The St. Louis Blues have made a coaching change, relieving Craig Berube of his duties and naming Drew Bannister as the interim head coach. The announcement was made by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong on Tuesday night.
Bannister, who has been the head coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds, the Blues’ AHL affiliate, for the past three seasons, will travel to St. Louis on Wednesday and will make his debut behind the bench on Thursday when the Blues host the Ottawa Senators.
During his time with the Thunderbirds, Bannister led the team to a 93-58-19 regular-season record and guided them to consecutive playoff appearances, including a successful 2021-22 season where they won the Eastern Conference and reached the Calder Cup Final.
Prior to his tenure with the Thunderbirds, the 49-year-old native of Belleville, Ontario, spent time in the Ontario Hockey League as an assistant coach with Owen Sound and as head coach of the Soo Greyhounds. He also has experience as a head coach of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage and as an associate coach with the Utica Comets.
Bannister also had a successful playing career that spanned over 20 years, which included 164 NHL regular-season games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and New York Rangers.
With this coaching change, the Blues are hoping that Bannister’s experience and leadership will help turn the team’s season around as they push for a playoff spot in the tough Central Division.