Bracken Kearns

Bracken Kearns (born May 12, 1981) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League. Kearns, who started his professional career in 2005 with the Toledo Storm in the ECHL, played 428 games in the minors before playing his first game in the NHL.

Amateur
Kearns, who graduated from the University of Calgary in 2005 with a degree in economics, was captain of the Calgary Dinos men's ice hockey team.

Professional
Kearns made his professional debut with the Toledo Storm during the 2005–06 ECHL season. He spent the entire 2006–07 season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Milwaukee Admirals. During the 2007–08 season, he played 53 games in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals and also played 17 games in the ECHL with the Reading Royals. He played AHL hockey for the next two years with Norfolk and the Rockford IceHogs.

On July 27, 2010, Kearns was signed as a free agent by the Phoenix Coyotes who assigned him to their AHL affiliate in San Antonio for the start of the 2010–11 AHL season.

Florida Panthers
On July 14, 2011, Kearns signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Florida Panthers. On October 20, 2011, at the age of 30, Kearns made his NHL debut with the Panthers playing seven shifts for 6:30 of ice time in a 3–0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Kearns is the second oldest player to make his NHL debut with the Panthers, behind only Magnus Svensson who made his NHL debut with Florida in 1995 at the age of 32.

Family
Kearns' father is Dennis Kearns, a retired All-Star defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks.