Is Sam Herr the best Panthers captain since Jordan Fox?

Sam Herr has had quite an impact in the first half of his first season as a Nottingham Panther to say the least. Having been bought in after 3 full seasons in the AHL, where he was in a much more defensive role, the 27 year old has become an offensive powerhouse who has wowed fans continuously with his quick reading of the offensive zone, aggressive forechecking and clinical scoring touch. 

In the last 13 games, Herr has picked up points in 12, highlighting his consistency. His ability to get into dangerous areas quickly makes him an opposition defence's worst nightmare, but a teammates dream as he anticipates plays effectively that brings out the best in his linemates. It's helped to make Panthers attack incredibly exciting to watch as scoring chances are coming thick and fast. 

Herr is the third highest scoring player in the league currently, just 2 points shy of the red hot Brendan Connelly at Sheffield. With 35 points in 28 games to add to his 17 in 10 in the Challenge Cup,and 4 in 3 in the Continental Cup, it takes his total to 49 points in 42 games, but it's not just his impact on the puck that's amounted to his success. When not in possession, he is able to get into the oppositions faces, causing turnovers, which makes him defensively solid too in limiting the pressure coming the Panthers way. This also makes him a huge part of the penalty kill unit, as he is often able to keep the opposition away from the danger areas for sizable chunks of time. 

It was boxing day though where we saw the most extreme example of what he is capable of when he produced some of the most jaw-dropping offence ever seen by any Panthers player ever. After a lackluster 50 minutes that was enough to kill anyone's festive cheer, Herr became what seemed like a man possessed when he scored 2 quickfire goals on the counter attack, before he completed his hat trick to tie the game in the last minute with a thunderbolt of a one timer. Goaltender Kevin Carr then sent him down the left hand side to beat CJ Motte down low for his 4th in just over 10 minutes (that has to be record of some sort?!). 

 Many fans have said he's the best Panthers captain since Jordan Fox, who helped lead the club to all three domestic major trophies in 2012/13. He certainly leads by example, and has bailed the team out many times when they've been struggling. His points per game average is in fact better than Fox's, even if only slightly at 1.16 in comparison to 1.06. Therefore, comparing the two isn't irrational. 

 Herr is easily the key piece to the puzzle in Panthers championship ploy, one that is getting stronger as time goes on. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 British players the Panthers could poach this off-season

Panthers Brit core has been an interesting talking point this season. The departures of Robert Farmer and Steve Lee have hindered the depth of the roster, and there is a good chance this will be an area addressed during the off-season, especially with the import limit decreasing from 14 to 13, meaning the players you have outside of this bracket will become more significant to your chances of success.  Panthers current British contingent consists of:  Brett Perlini  Jackson Whistle  Joe Hazeldine (2-way) Jordan Kelsall (2-way) Josh Tetlow  Ollie Betteridge  Robert Lachowicz  Sam Gospel (2-way)  With many of those players still developing, a marquee British signing would do wonders for the Panthers going into next season. Brits are prized possessions in the EIHL, as there isn't exactly an overload of homegrown players out there who meet the required standards to play in the UK top flight. As a result, clubs typically hold on to these players, and poaching the
Read more

What does the season cancellation mean for Team GB?

Let's face it. The 2020/21 Elite League season won't be going ahead, and rumours suggest confirmation of that is imminent. On the assumption that the lower leagues will probably be cancelled too, the only thing to look forward to regarding British ice hockey will be next years World Championships when GB begin their second straight campaign in the top division alongside the giants of international hockey, such as Canada, Sweden and Russia. Getting the consecutive gold medals in division 1B and 1A, to then go on and avoid relegation with a sensational comeback win over France is a remarkable feat for the sport in this country, but it seems like surviving again is a step too far in these circumstances, as if it wasn't already.  With no season, where will Brits play? Some have already signed abroad, in some decent leagues too. Robert Farmer is remaining with GB assistant coach Corey Neilson in Germany, which is very encouraging. Mike Hammond has signed in Slovakia, and I imagi
Read more

What exactly is wrong at the Panthers?

Yikes. Having only seen a handful of Panthers games this season, all of which were victories (I was a lucky charm pre-Christmas I guess), I hadn't got a first hand look at how disjointed the team really is at the moment. Our Christmas series with the Sheffield Steelers, along with declining results, shows just how far off we are from being a title challenger.  The Yorkshire side have become the benchmark for success, as they sit rather comfortably at the top of the standings, and will do going into the new year. If that's the standard we have to reach, then we are lightyears away right now.  Although possession seemed pretty even, and Aaron Fox's side were heavily outshot in the home game, the efficiency levels were polar opposites. Players such as Marc-Oliver Vallerand, Martin Latal and (ugh) Evan Mosey, were cruising through the Panthers defence like a hot knife through butter, even when killing penalties.  As for our offence, again, mainly in the home game, were we still
Read more