How is Botterill, Verbeek, BriseBois risky?
They have just as much experience and scouting, and assistant GM duties.
In fact BriseBois was a GM at the AHL level.
BriseBois
Julien BriseBois enters his third season as assistant general manger of the Tampa Bay Lightning after being named to the position on July 16, 2010. He reports directly to vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman and assists him in all aspects of player personnel decisions, contract preparation and negotiation, and salary arbitration for the Lightning and the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, for whom he also serves as general manager.
BriseBois also manages interpretation of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement and the salary cap for Tampa Bay.
As general manager of the Lightning's top affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, in 2011-12, BriseBois aided the team to their second consecutive appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs after setting a professional sports record with a 28-game winning streak that propelled Norfolk to the AHL's best regular season record. The team's regular season success continued in the playoffs as the Admirals went on to win the organization's first Calder Cup, the first championship by a Lightning AHL affiliate. BriseBois was instrumental in helping build the organization's depth with signings that proved instrumental to both the Lightning and the Admirals, demonstrated by nine players being recalled to Tampa Bay during the season. In 2010-11, the BriseBois-led Admirals made the postseason for the first time in their affiliation with the Lightning. Also during that season, the Hockey News recognized BriseBois as the top hockey executive under 40 years of age in their annual "Top 40 Under 40" listing.
Prior to coming to Tampa Bay, BriseBois, 35, spent nine seasons with the Montreal Canadiens after joining the organization on September 1, 2001 as Director of Legal Affairs. In July of 2003 he added Director of Hockey Operations to his duties before being named Vice President of Hockey Operations on July 24, 2006. On August 23, 2007 BriseBois was named the general manager of Montreal's top affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, making him the youngest in the league at the time. During that time he retained his position with the Canadiens. The Bulldogs improved in each year under BriseBois' tenure, going from 36-34-10 in 2007-08 to 52-17-11 in 2009-10. In three seasons under his guidance Hamilton went 137-78-25.
A native of Greenfield Park, Quebec, BriseBois was employed by the Heenan Blaikie Law Firm before joining Montreal. During that time he worked in the field of sports law, where he represented several NHL and Major League Baseball clubs in arbitration cases as well as acting as an advisor in contract negotiations. BriseBois also participated in the reform of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
BriseBois is a graduate of the University of Montreal Faculty of Law and earned a Master's degree in business administration from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. He is a member of the Quebec Bar, the American Bar Association and the Sports Lawyers Association. BriseBois also sits on the AHL Competition Committee and the AHL CBA Committee.
Verbeek (Beeker)
NHL veteran Pat Verbeek enters his third season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, his second as assistant general manager. He was hired by the Lightning as director of professional scouting on June 8, 2010 and then named assistant general manager on July 1, 2011.
Verbeek oversees all of the team's professional scouting operations, aids in player procurement and reports directly to the general manager.
Before joining the Lightning, Verbeek, 48, spent four seasons as a pro scout with the Detroit Red Wings, assisting the management staff as the organization both built from within and made key acquisitions from outside to build a deep and talented roster. He scouted select teams at both the AHL and NHL levels, providing key information to the Detroit coaching and management staffs regarding potential trades and free agent acquisitions.
A native of Sarnia, Ontario, Verbeek played for five different teams during a 20-year NHL career. He appeared in 1,424 games with the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars and Red Wings, compiling 522 goals and 1,063 points. He is the only player in NHL history to total more than 500 goals and 2,500 career penalty minutes. Verbeek also won the Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999.
Verbeek was originally drafted by New Jersey in the third round, 43rd overall, of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.
Botterill
JASON BOTTERILL
Assistant General Manager
Jason Botterill is in his fifth full season as assistant general manager after being promoted to his current position in May, 2009, by GM Ray Shero. As assistant GM, Botterill works closely with Shero on all hockey-related matters, including scouting, player development and contract negotiations. He also manages hockey operations and acts as GM for the club’s top minor-league affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Prior to his promotion, Botterill, 37, worked two seasons as director of hockey administration with the Penguins; his responsibilities included salary cap management, professional and amateur scouting and overseeing prospect development. His avant-garde approach and understanding of the salary cap has been a major asset for the Penguins. Before joining the Pittsburgh organization, Botterill worked with NHL Central Registry and also scouted for the Dallas Stars. Botterill was a first-round draft pick (20th overall) by Dallas in the 1994 NHL Draft and played 88 NHL games over six seasons with Dallas, Atlanta, Calgary and Buffalo. He also played 393 career games in the AHL and IHL, recording 127 goals and 257 points. A native of Edmonton who grew up in Winnipeg, Botterill played four seasons at the University of Michigan and helped lead the Wolverines to the NCAA title in 1996. He also played for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in 1994, ‘95 and ‘96 and won gold medals in all three tournaments. Following his playing career, he returned to the University of Michigan to earn his MBA. Jason and his wife, Andrea, and their daughter Alisa reside in Pittsburgh.