Color of Hockey: Peterson gearing up U.S. as general manager for 2026 Worlds

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Florida Panthers assistant general manager Brett Peterson, who is general manager of the U.S. Men’s National Team for the 2026 IIHF World Championship May 15-31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.

Brett Peterson says he feels more excitement than pressure as general manager of the U.S. Men’s National Team ahead of the 2026 IIHF World Championship, set for May 15-31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.

The Florida Panthers assistant general manager is busy forming and helming the team after the U.S. men’s, women’s and Paralympics sled hockey squads each won a gold medal at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics in February.

“The good thing about USA Hockey winning a lot of these is you draw from all those experiences, what worked and what didn't work, and just keep getting better,” Peterson said. “It's definitely more excitement than pressure because it’s another opportunity for us to go out and show our brand in front of the world and show everything that these guys have worked so hard to develop.”

Peterson said he’s looking for players from the NHL and beyond for the 16-nation tournament to keep the American gold rush rolling and to defend the IIHF championship the U.S. won in 2025, its first since 1933.

“What we're trying to identify are those guys that are making that turn to be the next generation, or current generation of USA Hockey, and then create some opportunities for some players,” he said. “We’ve got pro scouts by each (NHL) division in each conference, college scouts, Canadian scouts for the junior leagues, minor league scouts, European scouts. We’re looking at it all.”

The U.S. opens its title defense on May 15 against host Switzerland at Swiss Life Arena in Zurich. The two countries are in Group A of the tournament along with Finland, Latvia, Hungary, Germany, Austria and Great Britain.

Canada faces Sweden on May 15 at BCF Arena in Fribourg. The opponents share Group B with Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Denmark, Norway and Italy.

Peterson was named GM by USA Hockey on March 12, reprising his role from the 2024 world championship in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia, where the U.S. finished fifth. He was assistant GM of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2025 Worlds in Herning, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden. 

The 44-year-old Northborough, Massachusetts, native is in his sixth season as a Panthers assistant GM, and helped guide the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and 2025.

“He oversees Charlotte (Florida’s American Hockey League affiliate), he oversees all the college free agent reserve list scout, pro scouting … he’s pretty much involved in everything,” said Panthers general manager Bill Zito, who is a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group led by John Vanbiesbrouck. “He’s that combination of exuberance, energy and enthusiasm that’s real and unstoppable.”

As a player, Peterson won the 2001 NCAA Frozen Four championship as a freshman defenseman when Boston College defeated North Dakota 3-2 in overtime, and a New England Preparatory School Athletic Council title in 1998 with Massachusetts’ Cushing Academy, where he was a captain for two seasons.

Peterson, who became the NHL’s first Black assistant general manager when he was hired on Nov. 17, 2020, said his tenure in Florida has prepared him to run the U.S. team in Switzerland.

“Obviously, our experience in Florida," he said, "seeing the team grow and develop and take some turns along the six years, reaching the mountaintop a few times, it's all just part of the natural progression for me in terms of being in that (U.S. GM) role, in that position, and leading up a group.”

And it may lead to bigger things. Peterson's former fellow Florida assistant GM, Sunny Mehta, was named GM of the New Jersey Devils on Thursday to replace Tom Fitzgerald, who was fired April 6, and Peterson has been mentioned as a possible candidate for recent NHL general manager job openings.

Three GM jobs are currently available after Barry Trotz announced on Feb. 2 that he’s retiring from his position with the Nashville Predators, the Toronto Maple Leafs parted ways with Brad Treliving on March 30 and the Vancouver Canucks fired Patrik Allvin on Friday.

But Peterson said he’s focused on the here and now, preparing the Panthers, who didn’t qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, for next season and getting the U.S. ready for the Worlds.

“I learned a long time ago as a player that you have to plan for the future, but you have to be where you are right now and enjoy that, otherwise you're going to miss the opportunities and learnings of where you are currently to be successful in the future,” he said. “For me, I have no idea what the future is. I think that's dictated on just doing the best possible job that I can do where my feet are.”

Peterson’s hockey journey began in 1984 in Troy, New York, where his mother, Jacqueline Peterson, worked in higher education.

She tutored members of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s NCAA Division I men’s hockey team and then-coach Mike Addesa returned the favor by putting her young son on the ice.

“We didn’t know anything about (hockey) and that's where I got my first exposure to the game and learned how to skate from there,” Peterson said. “We moved to a bunch of different places -- Boston, California -- and the passion for the game continued.”

The path eventually led to Boston College where Peterson played under U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame coach Jerry York and with future NHL players Scott Clemmensen, Patrick Eaves, Brian Gionta and Brooks Orpik.

Peterson had 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 157 NCAA games with BC, which heavily recruited him from Cushing, York said.

“We knew he was going to be a good player, but I didn’t understand what he’d bring to the BC locker room,” said York, who coached at the school for 28 seasons until he retired in 2022 as the winningest coach (1,123-682-128) in NCAA men’s hockey history. “Such infectious personality, just livened the room up and was an outstanding teammate.”

Peterson went on to play 340 minor league games with Atlantic City, Johnstown, Florida and Phoenix of the ECHL, Albany and Grand Rapids of the AHL and Flint of the International Hockey League.

He retired as a player after the 2008-09 season and moved into sports representation, joining Acme World Sports, which was founded by Zito. 

Wasserman acquired Acme in June 2020.

Nicknamed “Chubbs” after Chubbs Peterson in the 1996 Adam Sandler golf/hockey comedy “Happy Gilmore,” Peterson made the transition through connections with former BC teammates and a career-altering encounter with Zito.

“In the old days we had a pre-training camp training camp, and I represented Patrick Eaves and his brother, Ben,” Zito said. “They said, ‘Hey, can Chubbsie come to camp?’ I'm like, ‘Who's that?’ They said, ‘You know, Brett Peterson, the D from our team.’ I just kind of wanted to keep it to our own guys. But begrudgingly, I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’”

Zito said Peterson had an “It” factor about him on and off the ice that impressed him.    

The brothers asked Zito if he would represent Peterson, and the agent, who became the Panthers GM on Sept. 2, 2020, replied that he’d do one better. 

“I’m, like, ‘Yeah, I’ll represent him, I’m going to tell him to quit and come work with us,’ and I did,” Zito recalled. “He played a little while longer and then, when he was done, he came on board.”