Jason Drandon Botterill (born May 19, 1976) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

left winger and executive who is the

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The t ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Botterill was the former associate GM of the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

before serving as

of the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

from May 11, 2017, to June 16, 2020.

Playing career

Botterill was drafted by the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

in the first round with the 20th overall selection of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Before turning pro, he played four seasons (1993–97) at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he helped lead the Wolverines to an NCAA national championship in 1996. He is the only Canadian to ever win a gold medal in three straight World Junior Hockey Championships. In eight seasons as a pro, Botterill played in 481 professional games, including 88 in the

with the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL sea ...

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

, and

. Other stops in his career included the Michigan K-Wings and Orlando Solar Bears of the International Hockey League and the

Saint John Flames The Saint John Flames were a Canadian ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate. History The Saint ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

, where he was a member of the 2001 Calder Cup championship team. After serving as the Flames captain in 2001–02, Botterill signed with Buffalo as a free agent. Botterill's career was abruptly halted when, as a member of the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

, he suffered a concussion during a game against the Syracuse Crunch on October 31, 2004. After missing the next 49 games, Botterill announced his retirement from hockey.

Management career

Botterill received his MBA from The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the

in 2007. Following his playing career, he worked with the NHL Offices and the NHL Central Registry and spent the 2006–2007 season as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for the Dallas Stars. On July 17, 2007, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced Botterill's hiring as director of hockey administration. His main responsibilities included monitoring the salary cap and contract research and negotiations, but also worked with salary arbitration and preparation as well as scouting. Botterill was promoted by the Penguins to assistant general manager on May 22, 2009. He replaced Chuck Fletcher, who was named general manager of the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

on the same day. In ''

The Hockey News ''The Hockey News'' (''THN'') is a Canadian-based ice hockey magazine. ''The Hockey News'' was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Will Cote and has since become the most recognized hockey publication in North America. The magazine has a reader ...

'' 2011 edition of the 100 Most Powerful People in ice hockey, Botterill was considered one of the Top 40 under the age of 40. On May 16, 2014, Botterill was named as interim general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and as a candidate for the full position. On June 6, 2014,

Jim Rutherford James Earl Rutherford (born February 17, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and executive. He is the president of hockey operations of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to his position wi ...

was named general manager of the Penguins. In his press conference, Rutherford announced that Botterill would be named associate general manager of the Penguins. On May 11, 2017, the

announced that Botterill had been hired as the team's general manager. He was fired by the Sabres on June 16, 2020. On January 5, 2021, the

announced that Botterill had been hired as the team's assistant general manager. On April 22, 2025, the Kraken would promote Botterill to general manager after promoting previous general manager

Ron Francis Ronald Michael Francis Jr. (born March 1, 1963) is a Canadian ice hockey sports executive and former player. He currently serves as the president of hockey operations for the Seattle Kraken. He spent most of his career as either a player or ex ...

to president of hockey operations.

Personal life

Botterill was born in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, but grew up in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. Jason's sister, Jennifer Botterill, enjoyed numerous hockey successes with the Canadian women's team, before retiring in 2011. His mother, Doreen McCannell, participated in speed skating at the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics. His father, Cal Botterill, is a professor at the University of Winnipeg.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Botterill, Jason 1976 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Atlanta Thrashers players Buffalo Sabres executives Buffalo Sabres players Calgary Flames players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Dallas Stars draft picks Dallas Stars players Dallas Stars scouts Ice hockey people from Edmonton Ice hockey people from Winnipeg Kalamazoo Wings (1974–2000) players Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States National Hockey League executives NHL first-round draft picks NCAA men's ice hockey national champions Orlando Solar Bears (IHL) players Pittsburgh Penguins executives Rochester Americans players Ross School of Business alumni Saint John Flames players Seattle Kraken executives