Kenai River Brown Bears Announce Coaching Change

The Kenai River Brown Bears of the North American Hockey League named Darren Banks as the franchise’s 12th head coach since it entered the league in 2007.

The Athens, Texas native began his coaching career with the Minot Minotauros in 2020. He served as the Director of Scouting for two years and spent the 2021-2022 season as the Assistant Coach. Following his time in North Dakota, Banks was named as the Head Coach and General Manager for the New Mexico Ice Wolves NA3HL squad. He helped to start the Ice Wolves 3HL program and shaped the team to be a playoff contender. Banks led the team to the playoffs every season with this season making their first-ever appearance at the Fraser Cup Championships. Banks is bringing his five years of experience with solid player advancement and winning culture to the Brown Bears organization this upcoming season.

Banks is a product of the NA3HL and NAHL. During his playing career, he skated with the Gillette Wild and went on to play in a handful of games for the Minot Minotauros during the 2014-2015 season.