In 2012, Panzer was named to the College Hockey Weekly "2000s All-Decade First Team". Panzer went on to play nine seasons of professional hockey, including 281 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Worcester IceCats, Syracuse Crunch and Grand Rapids Griffins.
Panzer was named the United States Hockey League (USHL) Player of the Year for the 1995-1996 season. He attended the University of North Dakota from 1998 to 2001, where while playing for their men"s ice hockey team, he was named a National Collegiate Athletic Association First Team All-American and was selected as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for both the 1999–2000 and 2000-2001 seasons. Panzer was named the 2000-2001 WCHA Player of the Year.
