Before jumping into some of the news surrounding the Cats these past few weeks, I wanted to ask you guys a question...
Is there a blog you would like to see in the future?
Since we’re not sure when hockey will be back - hoping for January - we could be in for the long haul. If that’s the case, do you have any Panther-related, or general hockey blog ideas for a future post? If so, throw them out there. Or I can bore you with tales from the fantastical world of men’s league... (insert a villain’s sinister laugh and mustache twirl).
OK, back to some news...
Brett Peterson in as Assistant GM
Earlier this week, the Panthers announced the hiring of Brett Peterson as their new Assistant GM.
[Image from Panthers website]
Per Florida’s site:
”Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has named Brett Peterson Assistant General Manager.
Peterson is believed to be the first Black assistant general manager in the National Hockey League.
‘His substantive hockey experience as a player, significant developmental and evaluation skills, and business acumen as a negotiator combine to form an elite skill set that is very difficult to find in our sport,’ said Zito. "There are many who can excel in one of those disciplines, but few who excel in all three.’
Peterson, 39, most recently served as the Vice President, Hockey for Wasserman Media Group working with many of the NHL's elite talent. He has been a certified NHL player agent since 2009 with Wasserman/Acme World Sports.
A native of Northborough, Mass., Peterson played five years of professional hockey (2004-05 to 2008-09) as a defenseman in the American Hockey League (AHL), ECHL and the International Hockey League (IHL).
Prior to his professional career, Peterson played four seasons for Boston College (2000-01 to 2003-04), where he appeared in 157 games, posting 28 points (8-20-28) and won a NCAA National Championship in 2001 with the team.
He serves as an advisor/consultant to the NextGEN AAA Foundation hockey team, a nonprofit organization that provides mentoring and hockey programs to underprivileged youth and underserved communities. The all-minority team recently won the 2020 Beantown Summer Classic Tournament.
In joining the Panthers, Peterson will also take an active role in the Florida Panthers Foundation's community-based programs that aim to make the game of hockey more inclusive in the South Florida region.
‘I'm very excited for this opportunity with the Panthers and with Bill's growing front office team,’ said Peterson. ‘It's a special day for myself and my family and I can't wait to get to work.’
Peterson joins Paul Krepelka as the Panthers Assistant General Managers.”
Nice to have another hockey mind in the front office, and one who who sounds like he has solid skills in both the hockey and business worlds. Looking forward to seeing what he can do with this growing front office.
Enter the Swamp Rabbits of Greenville, S.C.
I finally have an excuse to buy some Swamp Rabbits merch since the Panthers announced they have entered a multi-year deal with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits out of the ECHL.
I like this deal because the ECHL is the main feeder league into the AHL and is slated to start its 2020-21season this December 11th. So if the NHL and AHL are delayed more, we can at least watch some (way in the future) Panthers play - as long as the ECHL can play...
Before they were the Swamp Rabbits, they were the Johnstown Chiefs - one of the five founding teams of the ECHL that began in 1987. They relocated and became the Greenville Road Warriors in 2010, before rebranding as the Swamp Rabbits in 2015.
Something interesting to note is that newly-signed Assistant GM, Brett Peterson, played for the Johnstown Chiefs from 2004-2006, where he racked up 28 points.
(Image from Panthers webiste]
Prospects ‘Round the World
There’s a great write upon the NHL site that breaks down what some of the
Panthers prospects have been up to lately.
[Image from NHL.com]
While I don’t really know what the completion is like in the Liiga league, it sounds like #10 overall pick by FLA in this year’s draft, Anton Lundell, is tearing up the scene out there.
While you should read about all these guys’ progress, I’m really interested in the Saarela update (who also plays in Liiga) because I can see him starting the season with the Cats - probably on the third line, which I think would be a good spot for him.
The article states:
“Saarela opened up the Liiga season on a scoring spree.
Lighting the lamp twice in Lukko's season opener on Oct. 2, the 23-year-old forward went on to score in six of the next seven games, including piecing together a four-game goal streak from Oct. 16-24. As of right now, he ranks tied for third in the league with eight goals in 11 contests.
Of his eight goals, three of them have held up as game-winners.
After being acquired by the Panthers in a trade with the Blackhawks on Oct. 22, 2019, Saarela went on to make his NHL regular-season debut with Florida, notching four points (two goals, two assists) in nine games. He also appeared in one game during the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
A restricted free agent, Saarela received a qualifying offer from the Panthers on Oct. 7.”
That above clip displays really nice positioning and speed to break up ice. Im also a big fan of his thought process to just rip it, rather than try to get too fancy.
Looking forward to seeing the Panthers future continue to develop.
____________________
Other than that, I guess just stay tuned to your regularly scheduled program until hockey comes back...
Go Panthers!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»