Steve Ott knew he wanted to lead his own bench. Now the coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds, he’s making sure to stay patient – with his eyes set on one day doing the same in the NHL.
By Bill Hoppe, features writer.
In the moments after St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong offered him his first opportunity to lead a team that night in Edmonton, Steve Ott felt his head spinning.
Ott had coached with the Blues since retiring as a player nine years ago, winning the Stanley Cup in 2019 and later earning the title of associate coach. Now, Armstrong was offering him a coveted opportunity to run his own bench and take over the Springfield Thunderbirds, the Blues’ AHL affiliate, on an interim basis.
“It’s quite the adventure when you’ve been stabilized up top for the last 10 years coaching,” Ott said of Armstrong’s offer.
Before Ott accepted the position, though, he needed to call his wife, Erica. Armstrong, whose relationship with Ott dates back to their days with the Dallas Stars, wanted to give him time to mull things over, so they planned to have coffee the next morning.
But after receiving his wife’s blessing, Ott couldn’t wait to accept the position.
“I wouldn’t have been able to sleep,” he said. “So I called ‘Army’ right after I got off the phone with my wife, and I said, ‘I’m ready to take the job and the opportunity.’”
On Jan. 19, the Blues named the 43-year-old as Springfield’s coach for the remainder of the season. He replaced Steve Konowalchuk, who was let go after a season and a half.
How unique was Ott’s sudden move to the AHL? He became the first coach to leave an NHL staff during the season to become an AHL bench boss since the Blues tabbed Rick Wamsley to lead the Peoria Rivermen in 2009-10.
“To take this opportunity,” he said, “‘Army’ knew it was something that I personally wanted.”
With Ott having emerged as a strong NHL coaching prospect over the past few years, he pointed out that the missing link he had is leading a team of his own.
“So I cross that off here in the next little while,” he said. “But the big thing that’s important to me is patience with it all. I’m not looking just to run away or do that thing to look for that coaching job. I want to be patient and let the opportunity come to me.”
Ott seemed destined for coaching during his 14-year NHL career, one in which he played 848 games for five teams and captained the Buffalo Sabres. He brought a gritty, relentless and agitating style, loved to smile and laugh off the ice, and he bled for any crest he proudly wore.
Steve Ott (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)Ott also sometimes toed the line. During his tenure with the Sabres, he blew a kiss to Dion Phaneuf and tried to lick Jeff Halpern’s helmet. Those days are long gone.
But Ott’s affable, down-to-earth personality has made an impact with the youngsters in Springfield.
“I mean, he has a personality, right?” said former Thunderbirds captain Matthew Peca, who was traded to Syracuse on March 10. “And it’s great in the locker room. Light days are fun because he’s involved. But he also has that edge to him that when things need to get done correctly, he’ll say what he needs to say.”
Peca said Ott possesses “a magnetic kind of energy,” and that has especially been a benefit to the team’s youngsters.
The assistant in Ott clearly hasn’t left him. Long after the Thunderbirds’ morning skate ended Feb. 6 in Rochester, he stayed on the ice, working with players on their faceoffs. That work ethic was one of his greatest assets as a player, and it will continue to serve him well in the future.
This article appeared in The Hockey News' Top 100 NHLers 2026 issue.
Top 100 NHLers 2026 provides a look at the top 100 players in the NHL, PHWL playoff previews, as well as features on Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid, San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini, and more.