Former OHL and CHL Coach of the Year Drew Bannister is the new Interim Head Coach of the St. Louis Blues.
The news came Tuesday night after the club relieved head coach Craig Berube of his post. Berube had been in the capacity since 2018 and guided St. Louis to its lone Stanley Cup triumph in 2019.
Bannister, 49, had been in the midst of his third season as head coach of the AHL affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds, steering them to a 12-8-2-0 mark through 22 games. He guided the Thunderbirds to an appearance in the 2022 Calder Cup Final.
Bannister was head coach of the Soo Greyhounds from 2015-18 following three seasons as an assistant coach with the Owen Sound Attack. Bannister guided the Hounds to a record of 136-50-18 over three seasons, helping them win a Western Conference championship in 2018.
On the ice, Bannister, originally from Belleville, Ont., patrolled the blueliner for the Greyhounds from 1990-94, winning OHL championships in 1991 and 1992 before hoisting the Memorial Cup on home ice in 1993. He won World Junior gold with Team Canada in 1994, and went on to play a lengthy pro career, winning a Calder Cup title in 2000, also appearing in 164 NHL contests.
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