The Florida Panthers have acquired center Brandon Pirri from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Florida’s third-round choice in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and Florida’s fifth-round choice in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
“Brandon is a young and talented player who we are extremely pleased to have acquired,” said Dale Tallon, Panthers executive vice president/general manager. “We look forward to his contributions to our team.”
Pirri, 22, has played 26 AHL games with Rockford this season, registering 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points, and was named the MVP of the 2014 AHL All-Star Game, recording two goals and an assist in the AHL’s 7-2 win over Farjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League on Feb. 12.
Last season, Pirri won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL’s leading scorer, recording 75 points (22 goals, 53 assists) in 76 games with Rockford. In 238 career AHL games, all with Rockford, the Toronto native has totaled 68 goals and 132 assists for 200 points.
Pirri has also played in 35 NHL contests with Chicago, scoring six goals with seven assists for 13 points. He was drafted by the Blackhawks in the second round (59th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
