Pat Verbeek Named Anaheim Ducks General Manager

Feb 3, 2022

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has named Pat Verbeek the sixth General Manager in franchise history. Verbeek joins the Ducks with two Stanley Cups on his resume and 36 years of NHL experience, 16 as an executive and 20 as an NHL player. He won Stanley Cups as a player (1999) and Professional Scout (2008), and helped build foundational pieces of Tampa Bay’s eventual back-to-back championship teams in 2020 and 2021.

“We are delighted to welcome Pat Verbeek to our community to guide our hockey club as the next General Manager of the Anaheim Ducks,” said Ducks Owners Henry and Susan Samueli. “Pat’s outstanding work ethic and vast knowledge of the game as a successful executive and player throughout his 35-plus years in the NHL make him an outstanding fit to lead us forward. He brings a unique pedigree, having vast experience and serving in integral leadership roles for championship teams as both a player and executive at the NHL level.”

“Many thanks to our committee of Michael Schulman, Aaron Teats, Scott Niedermayer, Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne for their tireless efforts leading an extensive and methodical search to help us find a General Manager we are confident can lead us back to our ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup.”

Verbeek, 57 (5/24/64), spent the last three seasons as Assistant General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings (2019-22). In his role, he was involved in all hockey operations matters with a focus on player personnel decisions. Prior to the 2021-22 season, Verbeek was named General Manager of the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He also served as a Professional Scout for Detroit from 2006-10, serving on the Red Wings staff for the team’s 2008 Stanley Cup championship.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be named General Manager of the Anaheim Ducks. My family and I are looking forward to becoming part of the Orange County community,” said Pat Verbeek. “I’d like to express my gratitude to Henry and Susan, and the search committee for a first-class experience during this process and belief in my vision. The Ducks are a championship organization with world-class facilities, and I look forward to working with our entire staff to build on the foundation in place to construct a championship team our fans will be proud of on and off the ice.”

The Sarnia, Ontario native also spent nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning as Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel (2012-19), and Director of Professional Scouting (2010-12). With the Lightning, Verbeek was responsible for oversight of the team's professional scouting operations, player recruitment, contract negotiations and overall support of the hockey operations department. During his tenure, the Lightning made an appearance in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final in addition to four Conference Finals appearances. A total of 17 Lightning players that won consecutive Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 were drafted, signed or acquired while Verbeek was an executive with the organization.

Verbeek also served as Director of Player Personnel for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and won a gold medal as part of Canada’s management staff at the 2015 World Championship.

As a player, Verbeek won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999 and appeared at two NHL All-Star Games (1991 and 1996) during a 20-year NHL career. Originally selected by the New Jersey Devils in the third round (43rd overall) of the 1982 NHL Draft, Verbeek scored 522-540=1,062 points and 2,905 penalty minutes in 1,424 NHL games with New Jersey (1982-89), the Hartford Whalers (1989-95), New York Rangers (1994-96), Dallas Stars (1996-99, 2001-02) and Red Wings (1999-01). He served as Hartford’s captain for four seasons from 1991-95.

He represented Canada at several international tournaments, including medals at the 1994 (gold) and 1989 (silver) World Championship. He also appeared at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and 1983 World Junior Championship.