Hire Chris Bergeron and elevate Jerry Forton to associate general manager for the Sabres

The Sabres hire Chris Bergeron and elevate Jerry Forton to associate general manager.

The Buffalo Sabres announced on Tuesday that they had recruited Chris Bergeron as an amateur free agency scout and elevated Jerry Forton to associate general manager.

As assistant general manager, Forton will supervise the amateur and professional scouting divisions.

Since 2020–21, the Buffalo native has been the Sabres’ director of amateur scouting. He worked for Buffalo for five seasons in scouting before that, serving in two capacities as assistant director of scouting and three as director of collegiate scouting.

Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams stated, “I am thrilled to announce that Jerry Forton has been promoted to assistant general manager,” in a statement the organization posted on Tuesday. His unwavering dedication to the Sabres organization and excellent work ethic have been crucial to our staff’s success throughout the years. I have no doubt that his continued positive impact in his new position will be a motivating factor for our organization.

The previous five seasons, Bergeron served as Miami University’s (NCAA) head coach in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. After ten seasons as an assistant coach, he led Bowling Green State University to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. In his tenure as a collegiate head coach, Bergeron is 206-270-60.

In the official statement, Adams remarked, “I am happy to welcome Chris Bergeron to the Buffalo Sabres organization as an amateur free agent scout.” “Chris is a prime candidate for this position because of his noteworthy college accomplishments and strategic emphasis on growth and development.”

Following a 39-37-6 regular season, Buffalo fired head coach Don Granato and, on April 22, appointed veteran coach Lindy Ruff. The goal is for the Sabres to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out on them in the opening round of 2011.