The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the Columbus Blue Jackets have claimed center Jeff Panzer off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.
Panzer, 26, has appeared in 210 AHL games over three seasons, recording 62 goals and 84 assists for 146 points with the Worcester IceCats. The Grand Forks, N.D., native appeared in 60 games last season, notching 14 goals and 39 points. In the playoffs, Panzer collected one goal and four assists in 10 games.
Prior to signing with the Blues, Panzer was a four-year letterman at the University of North Dakota, where he played under current Blue Jackets associate coach Dean Blais. While at UND, Panzer registered 80 goals and 148 assists, leading the NCAA in assists his junior (44) and senior (55) seasons. He also led the NCAA in scoring his senior season (2000-01) with 81 points on his way to being named the WCHA Player of the Year. Panzer also received NCAA West First All-American Team (2000, 2001), WCHA First Team All-Star (2000, 2001) and WCHA Second Team All-Star (1999) honors with the Fighting Sioux.
