6 underrated Panthers players from recent years

A few weeks ago, I started a discussion on the blog's twitter account regarding underrated players, and it was a topic I wanted to zoom in on in more depth. Every fans view on this will likely significantly differ from one another, as these are players who typically don't get widespread praise, or are even seen as being unfairly criticised. With multiple below par seasons for the Panthers in recent years, it's easy to label those whole teams as flops, but there has been some quality that has gone below the radar. Obviously who you'd put in this category will be even more subjective based on how long you've been watching. For me, that's the last 10 seasons but those I've included in the line of underrated players I've put together (1 goaltender, 2 defencemen and 3 forwards) go back as far as the 2015/16 season. 

Shane Madolora, 2016 

Had he not played second fiddle to Miika Wiikman, I reckon Shane Madolora would've been a more than reliable starting netminder at Elite League level. The American was bought in as injury cover after spending the first part of the season in Italy, and would play 13 games. He posted a .912 save percentage, as well as getting 2 shutouts against Manchester and in the second leg of the famous 10-0 aggregate demolition of the Sheffield Steelers in the Challenge Cup semi-final. 

Madolora's biggest strength was his positional game, filling his net excellently, but as a result of a strong first season from Wiikman, he fell into the Scandinavian's shadow. 

Tommy Hughes, 2018-19

The importance of Tommy Hughes to the 2018/19 roster was proven to the extreme when he left the playoff semi final against the Cardiff Devils early with an injury and the Panthers conceded a whopping 9 goals in what was the single worst game of hockey I've ever seen. 

I'm not saying Hughes presence would've miraculously won us the game, but he provided a consistent physical presence at the back throughout a very bleak season for the team as a whole. His ability to finish hits was sublime and he was able to push teams to the outside. With Dylan Olsen's long term injury for the latter stages of the campaign, Hughes saw increased ice time and had he not been in one of the worst Panthers teams of all time, there probably would've been a lot more appreciation for the Canadian. 

Dan Spang, 2016-18

Dan Spang got a lot of unnecessary criticism in my opinion. The defenceman joined with a strong CV, having played in many of Europe's top leagues, and would prove to be a composed puck moving defenceman. He had a good work ethic which seemed to go unnoticed. 

Whilst I agree he wasn't perfect, Spang did a very respectable job in his 2 seasons in Nottingham. Regardless of your opinion on him, he will be remembered fondly for scoring the iconic overtime winner in that comeback in the playoff quarter final against the Giants.

Alexander Mokshantsev, 2017-18 

He may have dropped off in the second half of his season at the Panthers, but then again, so did the whole team. Russian forward Alexander Mokshantsev was relatively young and could've improved if given more time. The first half of the season showed what he was capable of, not least in the phenomenal CHL run in which he scored a highlight reel goal against Finnish side TPS. 

Despite his brilliant stick handling, his biggest weakness was his physical game, hence why he could deal more so with the European sides than those in the EIHL, which is closer to a hard hitting North American style. Having him back would've been a gamble, but it was a risk worth taking in my opinion. 

Chris Stewart, 2018-19

The main reason I wanted to write this in the first place. Ex-NHLer Chris Stewart is the literal definition of underrated. Many fans across the league labelled him as a flop as he wasn't the flashy forward people expected him to be as a result of his incredible CV. I'm going to be blunt and say I could not disagree more. 

Stewart's vision was world class. He instinctively made sublime passes and put the puck into dangerous areas constantly that would cause complete havoc in the offensive zone. Yes, some of his passes went astray but what did work more than made up for it, as well as his strength. The line consisting of him, Brett Perlini and Robert Farmer became one of the most lethal combinations in the entire league despite the roster overall being absolutely woeful. It's no surprise he was given another shot in the NHL. 

David Clarke, 2004-18*

*I can only comment on Clarke from 2010-2018 as I didn't watch the Panthers before then. 

"How is Clarke underrated?" I hear you ask. David Clarke is one of the greatest Panthers of all time, hence why he got his number 5 jersey retired, but I would often hear a lot of criticism for the EIHL's all time leading goalscorer. I never really understood it. Seeing Clarke setting himself to shoot bought an anticipation that not many other players have matched. The power and accuracy of his shots is what made him the icon he is in Nottingham. 

Honorable mentions 

 Anthony Stewart (2012-13), Cody Wild (2014-15), Ryan Horvat (2019-20)

Conclusion

As you can see, the line is dominated by players from the latter half of the decade, mainly because for much of the first half, Panthers had much more recognisable quality. From 2017 to 2019 in particular, the quality of domestic performances meant the negatives would extensively overshadow the few positives, meaning a lot of good players went somewhat unnoticed.