The Florida Panthers announced today that they have hired Jamie Tardif as an Assistant Coach with the Checkers.
Tardif, 41, has spent the last four seasons as an Assistant Coach with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Before his stint in Hartford, the Welland, ON, native served as an Assistant Coach with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds from 2018-22. Tardif began his coaching career in 2017-18 as a Player/Assistant Coach with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards.
Tardif’s playing career spanned 12 professional seasons, including 487 AHL games with the Manitoba Moose, Iowa Wild, Grand Rapids Griffins, Providence Bruins, and Rochester Americans, logging 267 points (142 goals, 125 assists). He served as the captain of the Griffins for two seasons (2009-11) and was named an AHL All-Star in 2013 as a member of the Bruins.
During the 2012-13 campaign, Tardif appeared in two NHL games with the Boston Bruins, making his NHL debut on February 2, 2013 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Following his AHL career, Tardif played overseas in Germany, suiting up for three seasons with the Mannheim Eagles in the DEL. Tardif captured a league championship with the Eagles in 2014-15.
Tardif played junior hockey in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes, leading the club to a championship in 2005-06 while ranking first with 40 goals in the regular season.
In addition, the Panthers have made the following changes to the hockey operations staff in Charlotte:
Patrick Dallaire has joined the Checkers as the club’s Goaltending Coach. Tommy Alva has been named Charlotte’s Head Athletic Trainer. Davis Gadjovich has been added as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. Will Cook has been named Assistant Coach, Video.
Dallaire joins the Checkers following an 11-year tenure as the Goaltending Coach of the DEL’s EHC München in Germany. He is a three-time DEL champion and has represented Germany several times on the international stage, capturing a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Before joining EHC München, Dallaire spent six seasons with EC Salzburg of the ICE Hockey League in Austria, winning three league titles. He began his coaching career in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads from 2000-01 to 2008-09.
Alva arrives in Charlotte for his 24th professional season as an athletic trainer. He previously served as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2022-23 to 2025-26. He has a history with the Panthers organization, serving as their Assistant Athletic Trainer for 11 seasons (2011-12 to 2021-22). His first head job in the NHL came in 2008-09 with the Atlanta Thrashers, where he spent three seasons before joining the Panthers. Alva started his career with the Dallas Stars, logging four years with the club as an assistant from 2003-04 to 2006-07. His last AHL experience came in 2007-08, when he was named head trainer for the Norfolk Admirals for one season.
Gadjovich spent the 2025-26 season as the Head Strength and Conditioning coach of the Savannah Ghost Pirates, Charlotte’s ECHL affiliate. With Gadjovich on staff, the Ghost Pirates qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history. He is the older brother of Panthers forward Davis Gadjovich.
Cook has been on Charlotte’s staff since the 2024-25 season, when he began as the team’s Video Coach. Cook’s first season included the Checkers winning the Eastern Conference and advancing to the Calder Cup Final.
