Konowalchuk spent this past season working with the Colorado Eagles as their associate head coach
The Springfield Thunderbirds have hired Steve Konowalchuk as their next head coach, the team announced Monday.
Konowalchuk, who has had a coaching career that has spanned over a decade, spent last season with the Colorado Eagles as their associate head coach,
After a 14-year NHL career that saw him collect 396 points in 790 games, Konowalchuk retired from the NHL following the end of the 2005-06 season.
Spending time away from the game for three years, Konowalchuk got his first start in coaching as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2009-10 season.
Following two season with the Avalanche, Konowalchuk moved to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL where he served as head coach for six seasons from 2011-12 to 2016-17.
After jumping back to the NHL to serve as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks (lasting only one season), Konowalchuk turned to scouting with the New York Rangers - working as an amateur scout for one year before serving as a pro scout for two.
In 2021-22, Konowalchuk made his return to the WHL to serve as the head coach of the Red Deer Rebels for two seasons before getting his first AHL job with the Eagles.
With the Thunderbirds coming off a disappointing season that saw them finish 26th in league standings, Konowalchuk comes in to hopefully right the ship and steer Springfield back to the playoffs.
"We went through an extensive interview process, and through those conversations, it became clear that Steve best fit what we were seeking in a head coach," said Thunderbirds GM Steve Maxwell in the team's press release. "We look forward to seeing him work with the next wave of Blues prospects and developing them into successful NHL players in St. Louis.
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