ST. LOUIS—Drew Bannister, who spent several years as a youngster living in Gore Bay and still has a family cottage on Manitoulin Island was hired as the new interim coach of the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues on December 14.
Mr. Bannister, who took over from Craig Berube on an interim basis, spent the previous three seasons as the coach of the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds.
“What I’m looking for is increased passion and increased accountability,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was quoted as saying in a December 13 release. Mr. Bannister added, “I’m up for the challenge. I’ve coached my whole life to get this opportunity and I’m going to make the most of it.”
Mr. Bannister, who is 49, helped the Thunderbirds to a 93-58-19 regular season record in his three seasons. The team made three consecutive playoff appearances, including in 2021-22, when the team won the Eastern conference and reached the Calder Cup final.
Prior to coaching the Thunderbirds, Mr. Bannister worked in the Ontario Hockey League, including three seasons as an assistant coach with Owen Sound and three seasons as head coach of the Soo Greyhounds (where he played on defense in the early 1990s and was part of the team that won the Memorial Cup in 1993). He also served as the head coach of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage and as associated coach with the Utica Comets.
Mr. Bannister had a 20-year professional career as a player, which included 164 games over six seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and New York Rangers.
Mr. Armstrong said he expects Mr. Bannister to have a chance to make his new job a permanent one. A search for a permanent replacement is ongoing and Mr. Armstrong said there are no timelines for a decision to be made.
“He is a candidate for the job because the job is wide open,” Mr. Armstrong was quoted in the release as saying. “When I looked at our current staff we didn’t have anyone with head coaching experience. It’s a different animal being a head coach (versus) an assistant coach. There are just different things, and I felt Drew has done this in the OHL and he’s done this in the AHL. He has put in the foundational groundwork to be given his opportunity and he was willing to bet on himself to come in on an interim basis and show what he can do.”
