Nathan Paetsch (born March 30, 1983) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

coach and former ice hockey

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) with the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

and

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

. He is currently an assistant coach of the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

Playing career

Paetsch was originally drafted in the 2nd round, 52nd overall, in 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. However, the Capitals were unable to reach a contract agreement with him, so he was put back into the draft in 2003. Paetsch was re-drafted in the seventh round, 202nd overall, by the Sabres in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Paetsch stepped into full-time WHL duty with the Moose Jaw Warriors as a 16-year-old in 1999. Paetsch was named Moose Jaw's defenceman of the year and playoff MVP after the 2000–01 season. Paetsch has also played in several national tournaments, including the 2000 Under-17 Championships and the 2000 Under-18 Four Nations Cup. In addition, he played for Team

Cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

in the 2001 CHL Top Prospects Game. Paetsch played his first professional season in 2003–04 with the Sabres AHL affiliate, the

. During the 2005–06 season, Paetsch played his first NHL game on January 7, 2006, for the Sabres and he recorded his first NHL point. Paetsch was then returned to the Americans, for the remainder of the season. Due to a plethora of injuries to defensemen during the

2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs for the National Hockey League (NHL) championship began on April 21, 2006, following the 2005–06 NHL season, 2005–06 regular season. This was the first playoffs since 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs, 2004 due to the 2 ...

, he was recalled to the Sabres and made his NHL playoff debut in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

. After re-signing to a one-year contract on July 14, 2005, Paetsch established himself with the Sabres in 2006–07, playing in a career high 63 games, recording 24 points. On July 31, 2007, Paetsch was re-signed to a three-year contract with the Sabres. During the 2009–10 season, Paetsch was limited to a reserve defenseman with the Sabres. On January 4, 2010, Paetsch was placed, and later cleared, on waivers from the Sabres. After 11 games with the Sabres, Paetsch was traded, along with a second round draft pick, to the

for forward Raffi Torres on March 3, 2010. On July 7, 2010, Paetsch signed with the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

for one year on a one-way contract worth $525,000. Not making the Panthers' squad, he was waived to the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the

. On October 7, his one-way contract was traded to the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

for defenseman Sean Zimmerman, on a two-way contract. The Canucks then loaned Paetsch and Andrew Peters back to the Americans. On November 1, Paetsch and Peters were removed from the Amerks roster due to curfew violations, with Paetsch moving to the

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team based in Syracuse, New York. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. They play in they home games at the Upstate Medical Univer ...

and Peters ultimately retiring. On June 21, 2011, Paetsch left the NHL to sign a one-year contract in Europe for the 2011–12 season, with EHC Wolfsburg of the German DEL. On July 9, 2012, Paetsch signed a one-year AHL contract with the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

for the 2012–13 season. Paetsch won the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

with the Griffins in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. On July 9, 2013, Paetsch re-signed a two-year AHL contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins through the 2014–15 season. Paetsch and Leinonen Sabres Dev Camp

During the 2014–15 season, Paetsch eight goals and 30 assists, in 75 games. His 30 assists ranked second on the team, and his 38 points tied for fifth overall on the team and 12th among all AHL defensemen, marking his highest-scoring season since 2005–06 with Rochester. On July 6, 2015, Paetsch signed a two-year AHL contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins. After leading the Griffins as captain to their second

in the 2016–17 season, before leaving as a free agent after five years with the club. On September 12, 2017, he opted to continue in the AHL in signing a one-year contract in a return to the Rochester Americans. Paetsch announced his retirement after 17 professional seasons in December 2020. On July 10, 2023, the Rochester Americans announced the hiring of Paetsch as an assistant coach.

Personal

Paetsch grew up in a town called Leroy, Saskatchewan, but was born in Humboldt since it was the nearest town with a hospital. Paetsch and his wife maintain a home in Spencerport, New York, a suburb of Rochester. Paetsch has been convicted of gambling-related charges.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paetsch, Nathan 1983 births Living people Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Columbus Blue Jackets players Grizzlys Wolfsburg players Grand Rapids Griffins players Moose Jaw Warriors players People from Spencerport, New York Sportspeople from Monroe County, New York Canadian sportspeople convicted of crimes Ice hockey people from Humboldt, Saskatchewan Rochester Americans players Syracuse Crunch players Washington Capitals draft picks Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States 21st-century Canadian sportsmen