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Michael Peca starts new career as general manager of Buffalo Junior Sabres

Michael Peca

At one point in his playing career, Michael Peca was a hero to those in Buffalo as he was captain of the Sabres. During his five seasons with the Sabres, Peca was a 20-25 goal per season player and matched up well against most of the big centers at that time. After stints in Edmonton, Long Island, and Columbus, Peca called it a career and joined TSN as a studio analyst.

Now, Peca is leaving the TV studio and making a run at a hockey front office job in Buffalo... Just not in the NHL. Peca has signed on to become the general manager for the Buffalo Junior Sabres and give himself a chance at seeing what he can do putting together a team of youngsters. There, Peca will be helping put together a team for coach and fellow Sabres alum Grant Ledyard to help become winners.

Seeing former NHLers take roles in junior hockey leadership is nothing new. In fact, it’s the road you see many ex-players take. Guys like Doug Gilmour and Dale Hunter have taken roles in coaching junior teams in Canada. Meanwhile, former Sabres defenseman in his own right, Bob Boughner made a name for himself coaching in the OHL as well. Boughner just recently returned to the OHL after a year assisting Scott Arniel in Columbus, signing on to be the head coach of the Windsor Spitfires.

The kind of junior hockey those guys are handling compared to what Peca is doing with the Junior Sabres is at a much higher level. That said, for Peca this is a start down a path towards a different kind of career in hockey and the kind of thing one has to do if they want to become a GM or team executive at another level. If he can have success again in Buffalo, he’ll be on the road to bigger and better things.