Tampa, FL (My Sportsbook) - The Tampa Bay Lightning have promoted Brian Lawton to the role of executive vice president and general manager, co-owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie announced Wednesday.

"I appreciate Oren and Len for having the faith to bestow the title of general manager on me," Lawton said. "I realize that I am one of just 30 to hold the position, and I will do everything I can to drive the Lightning to a high level on and off the ice. At the same time, I know that success in hockey is a team effort, and I appreciate everyone here that is working, collectively, to bring us back to an elite level."

Lawton was hired as the team's vice president of hockey operations on June 25, 2008 after former general manager Jay Feaster resigned due to the change in ownership. Koules and Barrie took over as the club's owners two days before the addition of Lawton.

"When we hired Brian, his role was not fully defined during our time of transition," said Koules and Barrie. "To Brian's credit, he led us from a hockey operations perspective through the ownership transition and has proven to be the insightful, steady, guiding force that we are confident will lead us on the ice to long- and short-term successes. We are excited to have him heading up the hockey operations department for us."

Lawton spent the last 14 years prior to joining Tampa Bay as a high-powered player representative. The 43-year-old Rhode Island native was the former first-overall pick of the Minnesota North Stars in 1983 and spent nine seasons in the NHL with six clubs.

One day after the change in ownership, Barry Melrose was named head coach. Lawton joined the club the next day, and the team was extremely active in player movement during the past offseason. Superstar Vincent Lecavalier agreed to a nine-year deal, and the club acquired Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from Pittsburgh just before the free agent period began.

The Lightning also added veterans Mark Recchi, Vaclav Prospal, Olaf Kolzig and Radim Vrbata in the offseason, while also trading defenseman Dan Boyle to San Jose for a couple of draft picks, including a first-round selection next year, and promising young defensemen Matt Carle and Ty Wishart.

Tampa is attempting a quick turnaround from last season's performance, which saw the club finish with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. The team currently sits in last place in the Southeast division after five games with a 2-3-0 record.