The next big name is saying goodbye to the Pioneers Vorarlberg: Steve Birnstill is leaving the ICE Hockey League and joining the Scottish club as an assistant coach for the 2026/27 season
Glasgow clan to. This marks the end of a long and formative period for the American in Vorarlberg and in Austrian hockey.
From top defender to cult figure in Feldkirch
Birnstill joined in 2015
VEU Feldkirch and quickly developed into an absolute leader there. The offensive defender not only impressed with his strong scoring values, but also with his experience and presence on the ice.
In a total of seven years at the VEU, the American played numerous games in the Alps Hockey League and was even assistant captain at times. His high-scoring seasons in particular made him one of the best defenders in the league.
Change to the ICEHL
The next step finally followed in 2022: Birnstill switched to
Pioneers Vorarlberg
into the ICEHL. There he was initially on the ice as a player and brought his experience to the young organization.
But the next stage of his career soon began.
From player to coach
After his active career, Birnstill moved directly behind the gang. He has worked as an assistant coach for the Pioneers since 2023 and gained important experience in the coaching field. Now comes the next step in his career: The 40-year-old is returning to Scotland, where he was already active as a player for the then Braehead Clan in the 2012/13 season.
Return to Glasgow
The
Glasgow clan officially introduced Birnstill as the new assistant coach. In the future, he will work there together with head coach Mike Sirant and will be primarily responsible for defense and power play.
Pic: Dorner_pioneers.hockey
“), i.text = “window._taboola = window._taboola || ();_taboola.push({mode:’alternating-thumbnails-a’, container:’taboola-below-article-thumbnails’, placement:’below-article’, target_type: ‘mix’});”, n.appendChild(l), n.appendChild(i), e(n, t) } Array.prototype.filter || (Array.prototype.filter = function(e, t) { if (“function” != typeof e) throw TypeError(); let n = (); for (let l = 0, i = this.length >>> 0; l < i; l += 1) if (l in this) { let r = this(l); e.call(t, r, l, this) && n.push(r) } return n }), window.insertAfter = e, window.getElementByXPath = t, window.injectWidgetByXpath = function e(l) { let i = t(l) ||. document.getElementById("tbdefault"); i && n(i) }, window.injectWidgetByMarker = function e
