Austin Bruins sign current Head Coach and General Manager to multi-year contract extension
The Austin Bruins have announced a multi-year contract extension with Head Coach and General Manager Steve Howard.
Howard is currently in his seventh season at the helm of the Bruins during the 2023-24 season. He became the third head coach in Bruins history on May 1st, 2017, after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL. During the 2022-23 season, Howard helped lead the Bruins to their first Central Division Title since 2015 and reached the Robertson Cup Final. In 2017-18, Howard was named the Central Division Coach of the Year by the NAHL, becoming the first head coach in Bruins history to achieve the honor.
From a player advancement level under Coach Howard, there have been over 60 players who have committed to the NCAA Division 1 level, multiple players currently playing at the Professional Hockey level in either the AHL or ECHL, and 2 former players who have been selected in the NHL Draft. Not only has there been player advancement, but also staff advancements. Currently, there are 2 former coaches at the NCAA Division 1 level, one is an NAHL Head Coach/General Manager, an Assistant Coach in the USHL, an Assistant Coach in the ECHL, a Head Coach/General Manager in the NCDC, a play-by-play announcer in the ECHL and one in the AHL.