It's official: Bob Boughner is the new head coach of the Florida Panthers.
The club announced the hiring of the former San Jose Sharks assistant Monday in a move that was originally reported over the weekend.
Boughner spent two seasons with the Sharks under Peter DeBoer, helping San Jose reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.
He won two Memorial Cup championships as head coach of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires in 2009 and 2010, and served as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010-11.
The Panthers fired Gerard Gallant in November, and then-general manager Tom Rowe stepped behind the bench for the rest of the campaign, but it was decided he would not continue as the head coach at season's end.
It's no secret that Florida is one of the more analytically driven clubs in the NHL, and Dale Tallon, who reassumed the Panthers' GM position in May, confirmed Boughner's hiring aligns with the team's progressive approach.
"He sees the game in a modern way and is eager to work with our young players," Tallon said in a statement Monday. "During the interview process, Bob blew us away with his preparation, his passion, knowledge and dedication to the game. We believe that he is the right leader to get our team back to competing towards our goal of winning the Stanley Cup."
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