Florida Panthers Leadership

Shawn Thornton joined the Florida Panthers executive staff on June 1, 2017, after playing three seasons with the club (2014-15 to 2016-17) over his 20-year professional hockey career.

Thornton, 42, began his tenure in the Panthers front office as Vice President, Business Operations and has also served as the organization's Senior Vice President before becoming Chief Commercial Officer in October 2020.

In his role with the Panthers, Thornton oversees and works closely with the team's Community Relations, Public Relations, Game Presentation, Marketing and Corporate Partnership departments.

A proactive leader within the organization, Thornton has contributed greatly to many of the Panthers community efforts ranging from youth hockey to hurricane relief and played a major role in assisting Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and its hockey team following the tragic events at the school on February 14, 2018.

He played in his final NHL game as a member of the Panthers on April 8, 2017, against the Buffalo Sabres. A two-time Stanley Cup champion (2007, 2011), the native of Oshawa, Ontario, appeared in 705 NHL games with the Panthers (2014-15 to 2016-17), Boston Bruins (2007-08 to 2013-14), Anaheim Ducks (2006-07) and Chicago Blackhawks (2002-03 to 2005-06) recording 102 points (42-60-102).

During his playing career with the Panthers, Thornton became the only player in professional hockey history to begin his career after expansion and play in over 700 NHL games and 600 American Hockey League games. He is the only player this century to record 10 fights, score 10 goals and win the Stanley Cup in the same season.

He founded the Shawn Thornton Foundation (@ThorntonFDN) in 2013 and serves as the Foundation's President and Director. The Shawn Thornton Foundation is dedicated to helping find cures for diseases close to his heart, specifically Parkinson's and cancer. Through his foundation, Thornton holds an annual 'Pucks and Punches for Parkinson's' golf event and does charitable work throughout Boston and South Florida.

Thornton resides in Parkland with his wife Erin and their daughters Nora and Ainsley.

Jerome Burke is a Chief Of Staff at Florida Panthers and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has worked as Administration at Pro Specs Canada, Contrôleur Financier at Club de hockey junior de Montréal, and Team Service Manager at Florida Panthers. Jerome attended FAU between 2012 and 2013 and McGill University between 2004 and 2008.

Sam Doerr was named the Florida Panthers Chief Strategy Officer in April 2021.

Prior to joining the Panthers, Doerr served as the Arizona Coyotes Vice President, Innovation and Revenue Strategy. With the Coyotes, Doerr oversaw social media, food and beverage, merchandise as well as the club's strategy and business analytics departments and served as a connection between all revenue generating departments. Doerr also worked closely with the Tucson Roadrunners, Arizona's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, to implement best practices.

Before his time with the Coyotes, Doerr spent three years as the Vice President of Business Operations at Phoenix Rising Football Club. During his time with the Rising, the team consistently broke the club's ticket sales records, including a 21-match-and-counting streak of sellouts at home.

Doerr began his career in the United Soccer League (USL) as the first official hire for San Antonio FC in 2016. As the club's Business and Soccer Operations Manager, he helped build the newly created club into one of the most well-known brands across the USL.

Prior to his USL career, he served as Assistant Athletic Director for South Dakota State University and Franchise Marketing Manager for Spurs Sports & Entertainment.

Doerr resides in Fort Lauderdale with his wife and son.

Sean McCaffrey is a Chief Operating Officer at Florida Panthers and is based in New York City, New York. He has worked as Battalion Scout/ Reconnaissance Platoon Leader at US Army, Principal Analyst at BRTRC Federal Solutions Inc, and Director at Morgan Stanley. Sean studied at United States Military Academy at West Point between 2000 and 2004 and Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business between 2011 and 2014.