Accordingly nhl.com On Tuesday, the St. Louis Blues named Drew Bannister of Belleville, Ont., as their new head coach. This is Bannister’s first head coaching job in the National Hockey League. He takes over from Craig Berube of Calahoo, Alberta.
Bannister joins the Blues with no experience coaching at the NHL level. He was previously the head coach of Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League from 2015 to 2018, head coach of the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League from 2018 to 2020 and head coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL since 2021. Bannister was also an assistant coach from 2012 to 2015 as a member of the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL and associate head coach of the AHL’s Utica Comets in 2020–21.
As an NHL player, Bannister played six seasons in the National Hockey League as a defenseman. He played for the Tampa Bay Lightning (1995 to 1997 and 1998 to 1999), the Edmonton Oilers (1997 to 1998), the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998, 2001) and the New York Rangers (2000). In 164 games, Bannister scored five goals and 25 assists for 30 points. He had a -38 rating with 161 penalty minutes, 10 power play points and 152 shots on goal.
The Blues had lost four straight at the time of Berube’s dismissal. St. Louis is sixth in the Central Division and one point behind the Arizona Coyotes for a playoff spot.
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