Sunrise, FL (My Sportsbook) - The Florida Panthers announced Thursday that they have hired two new assistant coaches. Duane Sutter and John Torchetti will replace Paul Baxter and George Kingston. "I'm excited about working with two very experienced individuals," said Panthers head coach Mike Keenan. "Both coaches will have significant teaching responsibilities as we continue to develop our young players." Sutter is not new to the Panthers organization. He has previously served in different coaching aspects for Florida, as well as director of player development. Most recently, he was behind the bench for Florida in December of 2002. Torchetti spent the 2001-2002 season as the assistant scouting director for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before this hiring, he was coaching the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League, the Panthers' top farm club. Keenan, who won a Stanley Cup in 1994 with the New York Rangers and led both Chicago and Philadelphia to the Finals, currently has the young Panthers at 20-26-12-9 with 61 points in the Southeast Division. |
