The St. Louis Blues made a significant organizational move on Monday, announcing that longtime assistant coach Steve Ott will take over as head coach of the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds for the remainder of the season. Ott replaces Steve Konowalchuk, who was relieved of his duties after parts of two seasons behind the bench. Assistant coach Chad Wiseman will guide Springfield on an interim basis for Monday’s game against Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton, with Ott expected to join the team later this week.
Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong framed the decision as a development‑focused pivot.
“We’re looking forward to Steve Ott taking over in Springfield to push our young players to get better every day and further their development path to become St. Louis Blues,” Armstrong said. “The Blues want to thank Steve Konowalchuk for his contributions to our organization over the last two years and wish him all the best moving forward.”
A Springfield Team Searching for Answers
The timing of the move shows the urgency in Springfield. Ahead of Monday’s game, the Thunderbirds sat 29th of 32 AHL teams, holding just 32 points with a 98–136 goal differential. Despite strong special teams rankings with the 13th‑ranked power play (20.0%) and the second‑best penalty kill in the league (84.3%), the team has struggled to generate consistent five‑on‑five offense or protect the middle of the ice.