’s important role with Stars, Team Canada

Maybe the most impressive thing about Misha Donskov is the fact that so many people trust him.

The Stars assistant coach is the only current NHL assistant who is part of Team Canada’s coaching staff at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and nobody is surprised.

“He just does so many things behind the scenes that help you win,” said Stars head coach Pete DeBoer, who also is an assistant for Team Canada. “He’s great at getting your team ready, he’s great at details, he just does a lot of things that help you win.”

DeBoer is one of the reasons Donskov is where he is right now. When DeBoer became head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights in early 2020, Donskov was Director of Hockey Operations and Analytics. That job was more scouting and administrative, but Donskov said he wanted to be closer to the ice, so DeBoer brought Donskov in as part of the coaching staff, and a strong bond was formed with the head coach as well as fellow assistant Steve Spott.

“Pete and I coached together on Team Canada at the World Championships in 2015, so we were a little familiar,” said Donskov, who was working for Hockey Canada at the time. “And then Spotter and I were in the OHL at the same time, so we knew each other. It’s just all sort of come together in the right way.”

Donskov’s history prepared him well. He worked in youth hockey and then in video and analytics for Hockey Canada. He also was an assistant coach in London and Ottawa in the OHL, and that put him in contact with a lot of the people he now knows well. Plus, he worked in a lot of aspects that were both new and important.

Donskov’s job for both the Stars and now Team Canada is preparing “pre-scout” for coaches and players. In doing that, he has to cull through tons of video and analytics and sort out what he thinks will be helpful against each opponent. That sounds easy, but it’s a defined skill.

“The coaches are always looking for an edge, and he’s good at finding that,” said Stars GM Jim Nill, who also is an Associate GM for Team Canada. “He’s huge in making it all make sense. There is a lot of stuff that comes in, and he sorts through it and shows what’s important and what’s not.”

That’s one of the reasons DeBoer helped Donskov shift jobs in Vegas. He was hired by the Golden Knights in 2015 before they even had a team and he helped the front office sort through the players who were available in the expansion draft. But he wanted to help the product on the ice, and DeBoer knew that. Donskov was named an assistant coach in 2019 and remained in that role even after DeBoer and Spott were fired in 2022. As a member of the new coaching staff under Bruce Cassidy, Donskov helped Vegas win the Stanley Cup in 2023.

After that, he joined DeBoer and Spott in Dallas. He has been a key part of the team posting the second-best record in the NHL in that span at 87-39-11, and also getting to the Western Conference Final last season.

“He’s just a great voice in the room,” DeBoer said.

At a recent practice, Donskov was seen having lengthy discussions with DeBoer and captain Jamie Benn. When asked what the talk was about, Benn played it coy.

“Probably something pretty important,” he said with a smile.

Asked if he could offer more information, Benn said, “No, he’s our secret weapon.”

Donskov often is that element, working behind the scenes but making a difference on the ice. He was with Hockey Canada in 2015 and 2016 and was a member of three gold medal teams - the 2015 and 2016 World Championship and the 2016 World Cup. During that span, he was part of the growth of analytics and added that to the video scouting he had done for the team.

“I was lucky to have a background in coaching and development, and when analytics started gaining steam, I was able to be in the middle of that,” Donskov said. “It’s just one part of the big picture, but I think it’s an important tool that you can use. Numbers aren’t emotional, they’re just facts, so then it’s up to you to use them as a tool and as a club in your golf bag. I do think it’s been important to go through all of that to get to where I am now.”

Now, he’s doing that at the highest level. The roster for Team Canada might be one of the most talented ever, and it will have a chance on Thursday to win another big trophy in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship. When Canada plays Team USA in Boston, Donskov will once again play a massive role.

“It’s such an honor,” said Donskov, who was born in Montreal where the first round of games were played. “Growing up in Canada, this is everything you dream of.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.