Brett Peterson Revealed as Panthers’ Assistant GM

Brett Peterson GM of Florida Panthers. Image via @FlaPanthers/Twitter

The Florida Panthers revealed on Tuesday that Brett Peterson had been named as the team’s assistant general manager going into the new NHL season. Peterson made history as the league’s first-ever black assistant GM.

After playing as a defenseman at Boston College, Peterson decided to embark on a career as a player agent at Wasserman Media Group, a sports marketing company that represents high profile athletes including the likes of Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask. After being certified by the NHL Players’ Association, this agent rose to the rank of vice president of hockey at Wasserman.

Panthers GM Bill Zito, who approached Peterson for the job of assistant GM, spoke highly of Peterson’s talents as a hockey player and negotiator. He explained that, thanks to his “significant developmental and evaluation skills”, Peterson possessed a skillset that was rarely found in the world of hockey.

Upon being offered the role of assistant GM, Peterson hesitated at first due to his passion for being an agent. He particularly enjoyed helping young players build their career. Ultimately, he was won over due to the prospect of doing similar work in a team dynamic. “You’re taking a team on a journey now”, Peterson exclaimed. “Having a chance to help manage a team and chase a Stanley Cup is just a completely different extreme I can’t wait to take part of.”