Blues hire Claude Julien as assistant coach

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The St. Louis Blues have named Claude Julien an assistant coach and promoted Steve Ott to associate coach, the team announced Thursday.

Julien has served as a head coach for parts of 18 seasons in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins.

The 64-year-old from Blind River, Ont., earned the Jack Adams Award in 2009 and captured the Stanley Cup in 2011 with the Bruins.

Julien hasn’t coached in the NHL since he was fired by the Canadiens on Feb. 24, 2021.

He was also an assistant coach with Canada’s gold medal-winning men’s team at the 2014 Winter Olympics and was head coach for a non-NHL Canadian team at the 2022 Olympics.

Ott enters his eighth season with the Blues’ staff. He joined the club as an assistant in 2017 and claimed the Stanley Cup in 2019.

The Blues also announced assistant coach Mike Weber and goaltending coach David Alexander had their contracts extended through the 2025-26 season.

Drew Bannister signed a two-year deal with St. Louis in May to stay on board as head coach. Bannister took over on an interim basis in December when the Blues fired Craig Berube. The team posted a 30-19-5 record under Bannister but missed the playoffs finishing six points out of a wild-card spot.