He was named GM of the AHL's Norfolk Admirals today.
A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Mike Butters has spent over 16 years in the pro and junior hockey ranks as a player, coach, general manager and owner. Butters has served as president, co-owner and associate coach of the Helena Bighorns junior A team for the past eight years. In the past four seasons as members of the Northern Pacific Hockey League, Butters led the Bighorns to three Cascade Cup Championships in 2005, 2006 and 2008. During his tenure in Helena, Butters has promoted over 60 players to the NCAA level as well as several others to major junior and the professional ranks.
Butters was instrumental in the formation of the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL), whose teams joined the East Coast Hockey League following the 2002-03 season to form the new ECHL. Butters was the general manager of the WCHL's Bakersfield Fog during their inaugural season in 1995-96.
Butters played eight years of professional hockey, signing contracts with the Detroit Red Wings, Québec Nordiques and Montréal Canadiens and playing for their minor league affiliates. In 21 career AHL games with Adirondack, Halifax and New Haven, Butters posted two goals, three assists and 76 penalty minutes. In 65 career IHL games with Fort Wayne, he recorded six goals and six assists with 216 penalty minutes. Butters also played professional roller hockey in the RHI and Pro Beach Hockey. He captained Team Canada in roller hockey for two years, playing in over 40 international games.
Butters, a defenseman/right wing, is familiar with the Admirals from his time with the ECHL's Greensboro Monarchs during the 1989-90 and 1991-92 seasons. He won the Riley Cup with the Monarchs in 1990. Butters was also a member of Greensboro during the 1992 playoffs when the Monarchs fell to the Admirals three games to one in the East Division Finals. In 77 ECHL regular season games, Butters scored 14 goals and added 27 assists with 368 penalty minutes. He added five goals and five assists with 173 penalty minutes in 21 playoff games.
