Verbeek hired as Ducks general manager, was assistant with Red Wings

Pat Verbeek
was named general manager of the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

He replaces Jeff Solomon, who took over as GM on Nov. 10 when Bob Murray resigned as executive vice president and GM following an investigation into his professional conduct.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be named general manager of the Anaheim Ducks," Verbeek said Thursday. "For me it's the beginning of a longtime goal to become a general manager and to build a Stanley Cup winner. I look forward to building this team into a Stanley Cup winner as well."
Verbeek, a retired NHL forward, was assistant GM for the Detroit Red Wings since May 6, 2019. He was named GM of Grand Rapids, their American Hockey League affiliate, Aug. 19.
"It's nice to just have someone in place and there's not any more questions on that," Ducks forward Troy Terry said Friday during media day for the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. "I haven't had the opportunity to meet him yet but I haven't heard anyone not rave about him. I've heard nothing but great things, and I think we all agree with his vision moving forward and it's something that we're all excited about in our organization. Now we're excited to have someone at the front of it."
The Ducks (23-16-9) are tied for second with the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division, two points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights. Anaheim has not reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017-18, when it was swept by the San Jose Sharks in the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round.
"Certainly you don't have to come [to Anaheim] and look to take a long time," Verbeek said. "There's good players in the NHL and there's also good players in the minors and then there's also players that have been drafted. So there's lots coming to support the growth of this team and that's truly what I'm excited about."
Verbeek was assistant general manager and director of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2012-19 after he was director of professional scouting from 2010-12. He was a pro scout for the Red Wings from 2006-10, including their Stanley Cup championship season in 2008.
"Pat Verbeek is one of the brightest minds and hardest workers in the game and he has been a trusted and valued resource to me throughout my management career," said Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, who also worked with Verbeek with the Lightning. "I will miss working alongside him but will continue to value the close friendship we have developed over the years. He is very deserving of his new role as general manager of the Ducks."
Verbeek said he will miss working with Yzerman and learned a lot during their time with Detroit and Tampa Bay.
"One thing when Steve and I worked together, we really thought the game similarly," Verbeek said. "I think Steve allowed me to kind of go out and really branch out on certain things and allowed some of the ideas I brought to the table, implemented them into Tampa Bay and with Detroit. That allowed me to gain a lot more experience and figure out what did work and what didn't work.
"He was very excited for me. That made me very happy, mainly because we've been working together for so long, it's always tough to kind of step away and start to do things on your own. But at the same time, it's very exciting for me to become the general manager. … We've gone through a lot together and I'm hoping I can do the job he did in Detroit and Tampa and build the Anaheim Ducks into a contender."
Verbeek scored 1,062 points (522 goals, 540 assists) in 1,424 NHL games for the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars and Red Wings. He had 2,905 penalty minutes, the most of any NHL player who scored at least 500 goals. He won the Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999.
Verbeek was a third-round pick (No. 43) by the Devils in the 1982 NHL Draft.
"We are delighted to welcome Pat Verbeek to our community to guide our hockey club as the next general manager of the Anaheim Ducks," owners Henry Samueli and Susan Samueli said. "Pat's outstanding work ethic and vast knowledge of the game as a successful executive and player throughout his 35-plus years in the NHL make him an outstanding fit to lead us forward. He brings a unique pedigree, having vast experience and serving in integral leadership roles for championship teams as both a player and executive at the NHL level."
Verbeek said the investment ownership has made into improving the Ducks and their facilities made Anaheim a desirable job.
"As I said during my interview, every winning organization, everything starts at the top," he said. "And when I got a chance to sit down with Henry and Susan, their commitment to winning was unbelievable. So that was a huge part for me. I think the other part is that the team is … they're in the middle of their rebuild, and so this is a great opportunity to kind of take this team forward and turn it into a contender."
NHL.com staff writer Tim Campbell contributed to this report