Ott signs two-year extension as Springfield Thunderbirds head coach

St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today that the team has signed Steve Ott to a two-year contract extension as head coach of the Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. 

Ott, 43, took over as Springfield’s head coach on Jan. 19, 2026. In the club’s final 34 regular-season games, he led the team to an 18-14-2 record, clinching a berth as the sixth seed in the Atlantic Division for the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs. 

Ott then guided the Thunderbirds to the Division Finals following a first-round series win over the third-seeded Charlotte Checkers and a historic victory over the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy-winning Providence Bruins (the regular-season champions) in the Division Semifinals. Springfield’s win over Providence marked the single-biggest upset in AHL history as the two teams were separated by 38 points in the regular season.

Ott originally joined the Blues’ coaching staff on May 25, 2017, spending seven seasons as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. During his tenure, the Summerside, Prince Edward Island, native helped the Blues compile a 350-244-74 regular-season record and make five postseason appearances, including 2019, when he played an instrumental role in helping the organization capture its first Stanley Cup championship.

As a player, Ott put together a 14-year NHL career, including 122 regular-season games and 21 postseason games with the Blues after the team acquired him via trade from the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 28, 2014.  

Overall, he appeared in 848 career regular-season games as a player, totaling 288 points (109 goals, 179 assists) and 1,555 penalty minutes.