The Ducks have promoted Rick Paterson to General Manager of the San Diego Gulls, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL), and Mike Stapleton to Assistant General Manager of the Ducks. In addition, Assistant General Manager Rob DiMaio has left the club due to personal reasons. The contracts for Assistant Coaches Newell Brown and Craig Johnson will not be renewed.
Paterson completed his 20th season with the Ducks last season, his second as Director of Professional Scouting. He served as the Director of Player Personnel from 2009-20, and was also the Director of Professional Scouting for two other stints with Anaheim (2005-09 and 2020-21). Paterson has over 40 years of experience as a player, coach and scout, and has won the Stanley Cup four times. Along with his Stanley Cup championship with the Ducks in 2007, he won titles with Tampa Bay (2004) and Pittsburgh (1991 and 1992).
Prior to joining the Ducks front office, Paterson spent seven years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning the Stanley Cup in 2004 as the club’s Chief Professional Scout. After retiring from the NHL as a player following 10 seasons with Chicago (1978-88), Paterson joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as an Assistant Coach from 1988-93, winning the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. He coached the Penguins’ International Hockey League affiliate in Cleveland from 1993-97 and joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as Assistant Coach in 1997-98. Paterson remained in that role until being named a Professional Scout prior to the start of the 1999-00 season.
Stapleton will enter his 10th season with the Ducks in 2024-25, most recently serving as Director of Player Personnel the past two seasons where he maintained extensive knowledge of all NHL personnel, and aided the hockey operations department in the procurement of players via free agency, trade and the NHL Draft.
Stapleton previously spent seven seasons as a Professional Scout for the club from 2015-22, while he also worked with the Anaheim scouting department on a part-time basis and served as an assistant coach for the organization’s AHL club in Syracuse in 2010-11. Stapleton also served as head coach for Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League from 2011-13. Prior to initially joining the Anaheim organization in 2010, Stapleton spent four seasons as an assistant and associate coach in the OHL with Sault Ste. Marie (2008-10) and Erie (2006-08).
