New Panthers Head Coach Peter DeBoer (Getty Images)

SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers General Manager Jacques Martin announced today that Peter DeBoer has been named the 10th head coach in the club’s history. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. A formal press conference will be held on Monday, June 16 at 11 a.m. at the BankAtlantic Center when DeBoer will be officially introduced.

DeBoer, 40, guided the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) to a 53-11-0-4 mark last season, claiming the OHL Championship, before falling to the Spokane Chiefs in the Memorial Cup finals.  DeBoer’s Kitchener club held the No. 1 spot as the top junior team in Canada for 15 weeks. 

“I am very excited about getting the opportunity to coach the Florida Panthers,” said DeBoer. “I am looking forward to the challenge of guiding this franchise back to the playoffs and to putting a team on the ice that our fans in South Florida can be proud of.”

“Peter was our top candidate to fill the coaching vacancy and we are very pleased that he has decided to join our organization,” said Martin. “He is a great hockey mind who will guide our team to the next level. He has been very successful in the junior ranks and I am confident that he will help our franchise accomplish its goals.”

During his seven year tenure with Kitchener, DeBoer earned 297 wins with a .676 winning percentage, while guiding his club to the 2003 Memorial Cup title. This past season, DeBoer earned his 500th OHL win, joining only five other OHL coaches to reach this milestone. Throughout his tenure in junior hockey he has coached a number of current NHL players as well as Panthers C Stephen Weiss (Plymouth), LW Gregory Campbell (Kitchener) and Panthers prospect LW Mike Duco (Kitchener).

The Dunnville, Ontario native has amassed 539 OHL wins while coaching the Detroit Whalers (1995-97), Plymouth Whalers (1997-2001) and the Kitchener Rangers (2001-08), earning OHL Coach of the Year honors in 1999 and 2000. DeBoer was also named the 2000 Canadian Hockey League Coach of the Year. He was also a member of the coaching staff on Team Canada’s 2005 Gold Medal winning junior team.

DeBoer, a 12th round selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1988, played two seasons professionally with the Milwaukee Admirals (IHL). He holds a law degree from the University of Windsor/University of Detroit.  Peter and his wife Susan, have one daughter Abigail and two sons Jack and Matthew.

Sunrise Sports & Entertainment is the premier company of its kind in South Florida. Home to more than 185 events annually and the Florida Panthers Hockey Club, the BankAtlantic Center is consistently a top 15 worldwide venue according to Pollstar. The BankAtlantic Center welcomes more than two million guests each year and is also the home of the Sinatra Theatre presented by BankAtlantic and three publications Unrestricted (South Florida & New York) and Panthers Insider.

Season	Team	Lge	Type	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pct
1995-96	Detroit Whalers	OHL	Head Coach	66	40	22	4	0	0.636
1996-97	Detroit Whalers	OHL	Head Coach	66	26	34	6	0	0.439
1997-98	Plymouth Whalers	OHL	Head Coach	66	37	19	7	3	0.636
1998-99	Plymouth Whalers	OHL	Head Coach	68	51	11	4	2	0.794
1999-00	Plymouth Whalers	OHL	Head Coach	68	45	18	4	1	0.699
2000-01	Plymouth Whalers	OHL	Head Coach	68	43	15	5	5	0.706
2001-02	Kitchener Rangers	OHL	Head Coach	68	35	22	10	1	0.596
2002-03	Kitchener Rangers	OHL	Head Coach	68	46	14	5	3	0.735
2003-04	Kitchener Rangers	OHL	Head Coach	68	34	26	6	2	0.559
2004-05	Kitchener Rangers	OHL	Head Coach	68	35	20	9	4	0.610
2005-06	Kitchener Rangers	OHL	Head Coach	68	47	19	0	2	0.706
2006-07	Kitchener Rangers	OHL	Head Coach	68	47	17	0	4	0.721
2007-08	Kitchener Rangers	OHL	Head Coach	68	53	11	0	4	0.809