Robert Lowes (born January 21, 1963) is a Canadian ice hockey executive, and former ice hockey coach. He has worked as the assistant director of player personnel for the Vegas Golden Knights since 2016. Lowes led the Nipawin Hawks to the 1990 ANAVET Cup championship, before being a head coach in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for 12 seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and the Regina Pats. He twice won the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as the WHL Coach of the Year, and twice won the CHL Coach of the Year Award. Lowes also coached the Canada men's national under-18 ice hockey team, and later became director of amateur scouting for the Ottawa Senators.
Early life
Lowes was born January 21, 1963, in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
Playing career
Lowes played the centreman position in hockey. He played three seasons for the Prince Albert Raiders in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) from 1979 to 1982, and was the team's captain during the 1981–82 season. Lowes and his team won both the Hanbidge Cup as SJHL champions, and the ANAVET Cup as the Saskatchewan–Manitoba champions all three seasons, lost in the 1980 Abbott Cup finals, but won the 1981 and 1982 Abbott Cup, and both the 1981 Centennial Cup and the 1982 Centennial Cup. Lowes was eligible for the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, but was not chosen until a year later, being selected 204th overall by the New York Rangers in the tenth round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He began the 1982–83 WHL season with Prince Albert, then was traded to the Regina Pats later in the season. Lowes served as captain of the Pats for the 1983–84 WHL season, in which his team lost in the seventh game of the President's Cup final. In the next year, he took a year off from playing and served as the assistant coach for the Pats in the 1984–85 season. During the season, he acted as an interim head coach while Bob Strumm served an eight-game suspension.
Lowes was recruited by Wayne Fleming to playing university hockey, and join the Manitoba Bisons program. He played parts of four seasons for the Bisons from 1985 to 1989. He was the team captain for the 1986–87 season, then became an assistant coach for the 1987–88 season due to an injury. Lowes said that he learned about the use of statistical analysis, and new perspective on coaching hockey from Fleming. Lowes graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1989, with a bachelor's degree in recreation.
Playing statistics
Coaching career
Lowes' first position as a head coach was with the Nipawin Hawks in the SJHL, for the 1989–90 and 1990–91 seasons. In the 1989–90 season, his team finished second place in the north division, then won the SJHL's Hanbidge Cup in the playoffs. The Hawks played the Portage Terriers, champions of Manitoba for the ANAVET Cup, winning the series four games to two. Lowes' team advanced to the national championship, and placed third at the 1990 Centennial Cup. In the 1990–91 season, Nipawin placed second place in the north division, and reached the second round of the playoffs. Lowes returned to the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 1991–92 WHL season, as an assistant coach for the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Brandon Wheat Kings
Lowes was named head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings on July 7, 1992. He coached the Wheat Kings until 2001, and has the second most wins as a head coach in franchise history as of 2018. During nine seasons as head coach, Lowes won 370 games in the regular season, three first-place finishes in the east division, reached the President's Cup three times and winning it in 1996. His Wheat Kings team appeared in the 1995 Memorial Cup in Kamloops, and the 1996 Memorial Cup in Peterborough, placing third both times. Lowes was named a co-coach along with Ted Nolan, of the combined WHL and Ontario Hockey League team in the 1993 CHL All–Star Challenge.
Notable players coached by Lowes on the Wheat Kings include, Johnathan Aitken, Milan Bartovic, Sven Butenschoen, Ryan Craig, Chris Dingman, Eric Fehr, Burke Henry, Mark Kolesar, Justin Kurtz, Kirby Law, Mike Leclerc, Mike Maneluk, Rob McVicar, Marty Murray, Wade Redden, Peter Schaefer, Jordin Tootoo, and Nolan Yonkman.