Panthers, GM Bill Zito name Brett Peterson assistant general manager
SUNRISE, Fla. – 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.
