This past weekend in Halifax Trevor Stienburg joined elite company when he was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at St. Mary’s University following a 23-year coaching career with the Huskies.

Trevor Stienburg grew up in the tiny hamlet of Moscow, ON (current population is 65) north of Odessa, ON and near Kingston. As a kid he played minor hockey in Tamworth and despite growing up in the smallest of smalltown Ontario, he made it to the National Hockey League.

Trevor, who attended Napanee District Secondary School, was the first overall pick by the Guelph Platers in 1983. One year earlier Kingston’s Kirk Muller had gone first overall to Guelph. Stienburg was seventeen when he arrived in Guelph, a year older than most kids that were drafted, after he played as a 16-year-old in Brockvillle for the Braves – scoring 39 goals in 47 games.

After his rookie season in Guelph (an impressive 33 goal season in 65-games), he went in the first round of the NHL draft – 15th overall – to the Quebec Nordiques. Stienburg would play parts of four NHL seasons in Quebec, but a series of knee and shoulder injuries stalled his pro career.

In 1994, while playing in the minors for the AHL’s Halifax Citadels, Stienburg suffered a career-ending shoulder injury and decided to remain on the east coast to start the next chapter of his career as a coach. Stienburg had spent one season as an assistant coach at Dalhousie, when he was was named the seventh head coach of the Saint Mary’s Huskies men’s hockey team in 1997.

Without much coaching experience, Stienburg inherited a team that had only five wins the previous season. Within two years the Huskies had a winning record and Stienburg was named CIAU Coach of the Year in back to back seasons. Within five years in 2001-02, Stienburg coached the Huskies to their first Atlantic conference championship since the glory days of the 1970’s.

Stienburg was named head coach of Team Canada for the 2001 World University Games, capturing a silver medal in Poland. Stienburg was also bench boss for Canada in 2007, leading the Canadian team to a gold medal at the World University games in Italy.

Stienburg won his second conference title with the Huskies in 2009, but had a disappointing showing at the University Cup. In 2009-10 Huskies once again finished on top of the Atlantic Conference winning 15 of their final 16 games. At the U Sport national finals in the championship game they beat favoured Alberta in overtime to capture the first and only national championship in Saint Mary’s history.

Over Stienburg’s 23 years with the Huskies he compiled a record of 368-223-46, leading the team to three conference championships and one National title. Stienburg was named Atlantic conference Coach of the Year four times, and CIS Coach of the Year three times.

During Stienburg’s career he coached 11 National Award winners and 24 CIS All-Canadians. Stienburg’s student-athletes also thrived in the classroom, producing over 140 Academic All-Canadians.

Longtime Queen’s coach Brett Gibson played 4 years for Stienburg at St. Mary’s (2000-2004). Former Kingston Frontenacs towering defenseman Justin Wallingford played five years at St. Mary’s and was part of the 2010 National Championship team.

Stienburg’s son Matthew played hockey at Cornell and during the 2024-2025 season made his NHL debut with Colorado.

Trevor Stienburg made the decision to step away from the Huskies bench in 2020 and became an amateur scout for the NHL’s Seattle Kraken

Mark Potter is a longtime Kingston broadcaster and a member of the Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame.