St. Louis confirm Drew Bannister as head coach

The St. Louis Blues made a significant move on Tuesday by removing the interim tag from coach Drew Bannister and securing his services with a two-year contract.

Bannister, 50, stepped into the head coaching role on Dec. 14 following the departure of Craig Berube, who was relieved of his duties after a slow start to the season with a 13-14-1 record. Under Bannister’s guidance, the Blues rallied to a 30-19-5 record, displaying notable improvement, although they narrowly missed out on the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Drew Bannister has signed a two-year extension to remain as the Blues Head Coach. #stlblues

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During Bannister’s tenure from his appointment until the season’s end, the Blues showed great form, accumulating the 12th-most points (65) and boasting the 10th-best home record (18-9-2) in the league.

Prior to his stint as interim coach, Bannister built a strong coaching resume in the American Hockey League (AHL). He achieved a 93-58-19 record over three seasons with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Before his time with Springfield, Bannister served as the head coach of the San Antonio Rampage (2018-20) and held the role of associate coach with the Utica Comets (2020-21).