NA Now: Austin Bruins
The NA Now video series features an in-depth look into all NAHL teams as they prepare for the 2025-26 season. One team will be highlighted every day, leading up to the start of the regular season on September 12, 2025. Each interview features each team’s head coach, as they dive into detail on the expectations and outlooks for this upcoming season.
Austin Bruins
Head Coach: Steve Howard (9th season)
2024-25 Regular Season Record: 42-12-3-2 – 89 points (2nd in the Central Division)
2024-25 Leading Scorer: Alex Laurenza (36-46–82)
2025 Playoffs: Lost Central Division Final 3-1 against the Bismarck Bobcats
2025-26 Division: Central Division
Location: Austin, Minnesota
Formation Year: 2010 (16th season)
Central Division Titles: Four (2013, 2014, 2015, 2023)
Steve Howard is a former skater in the NAHL and he explains that “when [he] was a player, late bloomers [would] come in at 19 or 20 that maybe were overlooked when they were 16 or 17. And so you get those guys that are a little bit, maybe more hungry, just because they've been passed over.”
Head Coach of the Bruins, Steve Howard, shares more on what it means to be with the Austin organization and what makes playing for the Bruins so special for players. He dives into the grittiest of the athletes that come through the NAHL and how leading the next generation of hockey players fuels his passion for coaching.
Next up: Bismarck Bobcats
