Faceoff Factor

Shero Reacts Quickly, Hires Fletcher's Replacement

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

May 22, 11:49 PM | Hype this story!

Roughly 24 hours after word broke that Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Chuck Fletcher had accepted a position with the Minnesota Wild, the Penguins announced his replacement.

According to the Penguins’ web site, team capologist Jason Botterill has been promoted, and will assume the duties previously carried out by Fletcher.

“On behalf of the Pittsburgh Penguins, I want to congratulate Chuck Fletcher on his new position with the Minnesota Wild and thank him for three tremendous years of service to our organization,” Shero said.

“At the same time, we are excited by the opportunity to promote Jason Botterill to Assistant General Manager. Jason is one of the bright young executives in hockey, and he has made major contributions to the success we have had the past two seasons. We expect a seamless transition, because Jason has worked closely with Chuck and me in all facets of hockey operations.”

Botterill has been with the Penguins for two seasons and has assumed the duties of team “capologist,” a relatively new position within the NHL that was designed to give management teams a financial specialist.

Though he has an MBA and is just 33 years old, Botterill has professional hockey experience, spending eight years as a player in the AHL, IHL and NHL before working with the NHL Central Registry and serving as a scout for the Dallas Stars.

His new assignment will put him at the helm of the Penguins’ AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, a team which had considerable success, both in the standings and in signing veteran free agents, under the leadership of Fletcher.

Botterill also will serve as Shero’s “right hand man” regarding personnel moves.

It would appear that, based on the quick timing of Botterill’s promotion, Shero had been grooming him as Fletcher’s eventual successor.

A relative unknown, though, Botterill will have his work cut out for him if he plans to pick up where Fletcher left off.